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Folks I got this in a safety e-mail here at work, and feel comfortable saying they are 100% accurate given their origin....I didnt come here to start a fight about anything, just sharing....A portable oxygen cutting and welding outfit. ACETYLENE is a flammable fuel gas composed of carbon and hydrogen having the chemical formula C2H2.Whenburned with oxygen, acetylene produces a hot flame, having a temperature between 5700°F and 6300°F. Acetylene is a colorless gas, having a disagree- able odor that is readily detected even when the gas is highly diluted with air. When a portable welding outfit, similar to the one shown in figure 4-3 is used, acetylene is obtained directly from the cylinder. In the case of stationary equipment, similar to the acetylene cylinder bank shown in figure 4-4, the acetylene can be piped to a number of individual cutting stations. Hazards Pure acetylene is self-explosive if stored in the free state under a pressure of 29.4 pounds per square inch (psi). A slight shock is likely to cause it to explode. WARNING Acetylene becomes extremely dangerous if used above 15 pounds pressure. Figure 4-4.Stationary acetylene cylinder bank. Cylinder Design Acetylene can be safely compressed up to 275 psi when dissolved in acetone and stored in specially de- signed cylinders filled with porous material, such as balsa wood, charcoal, finely shredded asbestos, corn pith, portland cement, or infusorial earth. These porous filler materials aid in the prevention of high-pressure gas pockets forming in the cylinder. Acetone is a liquid chemical that dissolves large portions of acetylene under pressure without changing the nature of the gas. Being a liquid, acetone can be drawn from an acetylene cylinder when it is not upright. You should not store acetylene cylinders on their side, but if they are, you must let the cylinder stand upright for a minimum of 2 hours before using. This allows the acetone to settle to the bottom of the cylinder. NOTE: Acetone contaminates the hoses, regula- tors, torch, and disrupts the flame. Acetylene is measured in cubic feet. The most com- mon cylinder sizes are 130-, 290-, and 330-cubic-foot capacity. The standard size cylinder the Navy uses holds 4-3 Pictures are the result of an explosion involving an Acetylene /Oxygen rig stored inside a van. Ignition source was a remote keyless entry. Acetylene has one of the widest explosive ranges of the flammable gases. Attached Images
Reply:continued Attached Images
Reply:even more Attached Images
Reply:Holy cow, those are awesome pictures. I hope the guy wasn't in the van.Miller millermatic 251Miller aircrafter 330st, wp201961 Lincoln SA200Ellis 1600 bandsawLogan 820 latheSouth Bend 13"Bridgeport M Head
Reply:That was just posted.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Minner - I don't see how the explosion would have been caused by storing an acetylene cylinder on its side. Is that what the email claimed?To me it seems more like there must have been a leak which filled the van with gas, which then was ignited. The cylinders in the picture don't look ruptured.Good LuckLast edited by denrep; 12-15-2009 at 11:17 AM.
Reply:Holy crap
Reply:this acetylene tank must have had a leak, otherwise a remote keyless entry would definitely not have caused this explosion..... Still a very valuable lesson to be learned from the misshap of others. my only concern is that everyone involved is alright. Equity is replaceable.
Reply:Originally Posted by WelderBCthis acetylene tank must have had a leak, otherwise a remote keyless entry would definitely not have caused this explosion. . .
Reply:Originally Posted by denrepMinner - I don't see how the explosion would have been caused by storing an acetylene cylinder on its side. Is that what the email claimed?To me it seems more like there must have been a leak which filled the van with gas, which then was ignited. The cylinders in the picture don't look ruptured.Good Luck
Reply:Originally Posted by denrepI somehow missed the keyless entry part. For sure then I'd agree it was a leak, but probably not from the tank proper, more likely the hose, torch, or regulator.Good Luck
Reply:RE:Tanks on their side.There looks like there is a Tank holder in the back of the van for storing them vertically.Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:This sounds like a case of leaking acetylene, a failure to shut the valve off, and leaking into a confined area. Nothing to do with whether tanks are stored, transported, vertical or horizontal.
Reply:a friend emailed me these pics last week. it is still shocking to look at the wreckage!something is fishy about this though. a keyless entry system set this off? doesn't sound right to me! if so, what happened to the owner. most people are pretty close to the vehicle when they unlock their car......with this large of an explosion, this person would have taken a fatal or near fatal blow!
Reply:I think the regulation here in Australia is that you can store the bottles in the back of a van if they are in a sealed box with external ventilation.
Reply:I agree that the cause was probably acetylene that leaked into the vehicle creating an explosive mix with air. I also doubt that the orientation of the tank in the vehicle had anything to do with the explosion. Was there any expert accident report or are we just reading the opinions of reporters?The keyless entry system itself is an unlikely source of ignition, but an actuating switch or a limit stop switch on the door unlocking mechanism could easily have supplied a spark. If the door actuator is a solenoid it is highly inductive and opening the switch carrying current to the device will produce a spark, even with good arc suppression provided.Still a very sobering lesson. Tends to focus the mind..awright
Reply:wow
Reply:I understood the explosion was caused by a leaking valve on s cylinder stored in a van, A spark from the automatic door lock mechanism ignited the leaking gas and air mixture causing the explosion.My question is how does one safely store B-tanks in a vehicle. Seems as though the regulator must be removed and the valves should be plugged but what about a leaki in the stem packing? B-tanks do not have a safety cap to protect the valve. Any one know anything about how tradesmen can safely transport and store B-tanks? Also I am assuming you cannot store an oxy acetylene rig in a van. (I did for 20 ears before I started using a turbo-torch) Thanks for any information.
Reply:It reinforces the need to check for leaks and exercise care when using highly volatile gases. Get lazy, get sloppy and stuff happens. Stuff happens twice in a row and all the hens in the hen house start squawking. When the hens squawk the gubmint passes a regulation.
Reply:wowzers.when i got my 130cf acetylene tank filled, i asked if it was okay if i laid the tank down on its side to transport it. (i actually asked before i brought it in) So I would know what vehicle to bring.They said yeaa sure, you can throw it on it's side no problem.So i threw it in the back of my car on it's side, and drove home... unloaded it.no big deal, didnt think anything of it.now reading this... o.OBut looks to be only problematic if it's leaky.but then again, even if it's upright and leaky... still goes boom.heh.
Reply:I think the photos were posted to show the dangers of acetylene, not saying it was because the tanks were laid on their side. I was taught it is much safer to never lay an acetylene tank on its side, but if you have to let the bottle rest vertically, preferrably over night, before using.There is no such thing as being too safe, you either are or you are not...I thought this post was a very sobering reminder of something I learned probably 40+ years ago, but haven't thought much about lately.
Reply:RESIDENTS of a Melbourne bayside suburb have been trapped in their street after a massive explosion involving a plumber's van.The van exploded shortly after 6am, hurling its contents all over the street and emitting large flames and smoke into the air in Chelsea Heights, south of Melbourne.The explosion occurred when two apprentice plumbers turned up and activated a remote control lock on the van.The indicators flashed and the car exploded.Police did not believe the explosion was suspicious, Kingston Police Inspector Neil Paterson said."It is very unusual for these sorts of things to occur," he said.No one was hurt but apprentice plumber Luke Clark was lucky to escape after opening the door of the van before it exploded and being thrown about four metres in the air by the force of the blast.http://www.news.com.au/national/dram...-1225789888663THE explosion of a van in Chelsea Heights this morning was caused by a leaky acetylene cylinder, police have confirmed. http://mordialloc-chelsea-leader.whe...elsea-heights/Last edited by BruceTS; 12-21-2009 at 06:28 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by BruceTS. . .No one was hurt but apprentice plumber Luke Clark was lucky to escape after opening the door of the van before it exploded and being thrown about four metres in the air by the force of the blast. . . .
Reply:Have you ever seen a welding gas supply truck with tanks lying down? NO.The tanks are always standing upright.AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:Most DOT regulations require that pressurized cylinders be transported upright and secured with the valve covers on them, IIRCThe issues are so heavily documented over more than a century of acetylene use and transport that none of this should be news, but people insist on being stupid.The DOT default to "all cylinders vertical" because standards should be SIMPLE. Most people are simple and need simple rules. No problem.The safety reason to not lay acetylene cylinders on their sides is due to acetone, end of story and exhaustively documented.While DOT regs say all cylinders should be vertical, the US military has had thousands of gaseous oxygen multi-cylinder servicing carts for decades. The cylinders are secured, the carts are low, stable, and certified for towing AND air transport. You could knock off a valve and those cylinders aren't going anywhere, but Bubba won't have a rack like that so "vertical" makes sense for DOT.Military acetylene cylinders are of course stored vertical.It would be easy for keyless entry to ignite a gas-filled van. There is a large pic of the results when someone put a cylinder in their car trunk and died from "keyless detonation" taped to the front counter of our local Airgas to make the point.
Reply:Acetylene cylinders need to be vertical for some amount of time before using them, if not the porous core will become saturated near the neck and allow high pressure acetylene to escape which can potentially self combust. All other cylinders can be stored in any configuration.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:safety first , AND common SENSE go a long way , But then again u just cant fix stupid>Innovations are what i leave behind for History
Reply:Hey yall, been a long time lurker here, but felt like I should sound off on this so I finally registered (I also want to show yall some pics of the welds I see on everything where I currently live in Thailand, but I didnt want to start a ****-storm on my first post here...another day)Anyway, I have seen a (much) smaller scale explosion from OA tanks being stored on their side. Fortunately in this case it was just the regulator that went KB. It was still highly dangerous as the regulator screw ended up embedded in a wall on the other side of the room. The reason for his explosion, and I suspect for the one in the pics is that, as someone pointed out, some people only turn off the gas at the torch or the reg when they are done, not at the tank valve. When tipped, it can allow some of the acetone to seep out into the reg and/or hose causing corrosion and eventually a rupture. The rupture can be small..a pinhole, even...If the cylinder is tilted back upright and used, it may not be noticeable to the operator for some time if at all. When the torch is in operation, acetylene gas will seep through the diaphragm on reg and out of the hole where the screw thingy comes out (that is a very technical term, btw, use it carefully). On my buddy's reg this happened and a stray grinding spark must have gone in there and POW! If the van owner had a similar problem, didnt know it, cut the gas off at the torch but not the tank valve and then let it sit in the van (even upright), it could have filled the van with acetylene. It is safe to transport acetylene cylinders horizontally, as long as the tank is completely turned off AT THE TANK VALVE. As stated before it should be allowed to sit upright before using..I have always heard overnight. They should never be used in a horizontal position or even diagonally.Thanks to the OP, those were some pretty amazing pics...esp the aerial ones with the door on the neighbor's roof. I bet they were pissed!
Reply:Originally Posted by M.RedHawkHey yall, been a long time lurker here, but felt like I should sound off on this so I finally registered (I also want to show yall some pics of the welds I see on everything where I currently live in Thailand, but I didnt want to start a ****-storm on my first post here...another day)Anyway, I have seen a (much) smaller scale explosion from OA tanks being stored on their side. Fortunately in this case it was just the regulator that went KB. It was still highly dangerous as the regulator screw ended up embedded in a wall on the other side of the room. The reason for his explosion, and I suspect for the one in the pics is that, as someone pointed out, some people only turn off the gas at the torch or the reg when they are done, not at the tank valve. When tipped, it can allow some of the acetone to seep out into the reg and/or hose causing corrosion and eventually a rupture. The rupture can be small..a pinhole, even...If the cylinder is tilted back upright and used, it may not be noticeable to the operator for some time if at all. When the torch is in operation, acetylene gas will seep through the diaphragm on reg and out of the hole where the screw thingy comes out (that is a very technical term, btw, use it carefully). On my buddy's reg this happened and a stray grinding spark must have gone in there and POW! If the van owner had a similar problem, didnt know it, cut the gas off at the torch but not the tank valve and then let it sit in the van (even upright), it could have filled the van with acetylene. It is safe to transport acetylene cylinders horizontally, as long as the tank is completely turned off AT THE TANK VALVE. As stated before it should be allowed to sit upright before using..I have always heard overnight. They should never be used in a horizontal position or even diagonally.Thanks to the OP, those were some pretty amazing pics...esp the aerial ones with the door on the neighbor's roof. I bet they were pissed!
Reply:Originally Posted by Welding_SwedeIf people would just use a little common sense (not sure why its called that cause it aint common) and leak test their apparatus once in a while we'd probably see a lot less of this.
Reply:Acetone isn't corrosive. If it were, the thousands of acetylene cylinders that are MANY decades old would be condemned instead of merely inspected. It doesn't eat brass either.Acetone is quite capable of damaging soft parts, and cheap diaphragms and seals in budget gear would be vulnerable.If anyone gets bored enough they can toss some diaphragms and seals of their brand of choice in a glass container and leave them for weeks, months, etc to test out if or how quickly they are vulnerable.
Reply:To all those who feel the need to rehash old posts. The date is displayed at the top left of everypost. Just saying'. And no don't lay your acetylene bottle on its side, period.Ranger 250 GXTSmith Gas Axe
Reply:Well I'll rehash this old post because you seem to have missed the lesson to be learnt from the explosion. It's not about whether you lay an acetylene bottle on it's side. It's about the danger of leaving an acetylene bottle in an enclosed space. Originally Posted by MrLeadManTo all those who feel the need to rehash old posts. The date is displayed at the top left of everypost. Just saying'. And no don't lay your acetylene bottle on its side, period.
Reply:Originally Posted by briselecWell I'll rehash this old post because you seem to have missed the lesson to be learnt from the explosion. It's not about whether you lay an acetylene bottle on it's side. It's about the danger of leaving an acetylene bottle in an enclosed space.
Reply:Originally Posted by denrepMinner - I don't see how the explosion would have been caused by storing an acetylene cylinder on its side. Is that what the email claimed?To me it seems more like there must have been a leak which filled the van with gas, which then was ignited. The cylinders in the picture don't look ruptured.Good Luck
Reply:Originally Posted by MrLeadManSo should everyone that works out of a box truck take their acetelyne tank out of the truck and leave it out in the wide open every night. As far as "enclosed space" what would you consider a shop building. Most I've worked in were pretty much "enclosed".
Reply:Looks like both cylinders are still in good shape so the cyl didn't rupture it must have just leaked and filled the van with gas...BobBob WrightSalem, Ohio Birthplace of the Silver & Deming Drillhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/southbend10k/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sawking/1999 Miller MM185 w/ Miller 185 Spoolmate spoolgun
Reply:One unmentioned source of leakage from acetylene tanks is the fusable plug(s).Usually found in the bottom of the tank, where they are easily forgotten, a leak would be hard to detect unless the concentration was high enough to be smelled. I once hooked up a new tank,and since I smell around the regulator connection after a new connection, I could faintly detect the acetylene smell.After retightening and checking everything else I found the fusable plug(in the cylinder top end on this one) leaking so I took the cyl back and it stayed outside overnight. At the plant where I worked I once responded to an outside cylinder fire where the cylinder burned itself out with flames from the bottom skirt.No cylinder rupture.A leak and flames from this area can exist a while before bein noticed. In an industrial setting for over 45 years I have been repeatedly impressed with the failures of the compressed gas suppliers to provide absolute control of leakage and connection condition on compressed gas cylinders.Check these damned things yourself. |
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发表于 2021-8-31 22:27:20