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O2 CYLINDER EXPLOSION

O2 CYLINDER EXPLODES WHILE BEING REPAIRED (STILL PHOTOS)

Duration : 0:2:40


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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at 1:35 pm and is filed under oxygen cylinders. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

25 Responses to “O2 CYLINDER EXPLOSION”

  1. well, sometimes the …
    well, sometimes the explosion is purely caused by high pressure, the compressed gas energy of an 150 bar cylinder is equal to 700 grams of TNT, and this is only potential energy, by the way you don’t need termite or something to have an explosion, in pure oxygen atmosphere the steel will burn itself when ignited

  2. Still wondering …
    Still wondering what exploded from the oxygens help?

    Did the container rupture having amazing pressure, or did the oxygen help something else explode?

  3. The valve was …
    The valve was defective. He should have opened the burst disk nut slightly.

  4. Im scared :0
    Im scared :0

  5. jimmypoulincriket on February 18th, 2010 at 1:35 pm

    This what happen …
    This what happen when rust form inside a oxy bottle. it even worse when aluminum and iron are present together. Rust mix (oxidation) with pure oxygen need just a heat source to create a thermite reaction. If it happen under pressure pure oxygen, it gonna flash burn. Rust form inside from previous use of the bottle when left empty and ambient air get inside. That why they ask to NEVER let a bottle left with a open valve when empty.

  6. When he twisted the …
    When he twisted the valve the temp went above 37C causing the threads to melt. Al exposed to HP O2 has a combustion temp of only 37C. He should have vented via the burst disk rather than remove the valve.

  7. This wasn’t just a …
    This wasn’t just a release of the pressure stored in the cylinder when loosened, it was a true oxygen explosion, likely caused either by a spark or heat at the threads from the wrench, or from the release of gas at pressure. A tank that holds 2k psi of O2 isn’t going to burst just because that 2k is suddenly evacuated. The rest of your comment seems right on.

  8. Why cant one just …
    Why cant one just empty the gas first…

    I bet he used GREASE that’s a big no no.

    These cylinders can fly even a kilometer away if they are in a loose enviroment, and fly through concrete walls.

  9. release of high …
    release of high pressure causes temperature to drop but those photos had marks of high temperature

  10. I’m unsure about in …
    I’m unsure about in the US, but in Australia, there are release side valves for the purpose of bleeding gasses from the cylinder when this situation occurs. – The theory being that it is unlikely two valves will become inoperable simultaneously.

  11. I believe part of …
    I believe part of what you saying but would question it. The flow of high pressure gas through a small orifice would induce t a JT effect reducing the temperature of the gas not increasing. If you increase the pressure the the temperature will rise. You find this when you fill high pressure gas cylinders, the cylinders always rise in temperature as you fill them.

  12. It appears that the …
    It appears that the actual explosion was just a release of high pressure caused by when the valve was loosened . The root cause of this accident was an untrained person doing a job that he obviously did not know how to do, in a manner that was VERY, VERY unsafe. There are ways of discharging compressed gas cylinders safely with no hazzard to anyone.

  13. …and so then the …
    …and so then the movement of the oxygen past the threads and the top of the bottle simply eroded the material away. This is believable and consistent with the pictures.

  14. Yeah, after reading …
    Yeah, after reading this ten or twelve times, I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about here. I would like to know though, so that I can try this for myself.

  15. Should have done …
    Should have done the safe thing and shot it in an open field.
    Or called up the manufacturer. Either way he would have not lost a hand.

  16. Unscrew the safety. …
    Unscrew the safety. That’s the only safe option here.

  17. Hows this for a …
    Hows this for a theory
    Fresh aluminum when exposed to air or O2 almost instantly grows an oxide film. This is an oxidation reaction that produces heat.
    The bottle had about 3000 psi trying to push out the valve. Attempting to remove the valve with 3000 or so lbs friction force on the threads exposes fresh aluminum which will then go through an exothermic reaction with the pure oxygen. Reaction rate doubles with every 10 c increase in temp which may have caused thermal runaway .
    Just a theory.

  18. WHAT?
    WHAT?

  19. Most likely, the …
    Most likely, the friction of the oxygen on the metal caused it to heat up and oxidize. This is something I have tried with a bicycle pump and on push the air on a pillow or couch. The couch surface will heat up very quickly with a few pumps.

  20. I would like to …
    I would like to mentione some precautions here that never never open a ful cylinder valve.Always conform that cylinder is empty.

    Thanks

  21. santoviousdedrin on February 18th, 2010 at 1:35 pm

    O2 in the …
    O2 in the atmosphere is actually 21%.

  22. Thats 20.9% O2 in …
    Thats 20.9% O2 in the atmosphere…The guy is not dead, not blind, not deaf and had no burns.

  23. Of course it cools …
    Of course it cools down, but it’s also oxygen.

    Say that bottle of O2 was 1 cu ft at 2200 psi pressure. Normal ambient is 14.7 psi. So 2200/14.7 = 150 cubic foot of O2. Lot of O2 in a small space…

    You would have a cloud of oxygen gas at a low temperature but high concentration expanding outward in an overpressure wavefront. And high pressure can often compensate for low temperature. Now if an ignition source was present…well, even steel burns in a pure oxygen atmosphere.

  24. What you say is …
    What you say is true….however add the blow torch that was being used to loosen the valve from the cylinder…….?

  25. I call bullshit on …
    I call bullshit on what happened.
    when you allow a high pressure gas at room temp to escape from a sealed container it cools down rapidly to a very cold temp as the compressed gas expands and escapes. It does not heat up. simple refrigeration principle.

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