Anhydrous Ammonia?

My Fiance works in a plant that has 235,000 pounds of Anhydrous Ammonia running through it at all times, there was an explosion caused from a leak in one of the lines, and sparked by a running fan. Now they are rebuilding and finding leaks in other lines, then wrapping them up with paper towels to absorb the ammonia. Wouldn't there be a chance of another explosion? I don't think paper towls are very effective.

Answer:
Boy, even with the high solubility of ammonia in water, it is going to take a lot of wet paper towels to hold 235,000 lbs of ammonia.
I would hope these are very small leaks and it is just a temporary measure and they intend to do a proper repair immediately, if not sooner. If this plant in in the USA I suspect they may be breaking the law, especially if the plant is in a populated area.
If they are in the USA, and they had an explosion that was noticed outside the plant, it is only a matter of time before OSHA and/or the local labor and industries, fire or health departments do an inspection. Therefore I suspect that there is relatively little reason for concern even though I agree paper towels don't sound like a such a good idea.
If you live next door to the plant (or there is an elementary school or daycare next door to it ) you might consider reporting it to the authorities.

Ammonia is highly soluble in water, and wet paper towels will block the ammonia from escaping, though it is a waste of ammonia

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Anhydrous Ammonia?

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