A few years ago I posted a fatal incident involving unloading NH3. The driver made a valving error and left the liquid bleed valve to a plastic tote open while he was transferring liquid NH3 to the storage tank. He was standing ~6-10′ from the tote when it violently ruptured when the liquid NH3 entered the warm water. He did not die of traumatic injuries – he did from NH3 exposure, as well as a Deputy Sheriff who risked his life to pull the driver from the cloud was hospitalized for weeks due to his inhalation injuries. Members can see Anhydrous Ammonia (NH3) Fatality at a NE Co-Op was an UNLOADING ACCIDENT. Below is a video that demonstrates the violent reaction of liquid NH3 being injected into water (usually warm water due to warm atmospheric temps). This is a SMALL liquid hose being injected into a large 330-gallon tote. I have another video on my YouTube Member page showing what happens when we use a 5-gallon bucket to purge “gas” from a line, but the line was not fully gas and a small amount of liquid NH3 enters the bucket.
Top of tote that ruptured when liquid NH3 entered it during a truck unloading event.