693JK321BAA01 Attachment 1 Research Topic Areas.docx

U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) 693JK321BAA01 Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Attachment #1 Research Topic Areas

PHMSA Broad Agency Announcement #693JK321BAA01

“PHMSA Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS) Administration Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Improving Safety and Innovation” Attachment #1 Research Topic Areas

Hazard Comparison of Aerosols

Aerosols typically contain multiple components (liquids, foams, powders, pastes or gases) and are dispensed as gases or liquids under pressure. The definition of an aerosol differs between the United Nations and United States. Under United Nations Model Regulations (UNMR), an aerosol or aerosol dispenser is defined as an article containing a gas, compressed, liquidized or dissolved under pressure with or without a liquid, paste or powder; in contrast, the definition in the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) defines an aerosol as an article with the sole purpose of expelling a nonpoisonous, (other than a Division 6.1 Packing Group III material) liquid, paste, or powder. The differences have implications for industry and transportation, requiring relabeling and repackaging of certain containers filled only with a gas if shipped across jurisdictions using the different definitions. PHMSA seeks data detailing the risks posed by different aerosols and wants measurements of the flammability posed by aerosols that follow the UNMR definition in contrast to the flammability of comparable aerosols that follow the HMR definition. PHMSA is looking for the offeror to propose and conduct tests that give some measure of the flammability of the aerosols released, not tests that elucidate whether the aerosols tested are flammable. The offeror can also propose to conduct additional tests that compare other hazards that the two definitions of aerosols may pose in transportation.

De Minimis Quantities of Explosives

The transport of Class 1 materials requires DOT classification approval before transport in accordance with 49 CFR 173.56. In an effort to ease the regulatory and time burden on the impacted industry, PHMSA is looking for offerors to identify through testing de minimis quantities of explosive mixtures that would allow for classification outside of Class 1. 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 de minimis exceptions to Class 1. Potential candidates could include, but are not limited to, analytical samples and waste streams.

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.

Understanding the Hazards Posed by Dissolved Gases in Liquids

There is a need to understand the hazards and risks posed by combinations of gases and liquids (such as flammable liquid with flammable gas, flammable liquid with non-flammable gas, non-flammable liquid with flammable gas, etc.). There are no criteria for the amount of a dissolved gas which makes the “material” (i.e. gas in liquid) regulated as a gas. 49 CFR §173.115 (f) defines a compressed gas in a solution, but there is no mention of when to use this definition or how much hazardous gas can be dissolved in a non-hazardous liquid and still have the mixture be classified as non-hazardous. Understanding the hazards posed by various types of gases dissolved in various types of liquids would aid in developing and issuing regulations which clearly delineate how to classify various mixtures. PHMSA is looking for the offeror to propose research that explores this issue and states what criteria might be best suited for inclusion in these regulatory areas.

Deregulation of Certain Types and Quantities of Hazardous Materials

Incident reports indicate that small quantities and non-bulk quantities of hazardous materials account for a majority of transport incidents but rarely cause an injury or interrupt transportation. Given this data, PHMSA believes small quantities and non-bulk quantities of hazardous materials may be over regulated. PHMSA is looking to determine if regulations governing certain classes of hazardous materials transported in small or non-bulk quantities can be relaxed or eliminated without impacting transportation safety. The offeror must verify through data and testing that the hazmat they propose for de-regulation (in non-bulk quantities and in a certain type of packaging) does not pose a hazard in transportation. Of particular interest are non-bulk combination packages of PG III liquids or solids with inner packagings of less than 5 liters.