Development of Test Methods to Determine the Compatibility of Liquid HazardousMaterials with Polyethylene Packagings

摘要

The report describes work done for the Department of Transportation, Office ofHazardous Materials Transportation, to develop test methods which can be used to determine whether a liquid hazardous material may be shipped in a specific type of polyethylene container. Current federal regulations require that each prospective lading be tested individually in proposed polyethylene packagings. The central task of the project is to determine the feasibility of substituting a set of standard liquids for the purpose of compatibility testing with polyethylene. In determining the compatibility of hazardous liquids with polyethylene there are three major areas of concern, permeation and/or swelling, environmental stress cracking, and oxidative degradation. Specific recommendations are made for a set of standard liquids which address all three aspects of compatibility. Special attention is given the class of organic peroxides which may be unstable at the test temperatures currently in use. In the area of permeation, an empirical method known as the 'Permachor' scheme is proposed as a means of estimating the permeability of many liquid hazardous materials, and for ranking individual members within a given class of liquids.