Document KzEvx8Ry6OVBpGqEg38zew2Gw

-<Tg5>- DOW CHEMICAL U.S.A. March 3, 1980 LOUISIANA DIVISION p. O* SOX 160 PLAQDEMINC. LOUISIANA 7D7&A BOJ 36B-80O0 Chris Woolfley Caustic E. Edwards P. Billello C. .Robert . _ C. Melancon - 3701 - 2901 - 2601 - 4701 REACTIVE CHEMICALS TESTING REPORT - Caustic Plant Incident 2/25 Lab studies using Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), have snows that carbon steel and caustic undergo a rapid exothermic reaction at temperatures near 150C, with considerable gas evolution. In fact, in every DTA stu ay we carried ou t, the sa mple tube ruptured from pressure betw een 160 and 200C # In a subsequent ex peri ment, carbon ste el and ca ustic wer e heated in a closed nickel cy 1 inoer for two ho urs at 14 0C. Gas chr omatog r a phie analysis of the evolved gas con firmed that it was hydrogen. These data support the conclusion that th e Caus tic PI ant incident (minor explosion in Ca ustic storage tank w'n i 1.e torch cu t ting or. 2/2E/80) resulted from hydrogen evolut ion in th e imme d i a te area of th e cut due to the iron/caustic rea cti on , fo 11 owed by ianition of the hydrogen to give a small localized explosion. W. B. Horton Research & Development vcg DO 077601 CONFIDENTIAL