應變器材——市售堵漏器（劑）常壓堵漏功能評估之探討

Evaluation of Commercial Leak-Control Response Kits

在面對洩漏事件發生時，可應用洩漏處理器材抑制洩漏源再繼續流出，減少洩漏物的數量，降低造成災害的可能性。而目前洩漏處理器材種類中，用來阻漏止洩的工具有堵漏器、修補劑等等，在此我們從市面上選出數種較常見的堵漏產品，評估其堵漏功能的表現，事實上就這類堵漏器材的堵漏能力而言，其評估指標可用‘有效堵漏時間’加以判斷。本評估報告依據不同形狀的測試腔（包括管線及容器），分就洩漏孔徑大小、測試腔材質（包括不銹鋼及碳鋼）等，影響堵漏劑、堵漏器有效堵漏時間的參數進行評估測試，藉由對有機化學溶劑洩漏，有靈敏偵測能力的半導體型氣體感測器，將此類產品對不同的化學液體的有效堵漏時間，作一評估及比較分析，評估結果發現有些堵漏器（如堵漏膠片、栓塞等）的堵漏效果相當差，測試的有效堵漏時間多在十分鐘之內，其它的堵漏器材在正確的使用下，有效堵漏時間都可超過四小時。如此可了解市面上銷售的堵漏器、修補劑對不同的化學液體的堵漏功能，並討論這類洩漏處理器材正確使用的方法及步驟，作為使用者使用這類洩漏處理器材時的參考。

Leak-control response kits have been widely used to handle hazardous liquid leak in the processes of manufacturing, transportation and storage. These response kits, mainly composed of plugs, patches, and epoxy putty, can stop leaking and reduce the severity of accidents. Because the evaluation methods of these commerical kits are not commonly available, we have designed a testing equipment to evaluate the efficiency of these kits. We define the effective period (EP) to describe the effective lifetime of these kits in leak-control and set the maximun testing time of the EP as 4 hours, suitable for responder to take later actions. Semiconductive gas detector was employed in the equipment to monitor the leakage of chemical solvents of very low concentration when kits lost efficiency. The equipment internal pressure was maintained at 2 atm during the whole testing procedure. Several parameters such as the various kinds of chemical liquids, the shape and material of testing chamber, and sizes of holes were investigated to check their effects on the performance of these response kits. The experimental results revealed that EP was independent of types of liquids. While most types of the kits(such as patches and putty) were shown to last more than 4 hours, some plugs were demonstrated to maintain their effectiveness for less than 10 minutes. Finally, we also presented the seal mechanisms of these kits as they stop the leakage. These results could be applied to develop a selection guide which will help users select proper kits in handling hazardous liquid leak. Consequently, person or property damage caused by a chemical accident can be minimized.