{"operation":"document","citation":"09-0229","title":"Baker Petrolite Corporation — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2009-11-06","effective_on":null,"summary":"09-0229 response to Baker Petrolite Corporation concerning 173.29, 173.319.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-09-0229.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-09-0229.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-09-0229","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2009/090229.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\n1200 New Jersey Ave., SE\nu.s. Department Washington, DC 20590\nof Transportation\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials\nSafety Administration\nNOV 6 2009\nMr. Aubrey R. Campbell\nBaker Petrolite Corporation\n12645 West Airport Blvd.\nP.O. Box 5050\nSugarland, TX 77478-5050\nRef. No. 09-0229\nDear Mr. Campbell:\nThis responds to your October 2, 2009 letter requesting clarification of the requirements\nunder the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) for the\ntransportation of cryogenic liquids in tank cars. Specifically, you request clarification\nconcerning whether the pressure test requirements for class DOT 113 tank cars under\n§ 173.319( e) apply to tank cars containing the residue of a cryogenic liquid.\nAccording to your letter, your company offloads refrigerated liquid ethylene from DOT 113\ntank cars to a minimal amount considered to be empty by industry standards. The empty\ntank cars containing a residue ofrefrigerated liquid ethylene are then returned to the supplier.\nBased on its understanding ofthe requirements for empty packagings in § 173.29, which\nrequires an empty packaging containing only the residue ofa hazardous material to be\ntransported in the same manner as when it previously contained a greater quantity of\nhazardous material, the supplier, in accordance with § 173.319( e), monitors the average daily\npressure rise in the empty tank cars and conducts follow-up thermal integrity testing on the\nempty tank cars ifthe average daily pressure rise exceeds 3 psig (0.2 Bar). You ask if the\nrequirements in § 173.319( e) apply to a tank car that is empty except for a residue of the\nhazardous material it previously contained.\nThe answer is no. DOT 113 tank cars containing the residue of a cryogenic liquid are not\nsubject to the requirements of § 173.319( e). Monitoring ofthe average daily pressure is used\nto gauge whether energy is being transferred to the lading through the insulation ofthe tank\ncar, thus indicating a potential problem with the insulation and the need for follow-up\nthermal integrity testing. Monitoring of DOT 113 tank cars containing residue amounts is\nnot effective for this purpose because the same amount of energy input will cause a greater\nincrease in temperature and vaporization of a small amount of liquid than a large amount of\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\nI :\n! !\nI\nI\nI liquid. The resulting increase in pressure in a tank car containing a residue does not provide\nI\nan accurate indication of potential insulation problems.\nI\nI I hope this information is helpful. If you have further questions, please contact this office.\nI\nSi:r~\nharles E. Betts\nhief, Standards Development\nce of Hazardous Materials Standards\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\n~ ,'\"\n; . .' \"\nDe-r- 16 vn-deref1\n....~ ,-' ...... • 1; f\" ·t f .~.\" , •\nOffice ofHazardous Materials Standards\n~ (13-2'1\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, (PHMSA) q J 13· \"31 cr\nAttn: PHH-10 . . .'\nU.S. Department of Transportation EII1~fj Pud([~jinjS\nEast Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE\nWashington, DC 20590-0001.. 09-0h:Lq\nRe: Letter of Interpretation\nDear Office ofHazardous Materials Standards:\nBaker Petrolite Corporation (BPC) requests a letter, of interpretation regarding the\nprovisions specified in Title 49 Code of Federal Regulation(CFR) Part 173.29(a)~ Empty\nPackages, Part 173.319(a)(4)(iii), 173.319(b)(2), and 173.319(e)(l)(2), Cryogenic liquids\nin tank cars.\nBPC supplier Equistar offers for transportation by rail a hazardous materials described as\nUN1038, Ethylene, refrigerated liquid, 2.1, in DOT 113 tank cars. BPC owns and\noperates the rail cars; and is responsible to monitor each shipment to ensure the average\ndaily pressure rise in the loaded tank car does not exceed 0.2 Bar (3 psig) during the\nloaded run or in a 24 hour period. Additionally, the supplier's loading procedure ensures\nthe microns are at or below 75 microns of mercury' and the pressure reduced to less than\n10 psig before the tank car is released in interchange. Therefore, we iterate that we\nexperience no problems transporting this material in loaded tank cars.\nAt destination, BPC offloads the Ethylene to a minimal amount, which is considered\n\"empty\" or \"residue last contained\" by industry standards. Furthermore, BPC procedure\nis to reduce the pressure in the empty tank cars to'less than 5 psig and most often to zero\nprior to offering the empty tank car for interchange back to the supplier. According to\n173.29(a), except as otherwise provided in this section, an empty package containing\nonly the residue of a hazardous materials shall be offered for transportation and\ntransported in the same manner as when it previously contained a greater quantity ofthat\nhazardous material. Based on this requirement, the supplier makes available to BPC the\naverage daily pressure rise on the returning empty cars with the readings occasionally\nexceeding 3 psig. Additionally, the supplier making the information available to BPC\nconducts a micron test on the empty tank cars and reports to BPC when the reading\nexceeds 75 microns ofmercury.","truncated":false,"body_characters":5060}