AGA General Gases - Executive Summary |
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1. The accidental release prevention and emergency response policies at the facility: The AGA Gas, Inc. (AGA) facility located in Catano, Puerto Rico complies with applicable requirements for LP-Gas storage and for toxic substances, and it is our policy to adhere to all applicable federal and local laws. If an emergency accidental release were to occur involving our propane, anhydrous ammonia, or chlorine storage/handling systems, it is our policy to immediately notify the Catano Fire Department and the AGA Emergency Response Team, who would respond to the emergency. 2. A description of the facility and the regulated substances handled: The AGA facility stores propane and anhydrous ammonia in above ground storage tanks (ASTs). These liquified gases are transferred into storage cylinders of various sizes before they are sold and shipped from the facility. The propane and ammonia storage/handling processes consist of one 8,000-gallon propane AST, two 6,000-gallon ammonia ASTs, cy linder filling equipment, filled cylinders of various sizes, and associated piping, valves, and other miscellaneous equipment. Chlorine is also stored at the AGA facility, in cylinders only. The cylinders are transported to the facility, stored for a period of time, and then shipped from the facility. 3. The worst-case release scenarios: The flammable worst-case release scenario for the AGA facility considers the potential failure of one 8,000-gallon propane storage tank filled to 85% of its holding capacity (administrative controls limit each storage tank to 85% of capacity at 600F), resulting in a vapor cloud explosion. Utilizing a computer-based version (RMP*Comp) of the methodology presented in USEPA's "RMP Offsite Consequence Analysis Guidance", USEPA, May 24, 1996, the distance to the flammable endpoint (1 psi overpressure) was determined to be 0.2 miles. The public receptors affected under this worst-case release scenario include: residential property, wildlife preserves , and commercial, office, and/or industrial property. The residential population within this 0.2-mile radius is approximately 800 persons, which was estimated using population density data generated from a USGS map and the US Bureau of the Census. The toxic worst-case release scenario for the AGA facility considers the potential failure of one 6,000-gallon anhydrous ammonia storage tank filled to 85% of its holding capacity (administrative controls limit each storage tank to 85% of capacity at 600F). Utilizing RMP*Comp, the distance to the toxic endpoint (0.14 mg/L) was determined to be 2.0 miles. The public receptors affected under this worst-case release scenario include: schools, residential property, hospitals, correctional facilities, wildlife preserves, and commercial, office, and industrial property. The residential population within this 2.0-mile radius is approximately 80,000 persons, which was estimated using population density data generated from a USGS map and the U S Bureau of the Census. 4. The alternative release scenarios: The flammable alternative release scenario for the AGA facility considers the potential release of propane from a 100-pound capacity storage cylinder (i.e., caused by a cylinder being knocked over, resulting in the cylinder valve being broken off), resulting in a vapor cloud explosion. The release rate of propane from the cylinder was estimated to be 1.67 pounds per minute. It was assumed that the release occurred for a duration of 60 minutes. Therefore, the alternative release scenario modeled a release of a total of 100 pounds of propane. Utilizing RMP*Comp, the distance to the flammable endpoint was determined to be 0.02 miles. The affected public receptors under this alternative release scenario are commercial, office, and industrial property. There is no residential population within this 0.02-mile radius. The toxic alternative release scenarios for the AGA facility consider the potential release of each toxic c hemical from the most common size of storage cylinder for each chemical (i.e., caused by a cylinder being knocked over resulting in the cylinder valve being broken off). It was assumed that each release occurred for a duration of 60 minutes. Each release scenario was modeled using RMP*Comp. The distance to the toxic endpoint for anhydrous ammonia (0.14 mg/L) for a 150-pound release of ammonia was 0.1 miles. The distance to the toxic endpoint for chlorine (0.0087 mg/L) for a 150-pound release of chlorine was also 0.1 miles. The only affected public receptors under these alternative release scenarios are residences, wildlife preserves, and commercial, office, and/or industrial property. The residential population within this 0.1-mile radius is approximately 200 persons, which was estimated using population density data generated from a USGS map and the US Bureau of the Census. 5. The general accidental release prevention program and chemical-specific prevention steps: The AGA f acility complies with USEPA's accident prevention rule and all applicable federal and local codes and regulations. The propane system is designed, installed, and maintained in accordance with NFPA-58 at the AGA facility in Catano, Puerto Rico. 6. Five-year accident history: The AGA facility has never had an accident involving its propane, ammonia, or chlorine storage/handling processes. 7. The emergency response program: In the event of an emergency accidental release involving our propane storage system, it is AGA's policy to immediately notify the Catano Fire Department and AGA Emergency Response Team, who would respond to the emergency. We have communicated this policy with the Catano Fire Department. All members of the AGA Emergency Response Team are properly trained to respond to emergencies at the facility. All employees have access to AGA's emergency action plan, and emergency response training is conducted annually. 8. Planned changes to improve safety: NONE |