SULFURIC ACID SPILL CHARACTERISTICS UNDER MARITIME ACCIDENT CONDITIONS

Abstract : Concentrated sulfuric acid and oleum are among the most potentially hazardous chemicals routinely transported in bulk quantities on U.S. and international waterways. Conceivably, during a marine mishap, tons of sulfuric acid could abruptly be released into the water, and the consequences of such a spill accident could be detrimental to man and the environment. In the present report, several acid spill accidents are summarized. It is shown that the convective mixing of concentrated sulfuric acid with water can adequately be described by the variation of the buoyancy force arising from changes in acid concentration and released heat of dilution. Mathematic models are presented for the cases of both instantaneous and continuous releases. For oleum spills in which acid aerosol formation is a potential safety hazard, a conservative estimate of less than one-tenth of a percent is obtained for the amount of acid which might become airborne under most accident conditions. (Author)