Nitrogen is known as a silent killer
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In the atmospheric environment on which we depend for survival, air contains approximately 79% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and small amounts of other gases; however, it is actually only oxygen that is essential for human respiration and survival. Inhaling air rich in nitrogen (with a nitrogen concentration of over 80%) can have an adverse effect on a person’s ability to work safely, potentially causing dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, salivation, reduced mental alertness, loss of consciousness, and even death. When a person enters an oxygen-deficient environment, the oxygen level in the arterial blood drops to very low levels within 5–7 seconds. Loss of sensation begins after 10–12 seconds; if no oxygen is supplied within 2–4 minutes, heart failure will occur, leading to death. An air nitrogen concentration of over 90% can quickly cause asphyxiation. If the oxygen content in the air is below 16%, people will die from asphyxiation.
Nitrogen is the most commonly used inert gas in petrochemical companies for equipment maintenance and as sealing gas, and it is also one of the most hazardous gases found in the chemical plants of such companies. It is colorless and odorless, which leads many people to fail to realize the dangers of nitrogen. According to statistics from the global chemical industry, each year more people die from nitrogen asphyxiation in this sector than from poisoning by other toxic gases or from fires and explosions; nitrogen has thus become the top hidden killer in the chemical industry.
Due to insufficient supply capacity of the system for nitrogen, our workshop was not allowed to use it in the past; it has only become available in recent years. For this reason, every time work is stopped and blind flanges are installed over these years, it has been a source of concern for me.
People usually don’t pay much attention to this, but it causes significant harm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lao Yu, I suggest the company get some oxygen monitors – it’s better than regretting it once something goes wrong.
I remember during the major maintenance in 2002, after the distillation tower had been boiled, nitrogen was used to cool it down. The deputy manager in charge of the equipment in one of the workshops looked inside through an access hatch, and immediately collapsed. Fortunately, someone nearby pulled him back; otherwise, things would have turned out badly. There was a lack of risk awareness and management.
Regarding the protection against nitrogen, we have done relatively little compared to what is done for toxic and harmful gases. I once saw an accident case in which a storage tank developed a malfunction and required maintenance. After safety officers confirmed that the oxygen level was safe, they allowed workers to enter the tank to carry out the repairs. This tank is equipped with an air compression pipe, which is used for ventilation before operations begin. Once the workers entered, they fainted within less than 3 minutes, and the on-site supervisors promptly rescued them. A portable pulse oximeter was then used for testing, and the oxygen level was found to be low. It was later found that this air duct workshop had been modified and connected to the nitrogen pipeline; during the replacement process, the workers thought that air was flowing through it, but in fact it was nitrogen. .
Carbon dioxide is even more suitable to act as a silent killer~~Carbon dioxide accumulates in many caves, posing a risk of suffocation~~
Oxygen level analysis must be conducted before entering enclosed equipment and trenches.
A high nitrogen concentration means a low oxygen content, and the harm to the human body naturally increases as the nitrogen concentration rises.
It’s probably the importance of oxygen; nitrogen and carbon dioxide belong to the same category – one is used more in industry, while the other occurs more frequently in daily life and in the outdoors