thecrowhouse - The Government is Not Your Friend

A small technical error Max.

It's not POLYMERISED vinyl chloride, it's the vinyl chrloride - before it gets polymerised.

Max - there is a shortfall in your chemisty knowledge....


This is true and accurate:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinyl_chloride

Fire and explosion hazard

In the U.S., OSHA lists vinyl chloride as a Class IA Flammable Liquid, with a National Fire Protection Association Flammability Rating of 4. Because of its low boiling point, liquid VCM will undergo flash evaporation (i.e., autorefrigerate) upon its release to atmospheric pressure.

The portion vaporized will form a dense cloud (more than twice as heavy as the surrounding air). The risk of subsequent explosion or fire is significant.

According to OSHA, the flash point of vinyl chloride is −78 °C (−108.4 °F).[16] Its flammable limits in air are: lower 3.6 volume% and upper 33.0 volume%. The explosive limits are: lower 4.0%, upper 22.05% by volume in air.

Fire may release toxic hydrogen chloride (HCl) and carbon monoxide (CO).[17]

VCM can polymerise rapidly due to heating and under the influence of air, light and contact with a catalyst, strong oxidisers and metals such as copper and aluminium, with fire or explosion hazard. As a gas mixed with air, VCM is a fire and explosion hazard.

On standing, VCM can form peroxides, which may then explode. VCM will react with iron and steel in the presence of moisture.[5][18]

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I do a bit of organic chemistry and vinyl chroide - leaking is essentially a self manufacturing bomb...... The VCM is a very heavy gas, it smothers the ground and it reactions with iron and steel to form peroxides, which can react further and explode, setting off a massive explosion from all the spread out vapour. In short because as it leaks and flashes into gas - it reacts with air and light and many other things - it's an explosion (deflagration = monster fire ball) hazard and it's also an explosive hazard (shock, light, heat sensitive) high explosive compounds....

As much as I don't like it, it takes a lot of spcialist equipment to deal with LARGE spills and leaks etc.. and the containers are double walled and tested for leaks from the inner container, with nitrogen purges and testing - and they didn't have the time or resources to pump it out and the only thing they could have done is burn it....

I wanted to use ether as a constant recirculated degreaser, only it is ONLY able to be used in contact with some metals, and it reacts more or less by it's self to form a liquid explosive and explosive compounds with some of the things it comes in contact with. if it's recycled - This means I can degrease parts in a liquid bath, draw the liquid off, evaporate out the ether at 35*C,, condense it back to a liquid, and then keep on recycling it.

Except it becomes an explosive - light, reactions etc., so it's no good for anything other than a once through rinse..

However napthalene (lighter fluid) is fine to use as a recyclable degreaser, with the wash, evaporate, condense and reuse, and it has a boiling point of 39*C....