SAFETY AWARENESS ON HYDROGEN SULFIDE HANDLING

It was made for our Organization

1. HYDROGEN SULFIDE 

2. H
Operates two oil spill response bases in the country.
H
Marine EIA of Kudankulam nuclear power plant
H
Wave energy harnessing design patent filed.
H
Spill response equipment design patent filed
Background
H
Qualified H
2S trainer by ASSE (US).
H
Captain of oil tankers - Extensively handled sweet
and sour crudes. Carried out tank washing, gas
freeing and man entry.
H
Done finance management in Singapore
H
Done EGMP at IIM Bangalore
H
Represents India on council of International Spill
Control Organization, a consultant to IMO.
H
Trained and experienced incident investigator,
internal auditor of safety management systems.
D.C.Sekhar(MD)
AlphaMERS Pvt Ltd 

3. •Invisible
•Flammable
•High toxicity 
•Numbs the sense of smell
•Inhibits oxygen transport in blood
•Heavier than air
•Corrosive
•Causes pyrophores
•Sulfide stress cracking
General properties of H2S
S
H
H

4. PHYSICAL STATE
260 deg C Self Ignition temperature
-60  deg C Boiling Point
-85 deg C Freezing Point
Physical state of H2S

5. UFL  44%
Hydrocarbon
Oxygen
LFL 4%
Flammability diagram

6. Outputs of burning or flaring
CO
H2S  
CO2
SO2
Flaring

7. H
2S + H
20 = WEAK ACID
H2S combines with water with the mucous in 
our body  and forms a weak acid.
This happens in the eyes, mouth, throat and lungs. 
This causes eyes to burn, cough and pulmonary 
odema.
Hyper susceptible population –
Previous lung problems
Has consumed alcohol within last 24 hours
Effect on mucous membrane

8. Flow of oxygen

9. Pyrophores
And 
Sulfide stress cracking
Structural failures and risks

10. Escape  !!! ANY READING ON H2S MONITOR ?
H2S Source
Escaping the plume
Action level ?

11. Escape 
Cartridge type masksor escape units for 
emergency escape.
Rescue and planned work
SCBA or combination +ive pressure supplied air for 
planned work in H
2S environment. 
Respiratory protection

12. Currently practised levels are  PEL 10 ppm and STEL 15 ppm.
Ceiling level 20 ppm.  For a ten hour shift, the TLV  is lesser !!
ACGIH (US) recommended PEL 1 ppm and STEL 5 ppm in 2010.
Is this practicable ?
Sludge control work in tanks – is this PEL practical ?
Accuracy and resolution of the measuring equipment 
New PEL by ACGIH

13. H
One of the popularly used gas instruments brand :
H
SENSOR: H2S (Hydrogen Sulfide)
H
RANGE: 0-200 ppm
H
RESOLUTION: 1 ppm
H
REPRODUCIBILITY: +2 ppm or 10% of reading, 
H
whichever is greater (normal temperature range*)
Resolution and accuracy

14. PEL and STEL
Calibration regime of measuring equipment 
Flaring  best practices
Permissible escape breathing devices
Benchmarking our standards

15. Long term human effect due to exposure
Hyper susceptible population
H2S embritlement of steel
Possible study areas

16. THANK YOU !!!
www.alphamers.com
91-9980222870
[email protected]