Do ammonia equipment vents need to go to a recipient containing water?

[jejaram]

Hi

During a recent risk inspection visit to a soft drink manufacturing plant where ammonia is used, someone mentioned that vent pipelines should not vent to the atmosphere but to a vessel containing water to avoid the creation of an ammonia cloud. Is this true? If so, what code recommends this?

 

[MJCronin]

More tribal engineering knowledge ....

"I seem to remember".... "Somebody once told me".... "One day, I read this on the bathroom wall"...

Ammonia has been in massive use around the world for over 100 years ...

Has anyone Google researched ammonia storage and handling guideline ? .... Why not ??

What did it say about vent lines ?

MJCronin
Sr. Process Engineer

 

[MortenA]

I agree with MJCronin,

At our site we have anhydrous NH3 in a pressure vessel, the PSV vents above a roof. If a leak is detected under the roof then a water curtain is activated to limit the effect - altough it will not prevent a NH3 could from a large rupture - say a 2" connection breaking off.

That said - local regulation may vary. This site is in Denmark

 

[MJCronin]

https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=236486

A "scrubber" in the above thread is a vent pipe stuck into a bucket of water...

MJCronin
Sr. Process Engineer

 

[MortenA]

MJCronin you reference tread seems to deal with ammonia water (25%). OP is unclear but i read it as being anhydrous NH3. Its a little hard to see on the attached photo - but along the edge of the underside of the corrugated roof runs a pipe - that the water curtain the curtain covers alle the perimiter of the pit. A special drain, collects the water from the water curtain and carries it to a more remote point). The PSV's are the dark blue valves and the exhaust is next to the beam that holds the roof, its actually intended to separate liquid/condensed NH3 and vapour NH3 sending vapours above the roof while the liquid drains to the pit.

 

[MJCronin]

More information by the OP = better answers and less time wasted ,,,

MJCronin
Sr. Process Engineer

 

[jejaram]

Thanks for the information I'll do some research