Document 06y5Onvj37eQkybO1DbL5Oqyk

inyl Chlori INDUSTRIES In keening with u> position a' a lead ing producer of vinyl chloride monomer for the merchant market only. PPG In dustries expanded it> Lake Charles. Louisiana. \myl chloride plant m 1969. The Guayanilla. Puerto Rico plant, built m 1971. greatly increased PPGN capacity lor making vinyl chloride monomer, A new large tanker, the S.S. Puerto Rican, transports retrigerated vinyl chloride monomer to a newly built ter minal at Paulsboro. New Jersey. where it is stored under refrigeration. At the PPG plant in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, the company's modern 34,000-ton chemical tanker, S S Puerto Rican, receives a load of vinyl chloride monomer. PPG produces \ my 1 chloride monomer by the o.xychlorination of ethylene and holds more than 400 domestic and for eign patents on this process. Uninhibited ACM is quite stable and can be routinely shipped, handled and stored provided proper procedures, out lined below, are followed. To prevent polymerization in transit or storage, it is essential that the monomer be protected at all times from contact with air. oxy gen. moisture, catalytic impurities, and light. PPG normally supplies \ CM unin hibited. The use of uninhibited VCM eliminates the need for subsequent pro cessing to remove the inhibitor. If re quired. suitable inhibitors will be added. GRADES PPG Industries produces polymer- grade vinvl chloride monomer. USES Most vinyl chloride is polymerized to polyvinyl chloride (P\'C) or copoly merized with other monomers such as PPG's vmyiidene chloride. PROPERTIES Chemical Names: Vinyl chloride: vinvl chloride monomer; chloroethylene: chloroethene |-c Chemical Formula: CHsCHCl; C=C Molecular Weight: 62.5 '"Cl Description: At ordinary temperatures and pressures, vinv l chloride is a colorless gas with a mild, sweet odor. But as supplied in tank cars and trucks under pressure, it is a liquid. Vinyl chloride is highly volatile and its vapor is extremely flam mable. Boiling Point. 3C -13.8 Autoienition Temperature. C 472 F +7.0 DF 882 Freezing Point. 3C -153.7 Liquid Density at 60 F 0.9192 F -245 Vapor Density, air = I 2.15 Flash Point, open cup. C -78 Vapor Pressure, psia at 0C 25.1 F -108.4 20 C 49.2 40 C 87.6 Explosive Limits, volume ( c Solubility, water in monomer. in air at 25C (77F) 3.6 to 33 at 25:C (77F). weight (c 0.11 At the Paulsboro. New Jersey terminal, the S.S. Puerto Rican's load of vinvl chloride monomer is transferred to the refrigerated storage tanks in the background Solubility: Vinyl chloride is relatively insoluble in water but soluble in mos organic solvents. Reactivity: Vinyl chloride polymerizes exothermically in the presence of lighi air. oxygen or catalysts. Heat alone will not initiate polymerization. Vinyl chic ride is thermally stable to quite high temperatures. Although peroxide formatio due to air exposure is a slow reaction, certain peroxide products are shock sensitive. Vinyl chloride is noncorrosive to metals when dry at normal tempera tures, but water and elevated temperatures accelerate corrosion. The double bond behaves as in other unsaturated compounds. The chlorine atom is relative ly inactive and is more stable than in saturated or ally lie compounds. BFG01696 'BFG, "TTTT ' 20074001 Specification for polymer grade: Appearance Color Acidity, as HC1, maximum ppm Iron, as Fe, maximum ppm Nonvolatile residue, maximum weight % Water, maximum ppm Sulfur, as SO2, maximum ppm Acetaldehyde, maximum ppm Acetylene, maximum* ppm clear, free of suspended matter colorless, water-white 5 0.5 0.05 100 3 5 2 This maximum is an industry standard; however, the PPG product contains no detectable amount of acetylene. TOXICITY Uninhibited monomer is not absorbed through the skin, but the liquid may cause frostbite because it evaporates so last. If an inhibitor is included, it may cause local skin burns. Vapor concentrations in work areas should not exceed 200 ppm as a timeweighted average atmospheric concen tration foran 8-hourday to avoid adverse effects on workmen. High vapor concen trations can cause dizziness and anes thesia. More information appears in Chemical Safety Data Sheet SD-56, "Vinyl Chloride." published by the Manufacturing Chemists Association. 1825 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.. Wash ington. D.C. 20009. HANDLING AND STORAGE Aluminum and its alloys must not be used in equipment to store or handle vinyl chloride because explosive alumi num chloroalkyls can be formed. PPG's vinyl chloride is made from ethylene and contains no detectable amount of acety lene. Vinyl chloride made from acetylene by an older process contains traces of acetylene that could react explosively with copper or its alloys to form copper acetyTides. It is not safe to use such vinyl chloride in processing equipment con taining copper or brass. Exposure of vinyl chloride to oxygen and air results, after a time, in polymer formation. This can cause problems in equipment used for storage and transfer of monomer. Vinyl chloride should be stored under a blanket of nitrogen with a maximum oxygen content of 10 ppm. Fire hazard Vinyl chloride vapor is extremely flam mable. Its explosive limits are between 3.6 and 33G by volume in air. Proper ventilation and the elimination of igni tion sources are mandatory in areas where v apor concentrations may reach a flammable level. When a tank car is un loaded, both the car tank and the un loading pump should be electrically grounded. The major products of combustion in clude toxic and corrosive hydrogen chloride as well as carbon monoxide, and less than 10 ppm of phosgene. Only in the very near vicinity of a vinyl chlo ride monomer fire could detectable amounts of phosgene be present. Carbon dioxide or dry chemical agents extinguish small fires effectively, but no extinguisher is known for large fires. Streams of water cannot extin guish a liquid v inyl chloride fire because the monomer does not mix with water and will float on top. Water may be sprayed to cool equipment. If the source of the v inyl chloride monomer leak has not been closed off. do not attempt to extinguish a large fire because hot metal can re-ignite an unburned vapor cloud. No one without proper protective respiratory equipment should enter an area where there has been a fire until the area has been adequately ventilated. Unloading tank cars If tank car valves are defective or leaky, do not unload. Telephone the PPG Chemicals plant at Lake Charles, Louisi ana, 318-882-1200. Information on un loading tank car-, and trucks appears in the PPG manual. "Vinv 1 Chloride Mono mer Handling and Properties, form A994." Warning: Air should never be permit ted to enter vinyl chloride tank cars or other containers during or after unload ing. Close and seal all openings. Leave at least 10 psig of vinyl chloride vapor pressure in empty tank car being re turned. PACKAGING AND SHIPPING PPG Industries delivers vinyl chloride by ship, barge, tank car and tank truck. There are 3 shipping points: Lake Charles, Louisiana: Guayanilla. Puerto Rico; and Paulsboro. New Jersey. PPG maintains a fleet of tank cars for vinyl chloride service. All cars are equipped for top unloading. There are three car sizes: 100.000-pound. 180,000pound and 220.000-pound net weight. Tank trucks hold up to 40.000 pounds. Ships and barges hold up to several million pounds. SAMPLES AND SERVICE Samples of vinyl chloride are available on special request in returnable labora tory-size steel cylinders holding 5 pounds or in cylinders holding 200 pounds. The technical service staff of PPG In dustries Chemical Division is available for consulting on handling, storage and use. Storage spheres at PPG's Lake Charles, Louisi ana plant hold thousands of gallons each of liquid vinyl chloride monomer under pressure. Horizontal storage tanks at right serve as day tanks. INDUSTRIES PPG INDUSTRIES, Inc. Chemical Division One Gateway Center Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222 A-100QR 1M 473 Statements and methods presented are based upon the best information and practices known to PPC> Industries, tnc. but ore not representations or warranties of performance or result nor do they imply any recommendations to infringe any patent or an offer of license under any patent. With respect to its products PPG Industries. Inc. warrants only that they conform to its quality standards. Some of the materials mentioned above may be hazardous in nature and should be handled with care Read the label carefully and observe and comply with all the label warnings and precautionary directions. Although these materials are not intended for household use. they, as all potentially hazardous materials, must be kept out of the reach of children. Printed in USA BFG,1697 I BFG01697