We have had many discussions on SAFTENG regarding pressure vessel safety, but it is the Year 2020 and we need to have a very direct talk about how we manage flammable liquids and combustible materials around our pressure vessels. In this article, I am primarily speaking to those in the Anhydrous Ammonia fertilizer industry and more specifically to those who are using the Nitrogen Stabilizers. Since I posted the Canadian Safety Alert regarding these additives and their impact on the containers and valves, it has generated a lot of questions about how these N2 Stabilizers are stored and handled in relation to the storage tanks and nurse tanks. Bottom line… good practice, OSHA, and our RAGAGEPs all require that we keep the area(s) around our pressure vessels clear of anything that will burn; so when we have totes full of a Flammable Liquid (Cat 3 with a FP=104°F) stored in the shadow of a pressure vessel which contains a Cat 2 Flammable Gas (NH3) or a Cat 1 Flammable gas (LPG) stored as pressurized liquids we have violated every last ounce of fundamental safety regarding our pressure vessels.
Let’s discuss the Anhydrous Ammonia tanks and the specific concerns, requirements, and practices regarding these bulk pressure vessels.
FOLLOW-UP NOTE:
I was pleased to see that one of the flammable N2 stabilizers is maybe being phased out and replaced with a product that is NOT even combustible! Now I am not sure why this was done, but a rep from the company must be reading my stuff as he/she was very helpful in educating me about this next generation stabilizer and its safety benefits. This sure is a great thing for those who work with these stabilizers. Many of these businesses had no idea how to handle flammable liquids and the addition of these flammable liquids to these bulk ammonia businesses is just a risk we do not need!