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Page Background

Met

h

anol O

p

erations

BOS-

P

RD-2

6

.900

6

09

x

H

oses

shall

be

g

rounded

i

n

methano

l l

oad

i

n

g

and

un

l

oad

i

n

g

s

i

tuat

i

ons

.

Methano

l i

s

not

a

stat

i

c

accumu

l

ator

.

E

l

ectr

i

ca

l

conduct

i

v

i

ty

of methano

l i

s

re

l

at

i

ve

l

y

h

i

g

h when

compared

to

that

of most

fue

l

mater

i

a

l

s

.

4

.1.

2

Nitro

g

en

Nitro

g

en

i

s

a

chem

i

ca

l

e

l

ement

that

has

the

symbo

l

N

,

atom

i

c

number

of

7

and

atom

i

c mass

1

4.00

6

74

u

.

E

l

ementa

l

n

i

tro

g

en

i

s

a

co

l

or

l

ess

,

odor

l

ess

,

taste

l

ess

and most

l

y

i

nert

g

as

at

standard

cond

i

t

i

ons

,

const

i

tut

i

n

g

78.08%

by

vo

l

ume of Earth

atmosphere

.

U

N

number

i

s

1

0

66

(S

ee

“

M

SDS

P

R

A

X

A

IR

P

- 4

631

-

H

”).

R

ap

i

d

re

l

ease

of

n

i

tro

g

en

g

as

i

nto

an

enc

l

osed

space

can

d

i

sp

l

ace

o

x

y

g

en

,

and

therefore

represents

an

asphy

xi

at

i

on

ha

z

ard

. T

h

i

s may

happen w

i

th

few warn

i

n

g

symptoms

,

s

i

nce

the

human

carot

i

d

body

re

l

at

i

ve

l

y

s

l

ow and

a

poor

l

ow

-

o

x

y

g

en

(

hypo

xi

a

)

sens

i

n

g

system

.

An

e

x

amp

l

e

occurred

short

l

y

before

the

l

aunch

of

the

f

i

rst

S

pace

S

hutt

l

e m

i

ss

i

on

i

n

1

98

1

,

when

two

techn

i

c

i

ans

l

ost

consc

i

ousness

and

d

i

ed

after

they wa

lk

ed

i

nto

a

space

l

ocated

i

n

the

S

hutt

l

e

'

s

Mob

il

e

L

auncher

P

l

atform

that

was

pressur

i

z

ed

w

i

th

pure

n

i

tro

g

en

as

a

precaut

i

on

a

g

a

i

nst

f

i

re

. T

he

techn

i

c

i

ans wou

l

d

have

been

ab

l

e

to

e

xi

t

the

room

i

f

they

had

e

x

per

i

enced

ear

l

y

symptoms

from

n

i

tro

g

en

-

breath

i

n

g

.

L

ar

g

e

vo

l

umes

of

n

i

tro

g

en

g

as

are

evo

l

ved

from

sma

ll

vo

l

umes

of

liq

u

i

d

n

i

tro

g

en

(

1

li

tre of

liq

u

i

d

g

i

v

i

n

g

0.7

m

3

of vapour

)

and

th

i

s

can

eas

il

y

rep

l

ace

norma

l

a

i

r

i

n

poor

l

y

vent

il

ated

areas

l

ead

i

n

g

to

the

dan

g

er

of

asphy

xi

at

i

on

. I

t

should

be

noted that

o

x

y

g

en

norma

ll

y

const

i

tutes

2

1

%

of

a

i

r

.

Atmospheres

conta

i

n

i

n

g

l

ess

than

1

0%

o

x

y

g

en

can

resu

l

t

i

n

bra

i

n

dama

g

e

and death

(

the

g

asp

i

n

g

ref

l

e

x i

s

tr

i

gg

ered

by

e

x

cess

carbon

d

i

o

xi

de

and

not

by shorta

g

e

of

o

x

y

g

en

), l

eve

l

s

of

1

8%

or

l

ess

are

dan

g

erous

and

entry

i

nto

re

g

i

ons w

i

th

l

eve

l

s

l

ess

than

20% i

s

not

recommended

(N

ot

i

ces

are

posted

i

n

the sta

i

rwe

ll

a

l

ter

i

n

g

l

ab

wor

k

ers

to

the

dan

g

ers

i

n

case

of

Ox

y

g

en

def

i

c

i

ency a

l

arm sound

i

n

g

).

Ox

y

g

en Content

(

Vo

l

ume

%)

Effects

and

S

ymptoms

2

1

% N

orma

l

breath

i

n

g

1

7%

A

cand

l

e

i

s

e

x

t

i

n

g

u

i

shed

.

V

i

s

i

on may be

i

mpa

i

red

1

2-

16

%

L

abored breath

i

n

g

, i

ncreased heart

rate

.

L

ac

k

of

attent

i

on and

coord

i

nat

i

on

11

-

1

4%

U

nab

l

e

to

th

i

n

k. N

o

l

on

g

er

perce

i

ves

dan

g

er

.

Ab

ili

ty

to

se

l

f

rescue

i

s

i

mpa

i

red

. F

at

i

g

ue

, i

n

j

ury

to

heart

,

fa

i

nt

i

n

g

8-

11

%

F

a

i

nt

i

n

g

w

i

thout warn

i

n

g

. N

ausea

,

vom

i

t

i

n

g

,

unab

l

e

to

stand

,

wa

lk

or

craw

l.

P

erson

i

s

dy

i

n

g

but does

not

care

. I

t

’

s

a

ll q

u

i

te pa

i

n

l

ess

.

6

-8%

F

a

i

nt

a

l

most

i

mmed

i

ate

l

y

,

heart may cont

i

nue

beat

i

n

g

for

a

few m

i

nutes

,

resusc

i

tat

i

on poss

i

b

l

e

i

f

i

mmed

i

ate

0-

6

%

F

a

i

nt

i

n

g

,

a

l

most

i

mmed

i

ate

coma

,

convu

l

s

i

ons

,

resp

i

ratory arrest

,

death

,

bra

i

n

dama

g

e even

i

f

resusc

i

tated

4

.1.

3

Fire sa

f

et

y

Fl

ammab

ili

ty

:

Methano

l i

s

def

i

ned

by

OS

H

A as

a

c

l

ass

IB

f

l

ammab

l

e

liq

u

i

d

.

Fl

ash po

i

nt

i

s

def

i

ned as

the m

i

n

i

mum

temperature at wh

i

ch

the

vapor

pressure

of

a

liq

u

i

d

i

s

suff

i

c

i

ent

to

form

an

i

g

n

i

t

i

on m

ix

ture w

i

th a

i

r

near

the

surface of

liq

u

i

d

.

P

ure methano

l

has

a

f

l

ash po

i

nt

of

1

2

°

C

(

5

4

°

F).

W

hen

the

amb

i

ent

temperature

i

s

l

ess

than

the methano

l

f

l

ash

po

i

nt

,

the

f

i

re

ha

z

ard

i

s

reduced

.

H

owever

,

l

oca

l

hot

spots

can

e

x

ceed

the

f

l

ash

po

i

nt

and methano

l

can

be

i

g

n

i

ted

. W

armer

amb

i

ent

cond

i

t

i

ons

i

ncrease

the

overa

ll

f

i

re

ha

z

ard

.

Cance

l

the

operat

i

on

i

f

there

are

li

g

htn

i

n

g

s w

i

th

storm

i

n

the

v

i

c

i

n

i

ty

,

and ma

k

e

sure

there are no

f

l

ame be

i

n

g

sp

i

tted out by

f

l

arebooms

(

5

00

m

z

one entry

supposed

to

cover

i

t

)

Vers

i

on

SF(BOS-

P

RD-07.900

6

09-

ver

.04). O

r

i

g

i

na

l

date

:

22/0

6

/20

1

2.

Vers

i

on

date

:

31

/

1

2/20

15

.

Va

li

d

vers

i

on

on

l

y

on

Q

M

S

s

i

te

.

U

ncontro

ll

ed

document

when

pr

i

nted

.

P

rocedure prepared by

:

BOS

H

ead

of

O

perat

i

ons

.

Approved

by

:

BOS

H

ead

of

O

perat

i

ons

.

Va

li

dated by

:

BOS

Q

ua

li

ty

R

epresentat

i

ve

.

6

/

15

496