Matheson Gas Products - Joliet - Executive Summary |
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MATHESON GAS PRODUCTS - JOLIET, IL BRANCH BACKGROUND This Matheson Gas Products facility transfills and purifies compressed specialty industrial gases in both large and small quantities. The source material gas which is transfilled and sometimes purified may be packaged in tube trailers, ton cylinder units or regular cylinders, depending on the gas. The finished product varies from a single pure chemical gas to gas mixtures, and the capacity of product cylinders varies from 2000 pounds to less than 1 pound of gas depending on the size of the cylinder and the type of material involved. Matheson has identified two processes at this site containing greater-than-threshold amounts of chemicals subject to the RMP regulations: storage of isobutane and storage of propane. We have considered storage as an RMP "process". Because of the quantities involved, both processes were assigned to Program 3. We believe a large gas explosion or fire from this facility is extremely unlikely. This fa cility has the equipment, the procedures and the training to ensure that a gas release impacting off-site areas will not occur. They are described in the Prevention Program section of this Executive Summary. DESCRIPTION OF WORST-CASE AND ALTERNATIVE CASE SCENARIOS Worst-Case Scenarios In compliance with the USEPA definition of a worst-case scenario, the loss of the entire contents of the largest container over a period of ten minutes was modeled using RMPComp. Such a release is extremely unlikely since it assumes catastrophic failure of a tank that is built to withstand pressures and temperatures well above normal operating conditions and makes no allowances for mitigation procedures. Consequently this should not be considered a credible release situation. The worst-case release scenario for isobutane assumes the vaporization and explosion of 28,790 lbs. of material. The theoretical off-site impact is 0.2 miles. Alternative case scenarios For both isobutane and propane the al ternative release scenario is a valve leak. There is no real process occurring in storage; and the valve presents the most likely weak point of the storage tank. For isobutane storage, the alternative case scenario assumes the vaporization and explosion of 2,890 lbs. of material. The theoretical off-site impact area is 0.06 miles. For propane storage, the alternative case scenario assumes the vaporization and explosion of 6,970 lbs. of material. The theoretical off-site impact area is 0.09 miles. ACCIDENT HISTORY There have been no accidents in the last five years at this site involving RMP regulated processes. PREVENTION PROGRAM and EMERGENCY RESPONSE The greatest safeguard existing at this site is the nature of the tanks themselves. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes mandate the way in which such tanks are manufactured and used. Everything about liquid propane gas tank construction is detailed, from the type of metallurgy to the wall thickness; every tank i s designed to withstand pressures and temperatures above normal operating conditions. They must be inspected and requalified by the fire department every three years. The tanks are designed to withstand extremes of operation and overpressure conditions that make catastrophic failure extremely unlikely. Any appurtenances such as pressure relief devices and valves must meet strict manufacturing standards as well. If there were a release, the presence of a flammable vapor sensor would trigger mitigating procedures. In addition facility standards mandate that there be no ignition sources in the area. This makes it extremely unlikely that any vapor would be ignited. There are trained, experienced operators who have the required knowledge, skills and abilities to safely carry out their responsibilities and are able to assess and resolve possible problems before they result in a release. The Emergency Response Plan at this facility includes notification of local agencies and medica l providers. Employees have been trained and drilled in emergency response. There is an Emergency Response Team on site that has been trained in accordance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 (Q)(6)(iii). They have access to the necessary equipment to quickly respond to an emergency release. |