Classified?

[ryan_618]

I'm doing a plan review for a water flouridation facility.

There are two rooms that I concerned with. One has a 1,000 gallon container of chlorine, the other room has a 400 gallon container of flouride. These rooms are seperated from each other by fire resistance rated construction, and each is well ventilated (about 2.5 air changes per hour).

I am wondering if these are class I Division II, as I am a little unclear of the properties of these substances.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[tonyi]

Re: Classified?

Chlorine and Flourine (elements) are both highly reactive "oxidizers" - i.e. stuff can burn in their presense. It just won't be an oxygen type fire.

Pure Flourine is somewhat more reactive (and lighter weight) than Chlorine, but both are bad actors in this regard. Gasseous Chlorine or Flourine will kill you stone dead real quick.

A Flouride is a broad class of compounds that includes Flourine atoms. With the Flourine already bound up in the compound, these would be a LOT less reactive than pure flourine (and heavier). Similarly, a Chloride is a Chlorine compound - one example is PVC/CPVC. Most of the Chlorine coumpounds have Flourine analogs. These elements are quite similar in their characteristics.

It doesn't take much (chemically) to render these bad boys effectively inert - ex combine a Sodium atom (a highly reactive light metal) with a Chlorine (equally reactive) and the end result is Sodium Chloride - i.e. ordinary table salt.

Substitute a Potassium for the Sodium and you get Potassium Chloride - the primary constituient of the "no salt" salts for people with high blood pressure and heart problems.

Remove the Chlorine from table salt, add a (seemingly) innocuous nitrogen and carbon - and viola, you just made Sodium Cyanide

[ February 07, 2004, 10:33 PM: Message edited by: tonyi ]

 

[charlie]

Re: Classified?

Is Sodium Cyanide unhealthy? HMMM

 

[roger]

Re: Classified?

Back to Ryan's original question. I don't think these areas would be classified as per Hazardous.

Like Tony said there are other concerns though.

If I had any say so, I would want all piping, boxes, and fixtures to be PVC or plastic enclosed. This opinion is based my experience with equipment in high chlorine concentrated areas (commercial pool equipment rooms)

Roger

 

[tonyi]

Re: Classified?

Charlie, if your "salt" has a sharp almondy odor, don't put in the stew

We used to go through Sodium/Potassioum cyanide by the 55gal drum in the plating shop. On its own or in solution, its not overly dangerous to work with (other than it being able to kill you ). Needs to be kept FAR away from the acids though or you can wind up with HCN (Hydrogen Cyanide) gas.