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Eingeladener Vortrag
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More than 400 Mt of dangerous materials are transported in Germany every year, of which 150 Mt are by road. Tank containers, tank vehicles and rail tank cars are used for the carriage of dangerous goods in large quantities. Data on the operating life of tanks are only available, in practice, to a minor degree. They are only partly published, mainly after accidents.
The BAM-List - Requirements for Tanks for the Carriage of Dangerous Goods, which has compatibility evaluations of metallic and polymeric materials, has been the basis for substance-related prototype approvals for tank containers and portable tanks designed for the carriage of dangerous goods by the BAM since publication of the first edition in 1989. These data are also used for the approval of rail tank cars and road tank cars and are used as a source of knowledge not only in Germany but also worldwide.
Tank leakages caused by tanks or rail tank cars being made of tank and sealing materials which are not resistant to the fill goods are avoided by using the material resistance data of the BAM.
Corrosion damage is among the main causes of damage. Uniform and non-uniform area corrosion without mechanical stress in aqueous substances is one of the most frequent types of corrosion during the transport of chemicals in tanks. Much damage by pitting corrosion occurs during the transport of substances containing chlorides or substances which separate chloride ions in the presence of moisture.
Operational stresses are caused by the effects of both the road and the dangerous goods being transported. Mechanical damage often results from long-term overstressing and occurs after longer operating times.
Operational failures cause damage which may appear during the service of tank containers, road tank cars or rail tank cars. The damage results from the inattention of employees when opening and closing the valves. Traffic accidents also cause damage to tanks and frames.
Many cases of damage are due to weld area cracks resulting from four basic errors in construction, material, manufacturing and operation. Manufacturing errors can be undetected and the starting point of cracks which only grow under service conditions.
Manufacturing errors result from variations in measurement and design, fittings, state of surface (hardness, abrasiveness) and mechanical surface damage (scratches, cracks). Incorrectly welded joints and errors during mechanical deformation are typical mistakes when installing the component parts. Variations in the wall thickness or combinations of different materials lead to manufacturing errors too. A lot of tanks are not used for the transport of dangerous goods before the end of their service life as they do not fulfil the revised technical safety requirements in the Dangerous Goods Regulations.
Predictions in the BAM-List based on literature data and corrosion test results are reflected in the service (operating) life. Rail tank cars made of carbon steel, for example, which are mainly used for the transport of petroleum products, can achieve a service life of 40 – 50 y.
Rail tank cars produced of austenitic CrNi- or CrNiMo-steel can reach an operating life of at least 30 y, whereby the corrosiveness of the transport substances plays an important role.
The material parameters melt flow rate (MFR), density (D), notched impact strength (NIS) at –30°C, stress crack resistance [determined with the Full Notch Creep Test (FNCT)] and resistance to oxidative degradation (Ox) have been selected for a comparison of polyethylene grades in the European standard EN 15507. These parameters have a relationship with design type tests of packagings for the transport of dangerous goods.
This paper presents the results of additional investigations to determine the impact of the pre-storage time of jerricans with 55% nitric acid at 40°C and 23°C on the marginal drop heights in drop tests at –18°C, on the MFR and on the tensile properties. Jerricans made of different polyethylene grades were pre-stored with 55% nitric acid for 21, 42 and 84 days at 40°C and for six months at 23°C.
The tests showed that the NIS values at –30°C of polyethylene grades were not comparable with marginal drop heights determined in drop tests at –18°C.
Pre-damage with 55% nitric acid for 21 days at 40°C led to an increase in the marginal drop heights of the jerricans. Altering the test regulations by increasing pre-storage time with 55% nitric acid to 42 days would be an alternative.
The test results demonstrated clearly that pre-storage of the jerricans for six months at 23°C caused a higher increase in the MFR and lower marginal drop heights for the jerricans when compared with pre-stored jerricans for 21 days at 40°C.
The aim of this work was to study the interaction between high-density polyethylene (HDPE) grades as material for dangerous goods packagings and biofuels such as E85 and biodiesel. Jerricans made of two polyethylene (PE) grades were filled with these fuels and exposed to temperatures of 20°C and 40°C for 1 year. Tensile properties (tensile strength, breaking elongation and elasticity modulus) and melt flow rate (MFR) were determined once a month, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to evaluate changes in the chemical structure.
Measurements of the MFR and tensile properties of the PE grades after 1 year of exposure to E85 showed only a slightly damaging influence. An increase in the peak of 1585 cm-1 (C=C) stretching vibrations is visible in the FTIR spectra after the immersion tests with E85. Therefore, packagings made of HDPE grades are suitable for the transport of E85.
An increase in the MFR with immersion time of the grades in biodiesel was measured, in particular, after 1 year of exposure. The elasticity modulus of the PE grades was reduced with immersion time. The FTIR spectra showed a broadening of the CO peak of 1740 cm-1 and the appearance of the hydroxyl group at 3500 cm-1. Both results are explained by secondary degradation products of the PE decomposition process caused by increasing unsaturated fatty acid content in the biodiesel. In light of the above mentioned, it was concluded that HDPE grades are not suitable as packaging materials for the transport of biodiesel.
Resistance to oxidative degradation by nitric acid has been selected for a comparison of polyethylene grades in a European standard on suitability proof for alternative plastic resins used for packagings and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) for the transport of dangerous goods. Measurements of the infrared (IR) absorption spectra of microtome slices cut from the walls of jerricans, which were pre-stored with 55% nitric acid for 21 and 42 days at 40°C, showed changes in the structure of the polyethylene. The penetration depths of 55% nitric acid into the polyethylene grades are, in principle, suitable for evaluating the resistance to oxidative degradation of polyethylene grades after pre-storage of the packagings for 21 days. After this period the packaging wall is not fully penetrated. The intensities of the IR bands at 1565 cm-1 (-NO2), 1630 cm-1 (-C=C) and 1654 cm-1 (-O-NO2) increased with the treatment time with 55% nitric acid as a result of oxidative damage by the nitric acid. The high increase in absorbance of the -C=C band in the region 1630 - 1690 cm-1 is attributable to paraffinic chain cracks. The absorbance of the -O-NO2 band, formed as result of the nitration process was still low at a test temperature of 40°C.