Guidance For Transporting Ammonia By Rail

*2007 SECOND EDITION*
*(First Edition 2005)*

EFMA European Fertilizer Manufacturers Association

Avenue E. van Nieuwenhuyse 4 B-1160 Brussels Belgium

INTRODUCTION 6
PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION OF AMMONIA 6
- 2.1 General Characteristics 6
- 2.2 Physical Properties of Ammonia 7
- 2.3 Chemical Properties of Ammonia 8
- 2.4 Health Hazards of Ammonia 8
- 2.5 Fire Hazard 10
- 2.6 Stress Corrosion Cracking 10
- 2.7 Classification and Proper Shipping Names 11
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY TANK CARS (RTCS) 13
- 3.1 Application and Regulations 13
- 3.2 Design of RTCs 14
- 3.3 Materials of Construction 15
- 3.4 RTC Valves, Fittings and Couplings 16
  - 3.4.1 Valves and Fittings 16
  - 3.4.2 Couplings 20
- 3.5 Initial Testing of RTCs 21
DANGEROUS GOODS MARKING AND LABELLING 23
- 4.1 Dangerous Goods Identification 23
- 4.2 Warning Plates 25
- 4.3 Substance Name and Maximum Load Identification 25
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONTRACTING AND MAINTENANCE OF RTCS 28
- 5.1 Contracting RTCs 28
- 5.2 Maintenance Responsibilities 28
- 5.3 Periodic Testing 29
- 5.4 Purging with Nitrogen 29
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT 30
LOADING AND UNLOADING OPERATIONS 31
- 7.1 Requirements for Loading and Unloading 31
  - 7.1.1 Recommendations for the Loading/Unloading Area 31
  - 7.1.2 Equipment for the Loading/Unloading Station 33
  - 7.1.3 Loading/Unloading Arm 33
  - 7.1.4 Earthing 35
  - 7.1.5 Emergency Equipment 36
- 7.2 Operator Training and Safety 37
  - 7.2.1 Operator Training 37
  - 7.2.2 Operating Instructions 37
  - 7.2.3 Operator Safety 38
- 7.3 Loading Operation 38
  - 7.3.1 Checklists 38
  - 7.3.2 Suitability of the RTC 38
  - 7.3.3 Purging 39
  - 7.3.4 Filling Weight and Overfilling 39
  - 7.3.5 Checks and Actions Before Loading 40
  - 7.3.6 Checks and Actions During Loading 41
  - 7.3.7 Checks and Actions After Loading 41
- 7.4 Unloading Operation 42
  - 7.4.1 Checks and Actions Before Unloading 42
  - 7.4.2 Checks and Actions During Unloading 42
  - 7.4.3 Checks and Actions After Unloading 42
TRANSPORTATION 43
- 8.1 Safety Responsibilities 43
- 8.2 Obligations of the Main Participants 44
  - 8.2.1 Consignor 44
  - 8.2.2 Carrier 44
  - 8.2.3 Consignee 45
- 8.3 Obligations of the Other Participants 45
  - 8.3.1 Filler 45
  - 8.3.2 Operator 46
  - 8.3.3 Railway Infrastructure Manager 46
- 8.4 Safe Transport of Ammonia by RTCs 46
  - 8.4.1 General 46
  - 8.4.2 Safe Transport of Ammonia by RTCs 47
AUDITS 47
- 9.1 Safety and Quality Assessment Scheme 47
- 9.2 Internal Audits 48
EMERGENCY RESPONSE 48
- 10.1 Behaviour of Ammonia on Loss of Containment 48
- 10.2 Protection of the Surrounding Communities 49
- 10.3 Limiting the Release 49
- 10.4 Limiting the Vaporisation 50
- 10.5 Dissolving Ammonia in Water 50
- 10.6 Lowering the Concentration of Ammonia Gas/Vapour in Air 50
- 10.7 Fire Fighting Measures 50
- 10.8 Emergency Measures 51
- 10.9 Additional Information on Emergency Response 51
  - 10.9.1 Emergency Plan at Loading/Unloading Sites 51
  - 10.9.2 System of Reciprocal Assistance in Transport Emergencies 52
- 10.10 Incident Information Sharing 53
  - 10.10.1 Rapid Alert System 53
  - 10.10.2 Accident fact sheets 53
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 53
REFERENCES 56

ANNEX 1: Ammonia Rail Transport Accident Analyses

ANNEX 2: Abbreviations

ANNEX 3: Nomograph to show some properties of Ammonia

ANNEX 4: Methods used to mitigate the consequences of a loss of containment

ANNEX 5: Example of a checklist

ANNEX 6: Glossary of terms used

ANNEX 7: Special checking requirements before and after the filling of class 2 products (e.g. ammonia) referred to in RID 4.3.3.4.

Disclaimer

This publication has been prepared by the member companies of the European Fertilizer Manufacturers Association (EFMA). Neither the Association, any individual member company nor any individual representative of the member company can accept liability for accident or loss attributable to use of the information given in this Booklet. Users of this Booklet are advised to consult the latest national and international regulations as these may have changed since its publication.

1. INTRODUCTION

This Guidance for the transport and handling of ammonia has been drawn up by the European Fertilizer Manufacturers Association (EFMA), with the help and expertise of members in order to ensure high safety standards in operations involving ammonia transport. The Guidance deals exclusively with the transport of anhydrous ammonia in rail tank cars (RTC). The importance of ammonia rail transport for the European fertilizer and chemical producers is considerable. Every year more than 1,500,000 tonnes of ammonia are transported in Western Europe by rail. Ammonia is toxic and therefore a number of safety precautions are taken to ensure that the relevant operations are carried out safely. EFMA has analysed ammonia rail transport accidents in Europe to get a clear understanding of their causes and consequences. This analysis showed that none of the accidents, injuries or casualties was due to the release of ammonia (see Annex 1). The purpose of this Guidance is to improve further the safe handling and transport of anhydrous ammonia throughout the European Union as part of EFMA’s Product Stewardship programme [Ref. 12]. The transport of ammonia is subject to stringent national and international regulations [Ref. 1-4]. The recommendations made in this Guidance go beyond the requirements of these rules and it is recommended that all those involved in the handling and transport of ammonia adopt them as appropriate. Every user of this Guidance is advised to give due consideration to the specific circumstances of their installation and situation when applying this Guidance. No part of the Guidance should be applied or interpreted in such a way that conflicts with existing national and/or international regulations. In all cases, such legal requirements must always take precedence over any part of the Guidance. This 2007 booklet is an updated version of the 2005 booklet. The updated text mainly relates to a revision of the RID [Ref 2].

2. PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION OF AMMONIA

2.1 General Characteristics

Chemical formula: NH3
Chemical name: Ammonia, Anhydrous Ammonia
UN Number: 1005
CAS Number: 7664-41-7
Molecular weight: 17.03

At ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure, ammonia is an alkaline, colourless gas with a pungent and suffocating odour. Ammonia gas is very soluble in water. The gas is strongly irritant/corrosive to the skin, eyes and respiratory tract and has toxic properties. Ammonia gas condenses into a colourless liquid when cooled and compressed. The liquid can cause severe cold burns on contact with the skin.

2.2 Physical Properties of Ammonia

Table 1 [Ref 5.] summarises a number of common physical data.

Property	Liquid	Gas
Colour	Colourless	Colourless
Smell	Pungent	Pungent
Density (0°C, 101.3 kPa)	638.6 kg/m3	0.7714 kg/m3
Density (-33.43°C, 101.3 kPa)	682 kg/m3	0.888 kg/m3
Boiling point (101.3 kPa)	-33.43°C	-
Melting point	-77.71°C	-
Critical temperature	132.4°C	-
Critical pressure	11.28 MPa	-
Critical viscosity	23.90 x 10^-3 mPa.s	-
Specific Heat (10°C, 1 MPa)	4.67 x kJ/kg K	-
Specific Heat (-33.4°C, 1MPa)	4.47 x kJ/kg K	-
Heat of Vaporisation (101.3 kPa)	1370 kJ/kg	-
Heat of Solution (1:1 mol H2O, 0°C)	30.69 kJ/mol NH3	-

Table 2 gives the effect of temperature on the solubility of ammonia in water [Ref. 13].

Temperature °C	Solubility in water, wt% NH3
10	40.0
20	34.2
30	28.5
40	23.7
50	18.5

Table 3 summarises the change in density of liquid ammonia with temperature. [Ref.13]

Temperature °C	Density of Liquid Ammonia, kg/m3
-33	682
-15	659
0	639
10	625
20	610
30	595
40	580
50	563
60	545
70	540

2.3 Chemical Properties of Ammonia

Ammonia is an alkaline gas. The pH of a 1% aqueous solution is approximately 11.7. Ammonia in contact with certain other chemicals including mercury, chlorine, iodine, bromine, calcium, silver oxide or hypochlorites can form explosive compounds. Gaseous ammonia can react violently with nitrogen oxides and strong acids. Ammonia is very corrosive to copper and copper containing alloys and therefore, equipment in contact with ammonia must be free of them.

2.4 Health Hazards of Ammonia

Ammonia is a potentially hazardous substance, although it occurs naturally as a result of many biological processes. It can produce acute effects on humans and animals. It has strong alkaline and hygroscopic properties, which cause a primary irritation or corrosion to damp tissue surfaces, such as the eyes, respiratory system and skin. Ammonia has a pungent odour; the odour threshold of ammonia is in the region of 5 ppm. Concentrations between 20-50 ppm in air are detectable by most people. This provides an adequate warning of its presence well below the hazardous concentration levels. Gaseous ammonia affects the mucous membranes and the respiratory tract and severely irritates the eyes. Inhaling high concentrations may cause pulmonary oedema. High gas concentrations in the air may also cause blisters and chemical burns to the skin. The effects of exposure to various vapour concentrations are summarised in Table 4 [Ref. 14].

Vapour Concentration (ppm v/v)	General effect	Exposure period
5	Odour detectable by some people.	-
25	-	Occupational exposure standard - 8hr/TWA
35	-	Occupational exposure standard – short term, 15 mins
50-100	Irritation detectable by most people	Tolerable up to 2 hours.
400-700	Immediate eye, nose, and throat irritation.	1/2-1 hr exposure causes no serious damage
1000-2000	Severe coughing, severe eye, nose, and throat irritation.	Damage to eyes and respiratory system quick
3000-4000	Severe coughing, severe eye, nose, and throat irritation.	Could be fatal after 30 mins
5000-12000	Respiratory spasm, rapid asphyxia.	Fatal within minutes