Broad Agency Annoucement 693JK320BAA01 Research Topics Areas.pdf

U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) 693JK320BAA01 Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Attachment #1 Research Topic Areas

PHMSA Broad Agency Announcement #693JK320BAA01

“PHMSA Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS) Administration Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Improving Safety and Innovation”

Attachment #1 Research Topic Areas

IMPROVING SAFETY

Topic 1: Development of New Standards for Bulk and Non-Bulk Packaging

The current Code of Federal Regulations for some non-bulk packages such as cylinders needs a comprehensive review and update. Towards this goal, there needs to be a scientifically established performance standard, definition, classification, testing criteria, service life standard, etc. A suitable starting point for several of these research criteria is reviewing current equivalent standards and updating or improving them for some current non-bulk packages. There is also a need for established regulation to govern the use of novel bulk packages. There should be established experimental work to determine suitable performance after periods of prolonged use.

Of particular interest to PHMSA is the requalification of steel cylinders, standards for reconditioned drums and establishing service lives for all packaging types.

Topic 2: Self (Default) Classification of Hazardous Materials and/or Articles.

The transportation of hazardous materials (HM) is critical for the day-to-day success of many American businesses. The transport of Class 1 materials requires a DOT classification approval before transport in accordance with 49 CFR 173.56. There is a significant cost in obtaining the required documentation/testing and a significant amount of time between a manufacturer developing a new product and obtaining an “EX Number” signifying the new explosive is approved for transportation in commerce. In an effort to ease the regulatory and time burden on the impacted industry, PHMSA is looking for offerors to identify articles and materials that can be self-classified. The offeror must identify the materials relevant physical characteristics (including, but not limited to: phase, composition, intrinsic/extrinsic properties, and amounts) and packaging limitations that will allow for data-driven, self-classification of well defined, characterized, tested, evaluated and packaged HM. Potential candidates could include, but are not limited to, nanomaterials, smokeless powders, propellant solids, primers and igniters. This topic is not limited to HM and articles that have historically been classified as Class 1. Another potential area for exploration are de minimus exemptions for any hazard class.

Topic 3: Improvements to North American Emergency Response Guidebook

Since 1980, DOT has pursued the goal of providing all public emergency response personnel free and immediate access to the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG), last published in 2016

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Attachment #1 and in preparation for publication in 2020. The ERG is a critical component of the safe transportation of hazardous materials that provides first responders with timely guidance to protect lives, property, and the environment during the initial stages of a transportation incident involving hazardous materials. In preparation for the 2024 publication, DOT is seeking an external team of experts to provide a systematic review of the proposed guidance and the physiochemical properties of the commodities included in the ERG to ensure the information presented represents the best practices from the HM specialist community.

Topic 4: Charge Storage Device Transportation Safety

The high energy density contained within batteries and other charge storage devices can present hazards in transportation that can lead to explosions and fires. There is a need to develop packaging solutions for lithium batteries and damaged and defective batteries (in both small and large shipments, between single cell and multi-cell designs). Additionally, some type of standard process to classify high capacity charge storage devices is needed, along with a thorough risk assessment and packaging solutions.

Topic 5: Standard Risk Assessment

PHMSA is working to improve its risk assessment process. Standardizing risk assessment is important as it allows PHMSA to quantify and evaluate the risk associated with specific hazardous materials transport scenarios as well as compare risk factors for different hazardous materials, different modes and different scenarios. Transportation risk analysis identify regulatory gaps that adversely impact transportation safety, transport operations or package designs. Of interest to PHMSA is the quantification of the potential for harm, deaths, injuries, financial loss and environmental impact from these events. Models developed should include recommendations to address or mitigate the safety gap raised and analyzed.

INNOVATION

Topic 6: Improved Materials and Designs for HM Packaging

Packaging is necessary to keep HM contained in transportation and prevent releases. The transportation environment is changing; new materials and designs are needed to improve the performance of various HM packaging in transportation while maintaining cost-effectiveness.

Bulk and non-bulk packaging for any mode of transportation will be considered. Any design and material solution will be considered, but PHMSA is particularly interested in highly infectious waste bulk packaging solutions.

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Attachment #1

Topic 7: Innovative Technologies to Improve HM Communications

There is a growing need for electronically managing and tracking HM shipments.

Communicating up-to-date information about packages in transit would help both emergency responders and enforcement personnel. Additionally, reducing time lags in physical transfer of information between HM transportation partners would also allow traffic to resume its normal speeds. PHMSA is interested in any technology that improves HM transportation communication, reduces the adverse impacts to commerce and society and improves remediation response.