(Question on loading Cryogenic Liquids and Live Animals.)
Q.
DGR 9.3.13.1 indicates that when loading Dry Ice and Live Animals, we must load the animal at a higher position than dry ice since when dry ice sublimates directly to gaseous carbon dioxide, the gas is heavier than air and therefore concentrates on the floor of the cargo compartment. There is no guidance written for cryogenic liquids. Please guide us how we should load cryogenic liquids if we have a shipment of live animals. Should we load at a higher position or apply segregation?  (30 Apr 19)
A.
Representative cryogenic liquids are Liquid Nitrogen and Helium.
Liquid Nitrogen is UN1977 Nitrogen, refrigerated liquid (Temperature: minus 195.79℃, Density: Liquid form 0.807, Gaseous form 1.25). Helium is UN1963 Helium, refrigerated liquid (Temperature: minus 268.928℃, Density: Liquid form 0.145, Gaseous form 0.1786)

Nitrogen in gaseous form is heavier than air, same as dry ice, so it settles and concentrates on the floor of the cargo compartment, while Helium in gaseous form is lighter than air, so it concentrates at the ceiling of the compartment.

Regardless of how it may be written in the DGR, to avoid the animals from being frozen or being suffocated, I would not load the animals in the same hold with cryogenic liquids.

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