Flammable Liquids

Controlling flow rates of non-conductive flammable liquids

In the world of process safety, we have Safe Upper and Lower limits on a lot of common process parameters, such as pressures, levels, temperatures, etc. Flows on the other hand are quite often overlooked as a critical process parameter and when your HHC/EHS is a non-conductive flammable liquid both FLOW and LEVEL must be…...

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FLASH FIRE on top of “rig tank” (i.e. frac tank)

A crew was conducting well kill operations on a sweet oil well. A worker was monitoring the return flow to the service rig trough from on top of the rig tank. When the returns became gassier, the return flow was opened to the degasser section of the rig tank and the trough flow was pinched…...

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Petroleum and Gas Safety Alert 66 – Safe LPG decanting procedures and static electricity

Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders are being filled by decanting equipment. These cylinders can be for commercial use (e.g. forklift trucks) or for domestic use (e.g. cook tops, barbecues, and camping). It is critical that all decanting operations are carried out in a suitable and safe manner. What happened? A fire broke out at a…...

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“Dropping trailers” of flammable liquids

Have you ever seen several full tanker trailers parked without their mode of transport under them or a railcar with the Class 3 Flammable placard hooked up to the process and being used as a storage tank? Although OSHA’s 1910.106 makes no specific prohibition against this practice, I would like to point out that the…...

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Enform Safety Alert – Worker Burned In PLASTIC DOUBLE WALLED Methanol Tank Explosion Injury Incident

Description of Incident:  An operator was checking the level in a 500 gallon methanol storage tank: Tank was polyethylene plastic, double wall A worker climbed on top of the tank. Flammable vapour was ignited, when the worker touched the cap on the inner tank, resulting in an explosion and flash fire.  The worker received first aid…...

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How do I ensure my emergency venting on my flammable liquid atmospheric storage tank is the proper size?

Sizing emergency venting for atmospheric flammable liquid storage tanks is a safety-critical requirement, yet we often find it undersized. The core objective is to provide sufficient relief capacity so that, in the event of an external “exposure fire,” the tank does not rupture due to rapid internal pressure buildup from vaporizing liquid. Unlike normal venting…...

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Flammable Liquids Conductivity (Updated 1/18/14)

A little background on what this table is telling us: NFPA 77 classifies flammable liquids as Conductive, Semi-Conductive, and Non-Conductive: Conductive Liquids = >10,000 pS/m Semi-Conductive Liquids = >100<10,000 pS/m Non-Conductive Liquids = <100 pS/m In the tables below, 1 conductivity unit (C.U.) = 1 picosiemen per meter (pS/m)… Membership Required You must be a...

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Do flame arrestors really work? (Video)

This video is a bit slanted for a lawsuit, but the video footage does demonstrate the significant impact a simple flame arrestor makes in flammable liquids safety!  I need to state that a gas container in and of itself is NOT a hazard, but the fuel inside the gas container is a HAZARD.  Although I…...

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Smoking at Fuel Pump is NOT a good idea (Video)

Many of us got a “chuckle” from the 2013 Photo of the Week #42 (Smoking & Flammables) but here is proof it is NOT a laughing matter.  We continue to see people who seem to forget that gasoline is a highly flammable liquid and that ignition sources like matches, lighters and lit smoking materials are a…...

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Just marketing or serious issues?

A few months back I posted an article about flammable liquid storage cabinets and I used this image in the article.  After more than 5,000 views I thought I would ask the question… What’s wrong with the picture?  Only four people have sent me an e-mail or phone call about the photo.  Now this photo…...

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