Problems encountered during winter eye washer testing
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Last week I went to a site in Shandong to inspect eye wash stations; these are the electrically heated eye wash stations produced by our company. I encountered a practical issue when testing these eye wash stations in winter, and I would like to ask everyone how you handle such situations at your sites? As is well known, eye wash stations are emergency first-aid devices that are not used on a regular basis; as a result, the water inside their pipes can deteriorate. Therefore, at the site, the switches for using the eye wash station to wash or spray water are turned on periodically in order to drain the water from inside the station, and this also helps to check whether the eye wash station is in proper working condition. So, there is a major problem when the eye wash station is used regularly for testing in winter: the water discharged from the station freezes on the ground, and injured people may slip before even reaching the eye wash station. What solutions do you have for this issue? Thank you all here! @jiyuwoaa @GlueMover @tomtom999999 @song2015
The eye washer is inspected every week to drain the water. To prevent freezing in winter, it can be kept flowing continuously; the water from the eye washer is collected in the washer’s basin and does not freeze on the ground. It’s indeed impossible to test the spraying function on an eye washer, as water freezes easily after being sprayed
The problems encountered by the original poster are more common in older installations; modern refineries’ new plants all have pump rooms, and in accordance with the 15-meter rule, eyewash stations are generally located in these pump rooms. Pump rooms are heated in winter, so there are no major issues during routine tests. For the hydrocracking unit I am in charge of, which was built and put into operation 10 years ago, there is an eye washer installed next to the ammonia liquid tank; it lacks electric heating. Every winter we shut it down to prevent freezing, but this approach does not meet the required standards. Therefore, we are now planning to modify it and move it to the compressor room. A gutter is designed at the bottom of the eye washer; during regular testing, water can be directed into this gutter, thereby addressing the issue of slippery floors in winter.
In northern chemical plants, eye wash stations present many difficulties: they cannot be used during winter due to safety concerns, using heating elements poses a risk of burns from high temperatures, and keeping the water flowing continuously is not energy-efficient. Currently, electric heat tracing is used to maintain a temperature of 30°C; regular discharge is necessary for stable operation, but the operating costs are high.
You’re right to some extent; there were no issues with the testing of the eye-washing section, but there indeed were problems with the testing of the spraying section. Here is a simple suggestion: when testing the spraying function, there are two methods to address this issue. 1) The eyewash unit itself is equipped with a spraying test funnel; we have already installed such equipment at AKZO NOBEL’s site. 2) Use another testing device to examine the spraying function, that is, create a portable spraying test device, which we used on the eyewash units for a project at BASF in Shanghai.
Your approach is worth learning from; thank you!
Electrically heated eye washers used in the north should be the safest and most effective. As for the high operating costs you mentioned, it’s probably related to electricity consumption. The power consumption of an electrically heated eye washer is at most 200W, with the temperature controlled between 25–30°C; therefore, it doesn’t consume much electricity per day. I haven’t done any calculations on this. Do you think there is anything more effective than electric heat tracing? Steam heating cannot be used for eyewash stations, while when using hot water for heating, attention must be paid to the temperature of the water; generally, the temperature of such hot water does not exceed 50°C, and a DN15 heating pipe is sufficient. I have seen hot water tracing at some sites.
The standard still hasn’t been sent to me. 79487839@qq.com, thanks
The U.S. standards for eye washers have been sent to your email; please check it
My email is lizhenqing1973@163.com. Thank you.
The drainage outlet at the bottom of the eye washer is sometimes fitted with a threaded connection; it presumably has a diameter of DN32, allowing pipes to be connected to the drainage ditch