{"operation":"document","citation":"11-0103","title":"Mr. Ed Van Schoick — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2011-06-30","effective_on":null,"summary":"11-0103 concerning 173.301, 173.40.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-11-0103.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-11-0103.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-11-0103","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2011/110103.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nU.S. Department 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE\nof Transportbtion Washington. DC 20590\nPipeline anid Hazardous\nMaterials Safety\nAdministrafion\nI\nJUN 30 2011\nMr. Ed Van \\Schoick\n18213 Bitterp Ave.\nLutz, FL 335,58\nRef. No.: 11 ..:0 1 03\nDear Mr. Van Schoick:\nThis responds to your letter requesting clarification ofthe Hazardous Material Regulations\n(HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to fluorine. Specifically, you ask whether the\nclosure requirements in § 173.40(c) apply to cylinders containing fluorine.\nThe answer is yes. As specified in § 173.301(c), cylinders containing toxic gases and toxic\ngas mixtures meeting the criteria of Division 2.3 Hazard Zone A or B must conform to the\nrequirements of § 173.40. While the Hazardous Materials Table references § 173.302 for non ..\nbulk packaging requirements for fluorine, this does not except cylinders containing fluorine\nfrom the applicable requirements of § 173.40, including the closure requirements described in\nparagraph § 173.40( c).\nI hope this answers your inquiry. Ifyou need additional assistance, please contact the\nStandards and Rulemaking Division.\nSincerely,\n,~ +'U/Ben\nSupko \\\nChief, Standards iDevelopment Branch\nStaQdards and Rulemaking Division\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\n2nd DRAFT revised\nOffice of Hazardous Materials Standards\nPHMSA Attn: PHH-I0\nUS Department of Transportation\n1200 New Jersey Ave., SE\nWashington, DC 20590-0001\n1 would like to request clarification ofthe valve requirements specified in\n49CFR173 .40( c) closures as they mayor may not apply to fluorine, compressed,\nUN1045 in nonbulk packagings.\nThe opening sentence in paragraph 173.40 states \"When this section is referenced for a\nHazard Zone A or B hazardous material elsewhere in this subchapter, the requirements in\nthis section are applicable to cylinders used for that material\". Paragraph 173.40 consists\nof five subparagraphs and may be referenced by a Hazard Zone A or B material in part,\nor in its entirety. Subparagraph 173.40(a) Authorized cylinders, subparagraph 173.40(b)\nOutage and pressure requirements subparagraph 173 .40( d) Additional handling\nprotection atid subparagraph 173.40(e) Interconnection address those four topics as they\nrelate to matbrials in Hazard Zone A or B. Subparagraph 173.40(c) Closures. addresses\nI\nplugs or vahies, but only for cylinders containing certain Hazard Zone A materials.\ni\nExamples ofiHazard Zone A gases that reference 173.40 in its entirety include arsine,\ncyanogen ch~oride, phosphine, hydrogen selenide, phosgene, all n.o.s. compressed gases\nin Hazard Zdpe A, all n.o.s. liquefied gases in Hazard Zone A, etc. Each of these gases\nreferences 173.192 in column 8B of the Hazardous Materials Table in 172.101.\nParagraph 173.192 Packagingfor certain toxic gases in Hazard Zone A states\" When\nparagraph 17~.1 01 of this subchapter specifies a toxic material must be packaged under\nthis section, only the following cylinders are authorized\". Subparagraph 173 .192(b) states\n\"Packagings must conform to the requirements of 173.40\". With respect to gases, a\npackaging indudes the cylinder and the closure (plug or valve). See paragraph 171.8\nPackaging.\nIn column 8B ofthe Hazardous Materials Table, hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous,\nreferences paJragraph 173.195 Hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous, stabilized where it states in\nsubparagrap~ 173 .195 (c) \"Packagings for hydrogen cyanide must conform to 173.40\".\nThis would iIjtclude the cylinder and the valve.\nColumn 8B ~fthe Hazardous Materials Table references paragraph 173.198 for nickel\ncarbonyl. Suljlparagraph 173 .198(b) states \"Packagings for nickel carbonyl must conform\nto 173.40\". Again, this would include the cylinder and the valve.\n!\n,\nExamples off,azard Zone A materials that reference only portions of 173.40 include\nbromine pentrfluoride which references 173.228 in column 8B of the Hazardous\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\nMaterials T~ble. Subparagraph 173.228(b) states \"A material in Hazard Zone A must be\ntransported iIn a seamless specification cylinder conforming to the requirements of\n173040. HoJever, a welded cylinder ... \" Clearly just the cylinder is being addressed and\nnot the entir~ packaging. See paragraph 171.8 Cylinder.\nColumn 8B in the Hazardous Materials Table references 173.337 for nitric oxide.\nI\nSubparagra~h 173.337(a) states \"Nitric oxide must be packaged in cylinders conforming\nto the requir~ments of 173040 ... \" Again, just the cylinder portion ofthe packaging is\nbeing addre~sed.\nColumn 8B tn the Hazardous Materials Table references paragraph 173.302 for numerous\ngases including Hazard Zone A materials: diborane, fluorine and sulfur tetrafluoride. Of\nthese three gases, both diborane and fluorine are subject to additional restrictions as noted\nin subparagraphs 173.302( d) and 173.302( e ) respectively, neither ofwhich reference\n173040 for their packagings.\nSubparagraph 173.302a( d) Diborane and diborane mixtures addresses fill restrictions\nand the last sentence states \"Cylinder valve assemblies must be protected in accordance\nwith 173.301(h)\". That sentence reveals that the DOT is aware that the valves on\ndiborane cylinders do not conform to the specifications in 173AO(c) in that there are two\nvalves on each cylinder and neither of them thread directly into the cylinder, which is a\nrequirement of 173AO(c). Paragraph 173.301(h) Cylinder valve protection is referenced\ninstead of the more rigorous protection required in 173 AO(d). This is not an oversight. It\nis intentional. The valves (closures) on diborane cylinders are not required to meet the\nspecifications of paragraph 173 AO(c).\nA generic gas classed the same as diborane, e.g., Compressed gas, toxic, flammable,\nn.o.S. Inhalation Hazard Zone A, 2.3, UN1953 references 173.192 in column 8B. Clearly\nthe packaging would be different from diborane and all of 173040 would apply. If\ndiborane was intended to meet the closure requirements in 173 AO(c), 173.192 would be\nreferenced in column 8B instead of 173.302.\nSubparagraph 173.302a(e) Fluorine specifies which cylinders may be used and limits the\ncontents by pressure or mass, whichever is lower. There is no mention of any valve\nrestrictions and no reference to 173040 with regard to the packaging.\nA generic gas classed the same as fluorine, e.g. Compressed gas, toxic, oxidizing,\ncorrosive, n.o.s. Inhalation Hazard Zone A, 2.3, UN3306 references paragraph 173.192 in\ncolumn 8B in the Hazardous Materials Table rather than 173.302. This difference\ndemonstrates, as in the case with diborane, that fluorine is not intended to comply with\nthe closure requirements of 173AO(c) either.\nParagraph 173.302(a) states that \"A cylinder filled with a non-liquefied compressed gas\n(except gas in solution) must be offered for transportation in accordance with the\nrequirements of this section and paragraph 173.301\". In paragraph 173.301(c) Toxic\ngases and mixtures it states \"Cylinders containing toxic gases and toxic gas mixtures\nmeeting the criteria of division 2.3 Hazard Zone A or B must conform to the\nrequirements ofparagraph 173040 and CGA S-l.l and CGA S-7\". This has lead to some\nconfusion. However, a careful reading of 173.301 (c) reveals that it applies to the cylinder\n\n<<<PAGE 4>>>\n\nnot the packaging. eGA S-I.1 and eGA S-7 specify the type, quantity and location of\nPressure Relief Devices (PRDs) required on cylinders. PRDs are forbidden on Hazard\nZone A gases. Therefore, these two references apply to the Hazard Zone B gases\nreferenced in l73.301(c). Since it does not say \"Packagings containing toxic gases and\ntoxic gas mixtures ....\" It is only addressing the cylinder requirements contained in 173.40\nnot the closure/valve.\nMaterials that are required to use the closures specified in 173 .40( c) have paragraphs that\nspecifically refer to 173.40 for their packagings, e.g. 173.195 for hydrogen cyanide,\nanhydrous; 173.198 for nickel carbonyl etc. or they reference paragraph 173.192.\nOtherwise, 173.40(c) does not apply.\nThank you for your attention to this matter.\nEd Van Schoick\n18213 Bittern Ave\nLutz, FL. 33558\n813-269-9279\n713-817-8033 cell","truncated":false,"body_characters":8052}