Liquid Nitrogen Room

The Liquid Nitrogen distribution room is located in Fisher G007. The liquid is stored in a 3000 gallon tank located outside of Fisher Hall. The tank is for use by authorized personnel only. Users drop off and pick up their dewars from G007. Currently, dewars are filled once per week.

Contacts

B. H. Suits 906.487.2093 - General Info and Room use authorization
(Alternate emergency contact 482.7986)

Andrea Lappi 906.487.2086 - Physics Department Coordinator

A. Niemi 906.487.2118 - Safety issues (Alternate emergency contact 482.9017)

J. Bachelor 906.487.2118 - Safety issues (Alternate emergency contact 523.0030)

Posted on the door are Rules, Usual Procedures, and Price ($0.85/liter as of May 2007).

UIG MSDS for Liquid Nitrogen

Some Liquid Nitrogen Hazards

1. Pressurized Dewars - depressurize before opening; use adequate pressure relief.
   
   Removing the cover of a dewar under pressure could cause pieces of the cover to become dangerous projectiles which could cause serious physical harm if they strike a person. Dewars must be depressurized before the cover is removed.
   
   Dewars which are not intended to be pressurized should never have a tight cap or cover. A tightly closed container will fail explosively if the nitrogen gas is not allowed to vent. All pressurized containers must have pressure relief safety valves to keep the pressure at a safe level. Safe practice requires at least least two such values. Glass dewars should be covered (e.g. with metal sheet, strong netting, or tape) to diminish the possibility that pieces of flying glass will cause an injury when the dewar breaks.

2. Asphyxiation - make sure you have adequate ventilation.
   
   Liquid nitrogen rapidly evaporates giving nitrogen gas. Nitrogen gas is a normal component of air. If room ventilation is restricted, the room could become depleted in oxygen causing suffocation. The human body does not detect oxygen deficiencies very well (the feeling of being suffocated comes from excess carbon dioxide, not from a lack of oxygen) and so symptoms may not be evident. In fact, when the oxygen content of air is reduced to around 10% (from its normal 21%) unconsciousness can be immediate with virtually no warning. Under normal circumstances, modest room ventilation is usually sufficient to remove this hazard.

3. Cold Burns - keep from contact with your body; maintain an escape route.
   
   Liquid nitrogen is very cold. If a sufficient quantity comes in contact with the body, a "cold burn" results. Small amounts will rapidly evaporate and will only provide a small sensation similar to a pin prick. The danger comes from larger quantities which do not evaporate quickly. Should a larger quantity come in contact with a person, the person should immediately take action to get away. Never ingest liquid nitrogen.

   • Wear protective clothing to keep smaller amounts from contacting the body. In particular, open toed shoes should be avoided.
   • If a large spill occurs, discontinue what you are doing and leave the room until the liquid evaporates.
   • If clothing becomes soaked, hold it away from the body until it warms, or if a larger area is soaked, remove the clothing.
   • If a cold burn occurs, once warmed up, it should be treated the same as a sunburn of comparable magnitude. If necessary, warm affected skin slowly using cold (NOT HOT) water.
   • Any serious cold burn, and any smaller injury which does not heal as expected, should be treated by a doctor.