MEC&F Expert Engineers : 04/27/15

Monday, April 27, 2015

MOTHER NATURE BATTERS LOUISIANA. TENS OF THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWER, TREES DOWNED, TRAIN CARS KNOCKED OFF TRACKS.



















APRIL 27, 2015

NEW ORLEANS, LA

A strong and dangerous line of storms swept through the southeast Louisiana area, cancelling classes at some colleges, downing trees and knocking out power.

A tornado was reported in Belle Chasse near the Naval Station. There was no immediate report on possible damage.

30,000 buildings in Jefferson Parish were reported without power as of noon.
Around 10:30 a.m., a wind gust of 111 mph was reported in Kenner. Power was knocked out Louis Armstrong International Airport, causing delays with flights.

The heavy storms closed the Causeway and the Huey P. Long bridges. The Huey P. reopened around 11:15 a.m. However, several train cars were knocked off of the tracks around the bridge.

Numerous trees were reported down in the Elmwood area near the Huey P. Long bridge as well.

Along with the bad weather, LSU has cancelled all classes at its Baton Rouge campus. Nicholls State University in Thibodaux ordered a lockdown, having students shelter in place, but it was lifted around 11:15 a.m.

Classes at all Delgado campuses are cancelled due to weather until 4:30 p.m. Employees please remain until further notice.

Source: http://www.wwltv.com

1 WORKED SUFFERED CHEMICAL EXPOSURE, CHEMICAL SPILL CONTAINED AFTER LEAK AT DUPONT ZYTEL PLANT IN CHESTERFIELD, VIRGINIA











APRIL 27, 2015

CHESTERFIELD, VA. (WRIC)

Fire crews and authorities are responding to an incident at the Richmond Zytel Plant.

Around 10:45 Monday morning, both Chesterfield and Richmond crews responded to the scene, located in the 5400 block of Jefferson Davis Highway.

Fire officials tell 8News that the incident was a “release of liquid heating fluid that vaporizes at high temperatures” as the result of a leak as workers were doing maintenance on Monday. The spill has since been contained.

One site worker transported for evaluation due to possible exposure. 

Eight employees are being evaluated. More than 100 were evacuated earlier.

Authorities say there is no threat to the public.
Source: http://wric.com

TWO TRACTOR-TRAILER CRASH CAUSES 100 GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL SPILL ON VERRAZANO BRIDGE IN NEW YORK




APRIL 27, 2015
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.

Two tractor-trailers collided on the Brooklyn-bound upper level of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Monday morning, spilling about 100 gallons of diesel fuel onto the roadway. 

No injuries were reported in the 9:30 a.m. crash.

The preliminary investigation shows one truck appeared to have rear-ended the other near the Brooklyn tower, according to Judy Glave, a spokeswoman for the MTA.  The second truck is the one which leaked the fuel, Ms. Glave said.

Two lanes were blocked as a result of the cleanup.

Some cars behind the accident were eventually able to be backed up and re-directed into the Brooklyn-bound upper level lane for the Belt Parkway, but some motorists were stuck behind the crash until the fuel was cleaned up and the trailers were removed, Ms. Glave said.

Brooklyn-bound traffic on the Staten Island Expressway was diverted to the Verrazano's lower level.

The trucks could not be separated and the first truck pulled the second truck to the disabled area just off the bridge, past 92nd Street, Ms. Glave said.

The upper level was re-opened at 11:40 a.m.

6,000 GALLONS MILK, 100 GALLONS OF FUEL SPILLED ON HIGHWAY 1 AFTER LOUSY DRIVER FAILED TO NEGOTIATE A TURN




APRIL 27, 2015

TOMALES BAY, CALIFORNIA

Caltrans crews worked Sunday to clean up roughly 6,000 gallons of milk and 100 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled near Tomales Bay earlier in the day, according to the California Highway Patrol and Marin County fire officials.

Both directions of state Highway 1 were closed as of around 5:30 p.m. so Caltrans crews could assess the scene, CHP Officer Damian Cistaro said.

Officers responded to a report of an overturned tanker on state Highway 1 roughly a mile north of Nick’s Cove around 11:45 a.m., CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said.

Barclay said 6,000 gallons of the big-rig’s roughly 10,000-gallon tank spilled into the street, while the rest remained in the tanker.

The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries and was transported to the hospital, according to officials with the Marin County Fire Department.

Fire officials said the truck, which was heading south near Nick’s Cove, failed to negotiate a turn and landed on its side along the highway. Firefighters were able to use absorbent materials to sop up the spilled milk and diesel fuel.

Crews were monitoring the spill to ensure it does not threaten bay waters, fire officials said.

A Sig-alert was issued around 1:10 p.m. for both directions of Highway 1 and was lifted around 1:45 p.m. before authorities closed the highway again for Caltrans crews, Cistaro said.

As of around 5:30 p.m., Cistaro said the roadway was expected to be closed for one hour.

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THE ROLLOVER RISKS OF TRUCKS:  

FAILURE TO NEGOTIATE A TURN, EVEN SMALL OVERCORRECTIONS CAN RESULT IN ROLLOVERS.  



We have written many times before about the rollover risks of trucks.  Here is of the earlier blogs.

Dynamic Stability of a Vehicle Carrying Bulk Liquid and Driving Over a Bump or Negotiating a Turn


The forces generated by the sloshing of bulk liquid carried in tanker trucks can cause accidents.  The roll-over tendency of a vehicle can be measured in terms of how many "g" (gravitational acceleration) that vehicle can withstand in cornering.   

The higher this value, the safer the vehicle.  For example, full size passenger cars can withstand around 1.2 g.  For a loaded semi-truck the number is 0.4, and for half empty tanker truck it can be as low as 0.15.   

Tanker trucks are used for transporting milk, water and a number of liquid fuels.  The trucks sometimes need to operate on rough terrain at relatively high speeds.  This exposes the truck to a roll-over risk. If the tanker is partially empty, the risk of roll-over becomes much higher.

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THE ROLLOVER RISKS OF TWO-TANK TANKERS ARE TOO GREAT TO CONTINUE TO ALLOW THEM CARRYING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS WITHOUT ADDITIONAL SAFETY MEASURES

  The recent rollover of a two-car tanker in Los Angeles reminds how dangerous these two-tank tankers are for carrying flammable liquids.

 The fluid slosh can definitely throw you around if you're not expecting it. You have to be smooth with your inputs.  If the driver was being stupid/distracted/whatever he could have easily steered/braked too quickly and caused the slosh to tip him over.

 Tankers are actually the hardest commercial vehicle to control.  Any tanker that has to be completely cleaned out between loads cannot have baffles. Imagine the kind of things that would grow in a tanker full of milk if you could never wash it out. There are also still older tankers out there that move things such as fuel that have baffles today, but did not always have them in the past.
No question its the driver's fault, but he really could have had some surging that contributed to the incident.