in the Chemical laboratory Edited by NORMAN V. STEERE, 140 Melbourne Ave., S.E. Minneapolis, Minn., 55414
XLIV. Chlorine Trifluoride Editor's Note: This column "Chlorine T~.iflt~oride" is reprint,ed from pages il-79, "The Handling and St,orage of Liquid P~. , i A .is~unlikely p 1,)i ~ . . , s p.I!.~I+. . I . They .I.wld Imvr w t d y n w in- t f retreat if necessmy. 4.6.1 Cylinders: All equipment ill C T F service shall be kept clean of grease, scale, paint or other contaminants and free from moisture. New equipment, awh as valves, pipes, fittings, et,c., shall be disassembled, degreased and reassentbleJ with proper packing before use. Passivntion of new equipment is recommended; for this purpose, CTF vapors should be passed through the eqnipment far 5 to 10 minutes and the equipment then inspected for hot spots before liquid C T F is int1.uduced. Avoid bending, flexing or st,riking C T F systems, as the protective fluoride film on the inner surface may mark and :i possibly violet reaction may follow. CTF should be transferred by gas pressurization. 4.6.2 Tank Cam and Tank Tracks: These are not used for chlorine-trifllioride serviceat the present time. 4.7 Spills, Leaks and Decontan~ination: Spillage shall be dealt with by remote control only. Powdered carbonate or bicarbonate, water spray, ammonia or carbonate solutions may be used to d e contaminate chlorine trifluoride. In decontaminating the work and storage areas and equipment subject to spillage, the presence and concentration of vapors d l be recognized by their odor, and a p p w priate action may be taken. C T F may be disposed of in an isolated, posted area, by remotely controlled dumping througha pipe to a shallow evaporating Dan. where the C T F is allowed to evam5. Shipping 5.1 Applicable Laws: This section is intended only as a. guide for the user. Extracts from the Code of Federal Regulatiom are condensed and re~hrasedin the interest of brevity. For complete and official information and specifications see ref. 4. 5.2 Marking: Each cylinder shall be marked by stamping it permanently on the shoulder, top, head or neck with the specification number, followed by the service pressure; under the ICC numerals ~~
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Figure 6-1 RECOMMENDED SAFETY-INSTRUCTIONS FORMAT FOR CHORINE TRIFLUORIDE (CTF) (To be posted a t the operations site) HAZARDS 1. C T F ia extremely toxic and corrosive as both vapor and liquid. 2. I t reaet,s vigorously with all organic material, frequently causing fire. 3. Contact of vapor will cause skin irrit,ation and possibly bnms. 4. Liqs~idwill destroy body tissues on contact. 5. Vapors will support combustion. FIRST AID 1. Remove casualties from contaminated area and keep them quiet. Apply artificial respiration if breathing hh? st,opped. Call for medical aid. 2. If C T F has splashed into a person's eyes, flush them immediately with water and runtintie flushing bhem for 15 minutes, holding the eyes open. If it is necessary to rhowe between lreating the eyes and summoning medical assislanee, wash the eyes for 10 minutes, call for medical attention, then resume eye flushing. Do not put anything but water in theeyes. 3. If C T F has spilled ont,o a person's skin, immediately flood the affected area with water. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 1. All persons shall be familiar with the nature and characteristics of chlorine trifluoride, 2. Persons subject to C T F exposure shall be provided with full hoods, body-covering garments and gloves of approved type. Persons working where there is a possibility uf exposure to gaseous C T F shall wear an appmved self-contained breathing spparalus. Even the best protective measures are effective for only a short period of time. 3. Operations involving C T F shall he performed by persons working in groups of two or more. 4. IVhenever possible, CTF-corkaining systems shall be isolated by barricades. Valves shall he controlled remotely. 5. Persons entering areas containing C T F systems shall use l i e lines. 6. Persons shall not enber areas contamineted with liquid or gaseous C T F without permnsl plateotion. 7. All materials and equipment used in C T F service shall be cleaned and free of dirt, grease, oxidation and moisture. Valves shall he disassembled and cleaned before being put into service. 8. All systems shall be cleaned, dried and pressure-tested prior to ose with CTF. Before iotrodrring liquid C T F into new systems, gaseous C T F should be passed thmngh the syst,em for 5 to 10 minutes and the system inspected for hot spots and leak-. 9. .%void bending, flexing or sbriking C T F systems, since any of t,hese aet.ians may muse the prot,erting fluoride film on the internal surface of t,he system t,o crack or break. possibly rupturing the mebal. 10. C7e. caut,ian, mrd double-check every operation. a p p e a r s serial number and the symbol of the purchaser, user or maker, as registered with t,he Bureau of Explosives. Each cylinder must have a white label "Corrosive Liquid." 5.3 Packaging: Chlorine trifluoride is shipped only in cylinden. Carboss or tank cars are not aut,horized. (See section 4.4.2.1 for d e t d s of cylinder types allowed.) 5.4 Accident Procedure: In the event of a,,y degree f, cylinder leakage, unprotected personnel must evacuate t,he cantnminnted area. Only individuals who are suitably protected shall handle theleaking or defective cylinders. In the event of gross spillage, fire and explusiuns may occur; then the only course is to immediately evacuat,e the area. I f the accident occurs in or near an inhabited local police and fire aut,horities must be alerted so they can protect the eomrnunity. 6. Recommended Safety-Instructions Format The recommended format for safety instructions to be post,ed a t the operations site is shown in Figwe 6-1.
REFERENCES 1. Department of the Air Force. "Genera1 Safety Precautions-Missile
Liquid Propellants." A F T 0 11C1-6, 18 October 1961, rev. 27 November 1961. A F T 0 1lC-1-GC (same M e ) , 31 August 1962. 2. Department of the Army. Ordnance Safety A[anual. ORDM 7-244. 3, Depart,mentof theNavy. Ammunitia Ashme. Vol. I, "Handling, Stowing and Shipping." OP-5, rev. 9 August 1957. 4. General Services Administration, National Archives and Records Service, Federal Register llivision. Code of Fede~alReplations. Title49, " C h a p ter I-Interstate Commerce Commission,'' Parts 71 and 00, rev. 1956. (For sale by Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D.C.) ,5. National Fire Protection Association. National Fire Codes, 1 9 6 2 4 3 . "National Electrical Cod-1962," Vol. V ("Electrical"), NFPA, No. 70. 6. MIL-C-1257A (QM), "Coverall, Rocket Fuel Handlers," 2 November 1956. i. MIL-STD-IOlA, "Color Code for Pipelines and for Compressed-Gas Cylinders," 16 March 1954. 8. MIGSRD-172A, "Color Code for Containers of Liquid propellant,^," 1 May 1958.
