I’m doing research to start an extract lab, working on building layout, and I discovered through a guideline published by the Denver Fire Department that transferring liquid solvents from a supply tank to the tank on your extractor constitutes a LPG liquid transfer regulated under NFPA 58.
I have links to the Denver Fire Department Guideline and the NFPA 58, but I guess I can’t include links in my posts.
I am not in Denver so the Denver FD guidelines do not apply to me, but I believe the NFPA codes do. Liquid transfers indoors are prohibited unless the facility is built to NFPA code.
Has anyone considered this in their SOP? Does the NFPA code apply everywhere? It looks like you’d need a separate outdoor area to fill your tanks and do any liquid transfers.
That’s correct. It’ll have to be outside.
2017 edition of NFPA 58
58-36
6.7 Location of Transfer Operations
6.7.1 Transfer of Liquids
6.7.1.1 Liquid shall be transferred into containers, including containers mounted on vehicles, only outdoors or in structures specially designed for such purpose.
So are you saying your fire chief said your C1D1 space is not a structure specially designed for such purpose?
that certainly the way the Oakland FD look at the rules.
“I have to unbolt my solvent tank, and take it outside to fill it?”
“yes”
I believe the NFPA codes for an indoor area to transfer liquid go further than most C1D1 rooms are designed. It’s possible to design your extraction room to the NFPA liquid transfer code, but most don’t.
I’m currently in this situation, does anyone have an outdoor transfilling station with cleaning options? I’m looking at getting a jacketed honeypot with inlets, outlet and PRV to an appropriate volume and running a hot bath on the jacket. Run that through a small sieve and through a CMEP or something. The stupid thing about all of this is i’m being forced to build what equates to an extraction unit minus the column, outside. But if one could avoid all of this or purchase a better option for transfilling an 80 lb tank to strict CFC and NFPA58 standards, I’d be in the market for such a thing.
So after two days of research and calls the two options are: having a 3rd party company do transfilling at their location that meets NFPA58 OSHA CFC standards and have the clean LPG delivered or if a part of the building’s exterior meets those standards you can avoid purchasing all sorts of equipment by requesting LPG tanks that feature an inert gas inlet port to push everything into a solvent tank. The latter option is easy if codes are met because there’s no C1D1 equipment ratings needed and I assume it would be quicker than recovering on a half-assed rack (and paying all of that money for equipment too) and it can be performed in the storage area that is required regardless.
Annoying hurdles. Hope this helps someone in the future.