Causes and consequences of a gas cylinder explosion. Gas cylinders At what temperature does a propane cylinder explode?

Household propane is not only a source of light and heat, but is also a time bomb. Few people imagine that an ordinary propane cylinder can pose such a danger, but if you look at this picture, you will understand that you are exposed to danger every day by violating these rules:

Let's figure out why gas explodes? The main reason, as in all our troubles, is ourselves, namely improper storage and operation.

In order for propane to “detonate” it must mix with oxygen, so there should be no smell of propane in the room!

Now let’s look at some dangerous situations using examples:

The water boiled in the pan and accidentally extinguished the flame, but the gas continued to flow into the room, hence the explosion and fire.
You enter in warm room a cold cylinder leads to a sharp change in temperature, this in turn increases the internal pressure in the cylinder, hence the consequence of an explosion.
Another reason is microcracks inside the cylinder. Even if the cylinder is beautiful, there may be danger hidden inside! If you've ever shaken an empty bottle, you've probably felt a rustling sound; this is condensation, which leads to corrosion. Hence the consequence: explosion, fire. In this regard, they are absolutely safe! There's simply nothing there to rust.
The most common case is frayed hoses at the connection points or the use of a bad gasket on the gearbox. Gas will begin to fill the voids and any spark will lead to a fire!
Gas leaking from a crack in a worn out, frayed hose. Leakage from the connection between the hose and the cylinder or stove. Gas gradually fills the room, then again any spark ignites the accumulated propane. But in this case, only human responsibility will help!

Here are a minimum of reasons why household cylinders explode; almost all of them can be dealt with using a polymer cylinder, which is absolutely safe and with which you can be at peace for your loved ones!

Explosions of gas cylinders are an emergency, and when this happens with several containers of gas, the consequences increase many times over. An explosion of a gas cylinder causes fire and explosion of cylinders located nearby, which leads to casualties and great destruction. News of such incidents is increasingly appearing in the media.

Cause of gas cylinder explosion

The main reason is improper storage or operation. Gas leakage through the valve causes gas to gradually fill the room. Accidental spark, explosion, fire. Or a container of gas is brought indoors from outside, from the cold, and placed near a heat source. Due to a sharp change in temperature, the gas expands and the internal pressure ruptures the vessel. The rupture occurs due to corrosion and microcracks that form inside and are not noticeable from the outside. Condensation in a gas container, like any moisture, leads to rust, and at some point the pressure breaks out. European countries have long abandoned metal gas containers.

Causes of gas cylinder explosion at different times of the year

The origins of the incident, which occurred in winter, lie in non-compliance with the rules for handling gas containers. In one of the cities, such an accident resulted in no casualties by pure chance. Workers who came in from the cold to install suspended ceilings brought a gas cylinder with them and left it in the hallway. After some time there was a terrible explosion, windows and doors were broken. In a container with liquefied gas standing in the hallway, due to a temperature difference, the gas transitioned from a liquid to a gaseous state, the pressure increased sharply, which led to an explosion. After all, gas has the same destructive power as TNT.
As a result of the rupture of a gas flask in the presence of open fire or an accidental spark, fires occur. Because of fires that occurred as a result of spontaneous depressurization of containers with liquefied hydrocarbon fuels, not only the perpetrators of the incident suffer, but also neighbors and passers-by. It is impossible to visually control the gas level in metal containers; if they are filled incorrectly, “to capacity”, outside, in the cold, and brought into a warm room, then the gas has nowhere to expand, and it ruptures the container. An explosion can occur if the ratio of propane - butane gases in the vessel does not correspond to the time of year (at winter time- 9:1, in summer - 1:1). If in winter you use gas with a 1:1 ratio, then butane, which does not work in the cold, heats up in the room and bursts the vessel. When the gas runs out, condensate remains behind, which must be drained at special stations. Some people drain it themselves, which leads to dangerous consequences. The gas is heavier than air and in case of leaks (the valve is poorly closed or leaks) it accumulates in places below the floor level, which also leads to an explosion when sparking.

Gas cylinder explosion statistics

About 300 incidents involving gas tanks are recorded annually. According to statistics, most explosions occur in the cold season due to the large temperature difference between refueling and operation. However, the temperature difference itself cannot lead to an explosion, since these products have an operating temperature range from -40 to 50 degrees C, and the main reason is a violation of the rules for operating gas vessels operating under pressure. Such as:

lack of timely examination,
refueling at a gas station, where the degree of filling is assessed not by mass, but by pressure,
placement of gas containers during storage and operation in common areas.

A composite polymer vessel behaves very interestingly during a fire: with increasing temperature, the walls of the flask become gas-permeable, which allows gas to escape very slowly and such a vessel becomes like a luminous ball. The temperature of a normal fire is usually not enough to melt the fiberglass, and the valve neck is held in place by a steel flange pressurized from the inside. Therefore, these products do not increase accident statistics.

Consequences of a gas cylinder explosion

Availability large number casualties and significant destruction in such an explosion is explained by the fact that fires are characterized by the occurrence of a volumetric flash (explosion), during which excess pressure is formed, leading to injury to people and destruction building structures. The explosion causes the destruction of windows and the opening of doors, which contributes to the unhindered spread of the flame, and the flame front leads to the ignition of flammable objects, forming secondary fires.

Video of an explosion at a cylinder manufacturing plant:

We are often asked the question: “Why does a gas cylinder explode?” How to avoid it? We decided to take a closer look at the reasons for the explosion of gas cylinders.

The main reasons for the explosion of gas cylinders

violation of fueling rules
violation of storage rules
violation of transportation rules

Violation of the rules for refilling household cylinders

According to the standards, gas cylinders must be filled at specialized enterprises - gas filling stations (GNS), where they are filled strictly by weight on special weighing installations. This filling of cylinders is carried out to 80% of their volume. The remaining 20% is the so-called buffer zone, intended for the transition of part of the liquid phase into the gaseous phase when the ambient temperature rises. However, in Lately very many consumers liquefied gas They fill up their cylinders not at the gas pumping station, but at ordinary gas filling stations, where there are no devices for weighing cylinders, and refueling is carried out with regular gas. In this case, the cylinders are filled, as they say, to capacity. If such refueling is carried out in the summer, then the temperature of the gas being refueled is almost equal to the ambient air temperature and the pressure in the household cylinder does not change much. In winter, refilling propane cylinders requires special adherence to temperature conditions. Let's assume that a household cylinder is filled to capacity in the cold season and then brought into a heated room. The graph below shows how the pressure of the propane-butane mixture rises sharply when the temperature changes. Since LPG is characterized high coefficient thermal expansion and provided that there is no buffer zone in the gas cylinder, the excess pressure has nowhere to go and it begins to have a destructive effect on the walls of the cylinder and ultimately leads to explosions of gas cylinders in homes. Recently, very often such cases occur when installing suspended ceilings, when a filled cylinder from the street is brought into the house and used in the room where it is working. gas-burner at elevated temperatures.

Dependence of LPG vapor pressure on temperature

Violation of rules for storing household cylinders

Gas cylinders must be stored outdoors, in cabinets specially designed for this purpose, with holes for ventilation. Such storage does not allow household cylinders to overheat, and the presence ventilation holes prevents the creation of an explosive concentration of propane-butane mixture even in the presence of gas leakage through the connecting fittings. However, very often people, especially summer residents, neglect safety and store gas cylinders indoors, next to gas stoves. This leads to overheating of gas cylinders and, as a result, rupture of their walls, which is accompanied by explosions. Also, if there is a leak in the hoses or fittings, then over time an explosive mixture of propane and oxygen may form in the room, which again leads to explosions of gas cylinders when gas burners are running.

Violation of the rules for transporting household cylinders

Household gas cylinders are transported by special transport equipped special device for their transportation (in common parlance – “cage”). This method of transportation eliminates the possibility of impacts and damage to household gas cylinders, and also creates ventilation that prevents the temperature of the ambient air around them from rising. In the summer, you can often see a picture when, after refueling, people transport household cylinders in the trunks of their cars and leave them in closed cars in the sun. Such transportation and storage is fraught with their heating, an increase in internal pressure, which, as in the first two cases, leads to explosions of household gas cylinders. We have listed the main causes of explosions of household gas cylinders that occurred due to negligence or ignorance of the rules of storage, transportation and operation. Of course, there are other reasons: cylinders explode due to stupidity and accident, but these are isolated cases. Wondering whether it is possible to improve the situation in the area of using household gas cylinders and reduce the number of injuries and injuries as a result of their explosions, we have been looking for an answer for a long time, and this is what we found. The chief state fire inspector of Moscow, Sergei Anikeev, in an interview with Arguments and Facts, said that “no regulatory documents there is no supervision over gas equipment. There is no body that would be responsible for this.” And since there is no control, we believe that before using explosive equipment at home or in production, it is necessary to thoroughly study all aspects of its use. All in our hands.

Automotive gas cylinders

And in conclusion, I would like to touch upon the issue of explosions of automobile gas cylinders with a propane-butane mixture. There are two reasons for explosions:

External impact on the fuel system of a car, which occurs in emergency situations.
Faulty condition of the vehicle's fuel system.

So, take care of yourself on the roads and remember safety precautions! In the following articles we will return to the topic of automobile fuel systems on propane-butane mixture and, having considered the causes of emergency situations, we will prove that propane-butane in a car does not pose any danger when correct operation systems. A small selection of videos of explosions of gas cylinders that occurred due to careless handling, improper transportation and improper storage.

Hello, dear readers. Do you know why propane gas tanks explode? Such products are not particularly safe, although modern composite models are increasingly being introduced into use, this issue still remains relevant.

This article discusses the causes of explosions of gas cylinders containing propane. Situations in the apartment and in the house are affected. The material also concerns explosions of car cylinders.

Key reasons

Why do propane gas tanks explode at home? In this situation, the most common reason is associated with improper, unsafe maintenance and use of such containers.

When the valve is not closed tightly, fuel comes out and fills the room. And any manifestation of flame, even a modest spark, can cause a serious explosion or fire.

Air is lighter than gas. And when the fuel leaves the cylinder, it concentrates near the floor. Therefore a person is not always fixed annuity interest rate can smell a leak. And due to a small spark or static electricity, the gas can ignite.

The second most popular reason is that the cylinder was left in the cold for a long time and was brought indoors. With a sharp temperature jump, the gas expands and the risk of leakage increases significantly.

When the container was in the cold, the fuel in it remained in liquefied conditions. When the container is placed in heat, the gas rapidly transforms into a gas-like state and seriously expands.

Due to the powerful pressure, the tank bursts. The gas in it ignites even without contact with a fire source.

Therefore, it is prohibited to place such a container near a heat source. Pressure builds up inside it. This is a consequence of the expansion of the fuel. And the balloon can explode at any moment.

Bring such a vessel from the cold directly into the room where online loans instant approval bad credit high positive temperature reigns, it is impossible due to condensation. At this moment it forms on the balloon. There is a high risk of corrosion and accidents. BUT if the container is not metal, there is no such threat.

In general, temperature metamorphoses do not pose any particular danger. The containers can cope with a wide temperature range: from -40 to +50 C. This metamorphosis is only trigger cash advance businesses to an accident.

The third reason is related to corrosion and microscopic cracks in the container. They may appear gradually and not be visually noticeable. But they pose a significant internal threat.

In general, it is very difficult to monitor the gas level in metal vessels. And an explosion can also occur due to an abnormal ratio of fuel in the cylinder.

Often the cylinder is filled incorrectly. And when it ends up in a warm room, it explodes due to gas expansion.

List of other popular reasons:

Gas tanks were not subjected to the necessary tests - re-examination.
When filling the cylinder, the fuel level in it was analyzed not by pressure, but by the mass of the vessel.
The cylinder was placed in general premises.

Stretch ceiling and explosion

It's no secret that pmi 2013 gas cylinders are used in installation work With suspended ceiling. In this regard, the question arises: why do gas cylinders with propane explode when the ceiling is stretched?

The main reasons for this are:

Hot air flow entering the cylinder. An explosion is possible at any moment.
Artificial fixation of the fuel start button. So, if it overheats, it will not turn off automatically. This is a serious violation of safety rules and a great threat to life.
The cylinder is located closer to the heat gun than 1.5 m.
The hose is connected to the cylinder not tightly or tightly.
Incorrect condensate drainage. This should only be done at special stations. Doing this at home poses a risk of explosion.
Use of expired cylinders

Cylinders in cars

Why do propane gas tanks in cars explode? Today this is also a fairly pressing question.

The most popular reasons for this are:

Poor quality of system units.
Incorrect hardware setup.
Leakage due to subtle cracks and rust.
Lost seal due to constant impact.
Constant overheating of the gas tank.
Excessive filling of the cylinder, not according to the norm.

P.1 deserves special attention. It is very important to purchase HBO High Quality and maintain it properly. Also, drivers often do not observe the simplest safety measures when refueling and operating the tank.

Of course, you cannot neglect basic precautions when refueling and using.

Conclusion

– this is a threat to life and enormous damage. Follow the rules for handling it. You can also purchase modern, safer composite polymer models. They are not afraid of corrosion. And during a thermal shock, their walls become gas-tight.