HAZARDS

Low Pressure and Vacuum Systems

HSE Training
Prepared: March 2002
 PRESSURE SAFETY
Can you get hurt with low pressure?
Lets review the details.
Force = Pressure multiplied times Area

It’s like many small weights

sitting on a surface which
add up to a big weight.
So at a given pressure,
the LARGER the area
The LARGER the force.
The next graphic is slow so give it a few seconds after clicking
 EXAMPLE # 1
Force = pressure multiplied by area so:
12” X 12”(30 x 30 cm)
Square Door
10
psig
1,440 Pounds of Force
(0.7 6.4 kN
barg)

10 psi pressure on a 12”x12” square surface area (144 square inches) is

1,440 pounds of force!
Calculation: 144 X 10=1,440 lbs of force.
This is equivalent to an object that weighs 1,400 lbs (653 kg).

And you can bet the door weighs less than 1,400 lbs -- if suddenly
released it goes flying.
 EXAMPLE # 2
Force = pressure multiplied by area so:

24” X 24” Square Door

(61 x 61 cm)
10 psig
(0.7 5,760 Pounds of Force
barg) 25.62 kN

10 psi pressure on a 24”x24” square surface area (576 square

inches) is 5,760 pounds of force!
Calculation: 576 X 10= 5,760 lbs (2612 kg)
This is equivalent to an object that weighs 5,760 lbs.
 BE AWARE
Can you get hurt with low pressure?

ABSOLUTELY !
And be especially careful with large surfaces
like manways. 1/2 psi (0.03 bar) may not even
register on the gauge but it’s enough to send a
hatch flying if all the bolts are removed and the
gasket is stuck.
 Low Pressure Hazard
• This door had the
equivalent of 1915 lbs of
force (8.5 kN)on it. And
at only 2.8 psi (0.2 bar)
• The door only weighs
about 15 pounds (7 kg) --
much less than the 1915
lbs of force (8.5 kN) on it.
Therefore, when it came
loose, it slammed open
seriously injuring one of
our coworkers.
 VACUUM SAFETY
• The same concepts Atmospheric Pressure
apply to vacuum
• However, in vacuum
systems the pressure is
pushing inward, not
outward.
Vacuum
• The pressure comes
from the atmosphere --
we don’t feel it but a
tank does when you pull
vacuum on it.
• Atmospheric Pressure (at sea level) is about 14.7 psi
(1 bar), therefore full vacuum is -14.7 psi.
 VACUUM SAFETY
• If a tank is not designed for vacuum, odds are it
will be damaged if placed under vacuum.
• Low pressure storage tanks and railcars are
particularly susceptible to damage.
• This is why those low pressure switches on the
suctions of blowers are so important -- you can’t
manually shut the blower down fast enough to
avoid damage if the blower pulls vacuum on a
tank.
• Not only is the equipment damaged but the
hydrocarbon contents may also be released.
 Covered Vent
• This tank collapsed while being pumped out!
Painters had covered the vent with plastic
sheeting. The steel tank collapsed before the
plastic sucked through.
 Railcars
• No match for a closed vent while pumping out
the car.
• Don’t you figure the person standing here got
a sinking feeling.
Can’t Happen Here!
Or Can It??
 Final Thoughts
• Never underestimate the potential of a low pressure
or vacuum condition to cause damage.
• Be especially careful when working around or
removing large manways or hatch covers.
– Make a final check just before the job begins to confirm that ALL the
pressure is bled off -- it only takes one valve leaking through just a little.
– Leave a few bolts in (but loose) until the gasket seal is broken. If the
system has a little pressure this will keep the manway from striking
someone. Remember: even tissue skin such as human eye can
withstand to 2-3 barg only.

• It doesn’t look like a big hazard -- but under the right

conditions it can be!