Venango Anhydrous Ammonia Plant - Executive Summary |
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Accidental release prevention and emergency response policies: At the Venango facility, Grant Cooperative Exchange, stores anhydrous ammonia which is considered a regulated toxic substance by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The properties that make anhydrous ammonia a valuable fertilizer source also makes it necessary to observe certain safety precautions in handling it. It is the policy of the Cooperative and it's employees to adhere to all of the Federal and state rules and regulations, so as to prevent unnecessary human exposure and to reduce the threat to the community. Safety depends upon the competent training of our personnel, the manner in which we handle propane and the safety devices inherent in the design of this facility. The stationary source and regulated substance handled: The primary purpose of this facility is to repackage and distribute anhydrous ammonia to our customers as a nitrogen source, with it's primary use being for crop land fert ilization. Anhydrous ammonia is received by truck (transports) or railroad tank cars and is stored in two (2) storage tanks. Anhydrous ammonia is distributed from this facility by nurse tanks. The facility has the necessary equipment to safely load and unload transports, railcars and nurse tanks. Access to the tank controls and hoses are restricted to authorized employees and management personnel, along with authorized contractors that may work on the facility. The only regulated substance handled at this facility is anhydrous ammonia. The maximum amount stored at the site is 334,475 gallons or 1,956,679 pounds. The worst-case release scenario and alternative release scenarios: The likely-hood of the loss of the total contents of the largest storage tank is extremely remote due to administrative controls and mitigation measures to limit the amount of anhydrous ammoniareleased. However, if the largest storage tank were to totally fail when filled, there would be a r elease of 290,325 gallons or 171,552 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. Company policy limits the maximum filling of all tanks to 85% of the capacity at 60 degrees F. It is assumed that the entire contents are released as a vapor. The distance to the end point of the toxic cloud for the worst case scenario release of 171,552 pounds in a ten minute time period would be 4.4 miles in the urban topography. This would extend beyond the facility boundary, encompassing public receptors. The alternative scenario would be a pull-away resulting in the failure of twenty-five (25) foot of two (2) inch hose. As in the worst case scenario this has not occurred at this facility and if it were to happen the facility has excess flow valves in place to actively mitigate the gas release. Again, if this event were to happen and the excess flow valves stopped the flow, the contents of the hose would be released. The vapor would expand to a distance of .53 miles with a concentration of .14mg/L. The e nd point for the toxic cloud in an urban topography is .53 miles. This distance would extend beyond the facility boundary and encompass public receptors. The general accidental release prevention program: This facility complies with EPA's Accidental Release Prevention Rule, with OSHA's requirements and with other applicable Federal and state codes, standards and regulations. The facility design and construction is in accordance with the ANSI K 61.1 and the OSHA 1910.111 standards. It is formally inspected a minimum of twice a year for compliance to all applicable standards by an out-of-house person. Corrective and routine maintenance is performed at the facility to maintain compliance with the appropriate standards. Employees of the crop production department at the cooperative receive training to meet Federal and state requirements to handle hazardous materials along with additional training using industry training programs and schools. Five-year accident history: Thi s site has not experienced a reportable accidental release of anhydrous ammonia in the five years pior to the date of submitting this report. The emergency response program: This facility relies on the local emergency response unit and does not have it's own emergency response program. However, employees are familiar with the North American Emergency Response Guidebook, and the local fire department is familiar with the plant. Planned changes to improve safety: This facility utilizes the ANSI and OSHA standards as guidelines for the safe storage and handling of anhydrous ammonia. At this time there are no further plans to modify or change the facility. |