Weighing bromine safely
15 Jan 2000
At its Haverhill, Suffolk plant, Genzyme had to find an alternative way of dispensing liquid bromine to a reaction vessel in a Zone 1 hazardous area because of impending European legislation.
Pressurised discharge from a proprietary, skid-mounted, lead-lined steel transport flask was the obvious alternative, but each flask would hold more bromine than was needed for one batch.
A `loss in weight' approach to dispensing from the cylinder was thought to be the best method, but floor-mounted weigh cells were not considered a serious option. The problem has been solved, however, by Darenth Weighing Services with its Quant-Master pallet truck, complete with in-built weighing facilities.
The model used is certified for Zone 1 use and has custom length forks, an indicator scaled from 0 to 1000kg x 1kg, antistatic polypropylene wheels and a remote weight display facility.
The filled bromine flasks are skid-mounted and easily picked up on the Quant-Master's forks. The weight signal from the Quant-Master is transmitted 30m along an optical cable to an adjacent safe area.
