Cold Link Africa June 2018 | Page 7

NEWS INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN Ammonia delivery vehicles – safety matters P SAFETY FIRST This new addition will be able to carry 4.7 tons of ammonia and has all the required features for SANS 1518 as well as that of SANS 347. The vehicle’s loading and offloading valves are fully roll-over from the hoses into the water to ensure minimal vapour or liquid release into the atmosphere during the disconnection process. Among other SANS 1518 requirements, this vessel is also hermetically sealed. This can be misinterpreted when the requirements of SANS 347 are implemented for planned/unplanned gas releases. The above-mentioned safety features play a big role during the loading and offloading processes on the customer’s site. uregas has invested a great deal of time and money in upgrading their ammonia delivery vehicles to ensure that safety is always front of mind. The upgrade of Puregas’ fleet is an ongoing process and the company is continuously investing in new fleet to ensure that their product can be delivered efficiently and, more importantly, safely. As part of this continuous investment, Puregas plans to have another ammonia delivery vehicle completed in 2018 and the last during 2019, which will complete the initial process. This vehicle, a UD Croner, will be the second of its kind for the ammonia fleet. It reduces the risk of loss of containment of anhydrous ammonia and it protects the The new truck with plant staff in the Western Cape, from left: Mike Milani (driver), Patrick Merino (operator), Melinda Small (regional manager, Cape Province), Hendrik Saaiman (driver), and Skarra Ntshitshi (operator). responsible persons handling the anhydrous protected and each offloading valve is backed with an air-actuated emergency stop valve. The vapour compressor is fully liquid protected and will prevent any compressor damages caused by liquid seen in the Western Cape region. But the ingress during the loading/offloading process. As an added safety feature, this vehicle has its own water purge drum in which all anhydrous ammonia liquid gets purged ammonia. This new addition to the fleet will be company also has a business in Gauteng, enabling it to supply both cylinders and bulk ammonia throughout the country, as well as to our neighbouring countries — safely. CLA