What are the emergency treatment methods for liquid ammonia leakage? What should be done?

Liquid ammonia leakage is a relatively dangerous accident that may cause serious environmental pollution and casualties. Therefore, once liquid ammonia leaks, effective emergency treatment measures must be taken quickly to minimize the impact of the accident. Today, the editor will talk to you about how to deal with liquid ammonia leaks in an emergency? 

Emergency treatment methods for liquid ammonia leaks

I. Evacuate personnel and safety protection

1. Evacuate personnel immediately: After discovering liquid ammonia leakage, all personnel in the leakage area should be quickly organized to evacuate to the safe area upwind to avoid inhaling toxic ammonia. 

2. Wear protective equipment: Emergency treatment personnel must wear appropriate protective equipment, including chemical protective clothing, positive pressure air respirators, protective gloves and liquid ammonia special gas masks to prevent liquid ammonia from corroding the skin and respiratory tract. 

II. Leakage source control

1. Cut off the leakage source: On the premise of ensuring safety, close the valve at the leakage point as much as possible or cut off the liquid ammonia supply to prevent the leakage from further expanding.

2. Avoid using sparking tools: All open flames and tools that may produce sparks should be strictly prohibited at the leakage site, and the vehicle should be turned off immediately after arriving at the site.

III. Isolation and treatment of leakage area

1. Isolate the leakage area: Use warning tape or warning signs to block the leakage area, restrict irrelevant personnel from entering, and set up a safe isolation area.

2. Spray dilution: Enable the fire sprinkler system or use a fire hose to spray mist water to dilute and absorb the leaked liquid ammonia and reduce the ammonia concentration.

3. Prevent entry into water bodies or sewers: Prevent liquid ammonia from entering water bodies or sewers to prevent further pollution to the environment.

IV. First aid for personnel

1. Respiratory first aid: If a person is poisoned or unconscious due to liquid ammonia leakage, he should be immediately transferred to fresh air and artificial respiration or cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be performed according to the situation. 2. Skin and eye contact treatment: If liquid ammonia comes into contact with skin or eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water for at least 20 minutes and seek medical attention as soon as possible.

V. Accident Report and Professional Rescue

1. Timely alarm: After discovering liquid ammonia leakage, you should immediately call the emergency rescue phone (such as 119) and notify the relevant departments to report the specific situation of the leakage, including the leakage location, leakage volume, and impact range.

2. Waiting for professional rescue: While waiting for the arrival of professional rescue teams, you should maintain communication with rescue personnel and provide real-time information on the situation on the scene.

VI. Site Cleaning and Subsequent Treatment

1. Cleaning up the leak: After the leak is controlled, absorbents or chemical neutralizers should be used to clean up the leaked liquid ammonia to prevent it from causing long-term pollution to the environment.

2. Equipment maintenance and repair: Repair the leak point and conduct a comprehensive inspection and overhaul of related equipment to ensure its safety and reliability.

VII. Precautions

1. Direct contact with liquid ammonia is strictly prohibited: Liquid ammonia is highly corrosive and toxic. Emergency response personnel should avoid direct contact with liquid ammonia.

2. Maintain ventilation: At the leakage site, good ventilation conditions should be maintained to accelerate the diffusion and dilution of ammonia.

3. Avoid using communication tools: At the leakage site, communication tools that may produce sparks should be avoided as much as possible.

In summary, the handling of liquid ammonia leakage accidents requires rapid, decisive and scientific response measures. By timely evacuating personnel, cutting off the leakage source, isolating the leakage area, spraying dilution, first aid to the wounded and waiting for professional rescue, the harm of liquid ammonia leakage to personnel and the environment can be minimized. During the handling process, safety is always the top priority, and emergency response personnel must strictly abide by the operating procedures to ensure their own safety.