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Variables Associated with the Classification of Ammonium Nitrate – a Literature Review

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Variables Associated with the Classification of Ammonium Nitrate – a Literature Review Variables Associated with the Classification of Ammonium Nitrate – A Literature Review FINAL REPORT BY: Sean Gillis Sreenivasan Ranganathan Fire Protection Research Foundation, Quincy, MA March 2017 © 2017 Fire Protection Research Foundation 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02169-7417, USA Email: [email protected] | Web: nfpa.org/foundation —— Page ii —— FOREWORD Ammonium Nitrate (AN) “is a chemical compound produced in both solid and liquid forms that is commonly used in fertilizers”. The burning rate of technical-grade AN prill falls within the Class 2 oxidizer criteria in Annex G of NFPA 400, 2016. The loss history of AN also indicates potential for unstable reactive hazard properties, uncontrolled decomposition and/or detonation under circumstances that are not fully understood. In the most recent revision of NFPA 400, Hazardous Materials Code, the Technical Committee (TC) classified Ammonium Nitrate as a Class 2 Oxidizer. However recent hazardous material incidents involving AN have resulted in differing views regarding the reactivity of the compound and whether or not it should be considered an unstable reactive in NFPA 400. The different behaviors of AN in different fire situations make it difficult to determine the appropriate safe practices for AN storage and handling. There are also discrepancies between the NFPA and International Fire Code (IFC) classifications of Ammonium Nitrate. As a result there is a need for additional data to assist in the proper classification/treatment of AN. An examination of existing data involving the reactivity of AN will assist the NFPA 400 TC in determining the appropriate classification of Ammonium Nitrate, and perhaps point to a need for future Ammonium Nitrate testing. The purpose of this project is to summarize the available information on the different forms of Ammonium Nitrate and how they are classified. This will be accomplished through a two-step literature review: summarizing the available information on AN classification from chemistry and code-based documentation, and identifying the variables which led to AN instability from existing test data and results. The Fire Protection Research Foundation expresses gratitude to the report authors Sean Gillis and Sreenivasan Ranganathan, who are with Fire Protection Research Foundation located in Quincy, MA. The Research Foundation appreciates the guidance provided by the Project Technical Panelists, and all others that contributed to this research effort. Thanks are also expressed to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for providing the project funding through the NFPA Annual Research Fund. The content, opinions and conclusions contained in this report are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Fire Protection Research Foundation, NFPA, Technical Panel or Sponsors. The Foundation makes no guaranty or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein. All explanatory material from the NFPA 400 Hazardous Materials Code are copyrighted by the National Fire Protection Association, 2016, © 2016 NFPA, all rights reserved. Certain defined terms included in this report are excerpted from the 2015 International Fire Code, Copyright © 2015 International Code Council, Inc., and are reprinted with the permission of the International Code Council, Inc. —— Page iii —— About the Fire Protection Research Foundation The Fire Protection Research Foundation plans, manages, and communicates research on a broad range of fire safety issues in collaboration with scientists and laboratories around the world. The Foundation is an affiliate of NFPA. About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global, nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free. NFPA's membership totals more than 65,000 individuals around the world. Keywords: Ammonium Nitrate, Classification, Critical variables, NFPA 400, Fertilizer grade, TGAN, FGAN. Report number: FRPF-2017-03 —— Page iv —— —— Page v —— PROJECT TECHNICAL PANEL Elizabeth Buc. Fire & Materials Research Laboratory, MI Jonathan Butta, Jensen Hughes, MD Henry Febo, FM Global, MA Martin Gresho, FP2Fire Inc., CO Noel Hsu, The Fertilizer Institute, CO (Alt. Donald Thomas) Lynne Kilpatrick, Sunnyvale Public Safety, CA James Lay, OSHA, DC Tod Ossmann, Willis Towers Watson, NY Nancy Pearce, NFPA, MA Ronald Thomas, Institute of Makers of Explosives, UT PROJECT SPONSORS National Fire Protection Association —— Page vi —— —— Page vii —— Contents 1. Background Information ....................................................................................................................... 3 1.1. Project Background ...................................................................................................................... 3 1.2. Ammonium Nitrate ...................................................................................................................... 4 1.3. NFPA 400....................................................................................................................................... 5 2. Historical Incidents ................................................................................................................................ 6 3. Classifications ...................................................................................................................................... 13 3.1. Classification of Ammonium Nitrate in NFPA 400 – Summary ................................................. 13 3.2. Classification of Ammonium Nitrate in HMEx – Summary ....................................................... 17 3.3. Classification of Ammonium Nitrate in the International Fire and Building Codes –Summary 18 3.4. Classification of Ammonium Nitrate in the European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) – Summary ............................................. 22 4. Testing and Additional Literature ....................................................................................................... 25 4.1. Takeaways from Testing and Additional Literature Review ..................................................... 34 5. Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 36 References .................................................................................................................................................. 37 1 2 1. Background Information 1.1. Project Background Ammonium Nitrate (AN) “is a chemical compound produced in both solid and liquid forms that is commonly used in fertilizers”. The burning rate of technical-grade AN prill falls within the Class 2 oxidizer criteria in Annex G of NFPA 400, 2016. The loss history of AN also indicates potential for unstable reactive hazard properties, uncontrolled decomposition and/or detonation under circumstances that are not fully understood. In the most recent revision of NFPA 400, Hazardous Materials Code, the Technical Committee (TC) classified Ammonium Nitrate as a Class 2 Oxidizer. However recent hazardous material incidents involving AN have resulted in differing views regarding the reactivity of the compound and whether or not it should be considered an unstable reactive in NFPA 400. In 2013, a fire broke out at an ammonium nitrate plant in West, Texas that ultimately caused a massive explosion culminating in the deaths of 15 people, mostly first responders. On the other hand a similar fire at an Ammonium Nitrate storage facility in Athens, Texas simply burned itself out without detonation and without the help of firefighters. The different behaviors of AN in different fire situations make it difficult to determine the appropriate safe practices for AN storage and handling. There are also discrepancies between the NFPA and International Fire Code (IFC) classifications of Ammonium Nitrate. As a result there is a need for additional data to assist in the proper classification/treatment of AN. An examination of existing data involving the reactivity of AN will assist the NFPA 400 TC in determining the appropriate classification of Ammonium Nitrate, and perhaps point to a need for future Ammonium Nitrate testing. The purpose of this project is to summarize the available information on the different forms of Ammonium Nitrate and how they are classified. This will be accomplished through a two-step literature review: summarizing the available information on AN classification from chemistry and code-based documentation, and identifying critical variables which led to AN instability from existing test data and results. The following tasks are carried out for this project: Task 1: Literature Review – A review of relevant literature related to previous and current classifications of Ammonium Nitrate, and a brief summary of recent Ammonium Nitrate explosion events. 3 Task 2: Identify the critical variables – Identifying the critical variables associated with Ammonium Nitrate instability from previous test data and results. Provide baseline recommendations for future Ammonium Nitrate testing,
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