PRACTICAL INFORMATIONS
LPG and LPG Safe Usage
Description
LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) is a term which is used to define gases including 3 and 4 carbon (C3 and C4) hydrocarbons and being able to liquefy under low pressures. Naturally LPG is colorless, scentless, has not toxic properties. It is denser than air and stored as liquid under low pressure. For safety usage, to perceive any leak, smell is added to the gas. Besides the usage of home, commercial, and industrial fuel, it is also used in automobiles under the name of auto gas. In addition to that, it is used with in the spray boxes as a driving gas.
Chemical Component
LPG includes propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10) and sulfur based compound for smelling. In our country (as home, industry and auto gas) LPG includes as volume %30 propane and %70 butane. Marketed as "Dökmegaz" for home and industry, it includes commercial pure propane.
LPG Usage Safety
LPG is a highly flammable material and in atmospheric conditions it rapidly becomes explosive air-hydrocarbon mixture. LPG vapor is heavier than air. With density difference and air motion, it can be pill up far away from source at outdoor lower places and in home at basement levels. In LPG systems liquid leaks at great volume can be explosive and flammable mixture existence (approximately 1 unit volume LPG (liquid) makes 250 unit volume gas). In contact with eye or skin, cold burns could become. At high concentration, even shortly breath can cause faint and/or die. Breathing LPG vapor can cause irritation at noise and throat, headache and nausea, throw up, dizziness and unconscious. In closed or bad ventilated areas, LPG vapor can cause faint or smother.
First Aid
If eye contact: Eyes must be cleaned with water at least 15 minutes. During the cleaning eye must be opened with two finger and water should be touched with eyeball and eye closer. After the cleaning, it must go to a closer hospital for a treatment.
If skin contact: If skin burn happened because of cold, put it into lukewarm water and stay. During this period, go to closer hospital for a first aid.
If contact by breath: A high concentration breath may cause heart rhythm disorder. In this situation, person must be carried outside and than closer hospital.
Precautions at LPG leaks
Since LPG has a lower flammable point, probable leaks can cause severe fires and/or explosion. If LPG leak comes from tube or thank, rapidly close valves and stop the leak. During this time as flammable mixture is formed in the area, abstain from actions which may cause fire. Take away the things that may cause spark, from the area. Do not use switches. Provide air ventilation and take away persons from the dangerous area carefully and not cause any action causing spark. Call fire brigade and if it is possible also call related company.
In any liquid leak from tube you must be careful and know that there may become huge amount gas and it will be heavier than air. You must avoid from any action could cause spark which would start fire.
Existed gas, since it would collected near the surface it would be taken away distant regions with air, and if suitable conditions may happened it could cause a fire and/or explosion. If there is a suitable system, try to distribute LPG vapor with water spray. Since LPG vapor could be collected in closed areas, close over washbasin, waste water installation, and sewerage system. If leak is occurred closed areas like room or kitchen, open the doors and windows, and provide air ventilation and ventilate the area for a long time. You must not enter areas consist high ratio LPG vapor, except the aims of rescue or stop the leak. In necessary situations, educated persons must do the rescue operation with special clothes and equipment.
Suggestions about using tube gas:
For home and office use-LPG in our country is presented for consumption with tubes which obtain with welding two or three part. 2kg (camp type), 12 kg (home type), 24kg (commercial), 45kg (industrial) tubes are produced according to TS 55 rules.
The produced tubes according to TS 55 rules must have min. 80 bar explosion pressure (normally full tube has 4-5 bar pressure). For explosion of tube's steel body, it must be in contact with high degree heat for a long time.
In general speaking language, "tube exploding" is occurred as explosion of leaking gas from tube in closed area by park or fire.
The "Tube gas poisoned" term has 2 different means: 1) Haven't got any oxygen by the accumulating of heavier gas in closed area. 2) Haven't got any oxygen in closed areas during fire which consume almost all oxygen, and breathing exhaust gas (for example carbon dioxide) causing death. The best example for this is geyser-based poisons.
Buying LPG tube especially be careful to the TS 55 sign. There must be TSE brand on all tubes produced after 1981.
The place where you put LPG tube is very important. Tubes mustn't be placed under direct sun light. Tubes mustn't be placed near warm producer device like stove and radiator. Do not put any easily ignited-materials near the devices using LPG. Tubes must be placed vertically and mustn't be placed horizontal during the usage. Tubes must be placed lower than devices like oven or geyser.
If tubes will be stored in closed areas, there must be ventilation halls at the base. Tube mustn't be placed which can't be ventilated like basement.
If there is a LPG usage in rooms or closed areas (LPG stove, oven etc.), continuously fresh air ventilation must be provided.
Pipe connection between LPG tube and device must be done with clamp. Pipe must be massive, less than 125 cm, and undamaged. Connection pipe must be check regularly. Soft, damaged, old, chink, or hard pipes must be changed with the new ones immediately. Pipe production date is written on the connection pipe. This date must be checked, if it is older than 3 years, it must be changed with the new one.
Regulators, which are decreasing the tube pressure to the usage pressure, are important devices for the usage safety. In order to avoid the high ratio leak, there must be used the regulators which can automatically stop the gas flow in necessity.
During the tube change and usage, gas leak check must be done with soap suds, not with direct flame materials like match, or lighter.
Geysers must be absolutely connected to the chimney. The used areas must have good ventilation conditions and have at least 6 m3 volumes.
Areas must be ventilated regularly if warming with LPG stove. Do not use LPG stoves while sleeping and in the areas less than 30 m3.
Do not put wide base dishes over camp tube. Check the gasket base of the armature assembled to tube regularly which obtaining leak proof, if necessary change with the new one.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
As a result of known or unknown CO poisoning, is the most frequent death-cause in developed/developing countries. In our country every year especially in the winter months, poisoning from CO increases and reaching the top level. EPA and WHO is suggested the value for CO at 8 hour 9 ppm, at 1 hour maximum dosage as 25 ppm indicated.
Air pollution is a serious problem of all people and especially of big towns, as we can define it mixture of harmful gas for live. The big part of the air pollution is caused by "combustion reactions". When the materials, consist of hydrogen and carbon molecules, fired, water and CO2 are occurred. However, if the incomplete combustion occurred, gases which are harmful and some times lethal are produced. For example cars' engines produce CO. Air pollution occurred with at that ratio: CO 52%, SO2 18%, Hydrocarbons 12%, NO 6% and other particles 12%.
If there is not enough oxygen for carbon, carbon monoxide is the product gas.
C(k) + 1/2 O2(g) ---- CO(g)
If there is enough oxygen for combustion, CO2 is occurred instead of CO.
C(k) + O2(g) ---- CO2(g)
Carbon monoxide is very lethal gas. If an adult person stays half an hour in a room consist of %1 CO, he will die in short time. CO is colorless, scentless and tasteless gas, and also occurred with the combustion of fossil fuel including carbon. As a stable gas CO stays in atmosphere more than 2 months. If we think that, the world CO emission is 232 million ton in total/per year, we can clearly see that what a dangerous for world atmosphere. More than %70 of this emission comes from transportation sector. In addition, it is calculated that if CO stays down under atmosphere, it may increase 0.03 ppm every year. Existing CO in the town weather effects people's health importantly. The most important of these is the CO decreases oxygen carrying ability of hemoglobin cells at the blood. CO is lethal because of special interest to hemoglobin. CO connects to hemoglobin more than 250 times than oxygen, and occurred carbon monoxide hemoglobin. It can be found low level of carbon monoxide hemoglobin in every people. CO's toxic effects are sly. Because of the red color of carbon monoxide hemoglobin, it could be seen red color on the skin. Lips are red look like painted with lipstick. Chest ache, head ache, vomiting, tachycardia, irritability, weak respiration, consciousness seem an important signs. Poisoned person must be taken away from the area, if there is a fresh air than pure oxygen must be given, and must be carried immediately to nearest the hospital.
Carbon Monoxide Sources
Carbon monoxide is a combustion product/emission, resulted from incomplete hydrocarbons' combustion. In atmosphere CO concentration is generally less than 0.001. The levels are higher in towns than villages.
1. Automobile exhaust gas: Carbon monoxide is both inner air and outer air polluter. Automobile exhausts are the most important air pollution sources. When the carbon monoxide is breathed especially in crowded crossroads, park areas, and closed areas like automobile repair shops, bad ventilation may cause harmful effects to employees. Outer CO comes from automobile exhausts, bad working warming systems, and breathing smoke. Headache of warehouse- and storehouse-employees comes from winches working with propane. CO-based, caused from automobiles, death ratio in cold regions are higher and makes the top level in the winter months. Some of the deaths depend on the bad ventilation of generators working with petrol. "Clearer fuels" like methane and propane, combusted even fully may cause CO poisoning.
Abstain suggestions from CO poisoning:
Decreasing transportation and induce the collective transportation. Not breathing exhaust gases. Using exhausts with catalytic converter. There are inside of these aluminum oxide, platinum and radium. These catalyst materials convert carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons to water vapor and CO2. Good ventilation of storehouses and generator places.
Gas leaking from stove: In our country many people are poisoning and die because of the leaking gas from stove and brazier which are using for warming. As the CO is colorless and scentless gas, the poisoning becomes without perceiving. CO poisoning has serious results, starting with headache and lasts with death. For this reason, it mustn't make a fire in the no ventilation places, it must be careful in the pipe and chimney cleanness while using stove. The most important precaution is not to open the stove while sleeping. Carbon monoxide poisoning signs are; daze, dizziness, headache, nausea, throw up, breath gloom, seeing as apparent. The person who has these signs must be carried to outside. If necessary the artificial respiration should be done, if there is than oxygen should be given. It is known that, stove firing from down side, bad warm stoves, or electrical warmers increase fire and carbon monoxide poisoning risk.
Abstain suggestions from CO poisoning: Firing stove from the upper side, not closing stove's air/smoke covers, chimney cleaning, not putting coal to the stove firing in the night, not firing stove during the southwester.
3. Poisoning from Geyser/Combi boiler working with Natural gas/Tube gas (LPG):
The cause of poisoning from gas or geyser is not providing fresh air entry to bathroom during combustion or the consumption of all present oxygen caused from unconnection of geyser to chimney. Decreasing oxygen at bathroom and continuing firing is occurred lethal CO gas throughout the bathroom. If there is no/not good chimney connection, CO would get around the area and may cause poisoning.
Abstain suggestions from CO poisoning: There must be pilot safety system. Must be used chimney connected geysers. Geysers/Combi Boilers must be placed the areas which have good ventilation. From ventilation culvert or door down side (there must be at least 1.5) space, enough fresh air entry should be provided. The most correct action is not to placed geyser in the bathroom. Geyser mustn't be placed the areas smaller than 8 m3. Geysers which has chimney smoke sensor must be preferred.
4-Cigarette smoke: There are some placatory/dazed materials at the cigarette smoke. These chemical materials at the short time press stress, anger and other strong senses. Cigarette smoke is an important CO source. While at smokers' carbon dioxide hemoglobin rate reach 10% level, even it may over 15%, this ratio at non-smokers is 1-3%.
Abstain suggestions from CO poisoning: Not smoking, abstaining from smoky areas.
5.A type heaters (haven't got chimney): Fuels, especially like kerosene, LPG (propane) and natural gas, are used in the A type heaters. Japan stoves working with gas, assembled camp tube heaters are like these stoves. As a result of fully firing of these fuels, carbon dioxide and water vapor is occurred. At A type heater usage areas, fresh air change ratio must be 0.35/hr, if area is fully isolated these devices mustn't be used. There must be a sensor measuring oxygen ratio in the area and when it decreased burning must be stopped. Heaters warm efficiency must be %99. Flame's blue color must be checked. Orange color flame means incomplete combustion and sign of CO constitution. Yellow color means that the device must not be used and be repaired.
Abstain suggestions from CO poisoning: A type heaters must be used places where high ratio air flow and have many people traffic. It must not be used in the bathrooms/bedrooms. Heater must be shut down before sleeping. Fuel storage mustn't exactly be filled because of expansion. Higher than 1350 m, flame might be deflated because of the low pressure; therefore these devices mustn't be used. Auto gas cutting sensor and less than 25 ppm/1hr CO emission A type devices must be used.
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