E-Cylinder explodes

[garfish]

I don't think I've seen this here. An investigation of an E-cylinder of oxy that exploded when someone was backing the valve out. Amazing power for a little bottle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lw_fhNAIQc

[monckywrench]

Never work on firearms without clearing them, and never work on cylinders unless they are empty and safe.

[Thomas Harris]

Where did the heat come from? I understand totally the tremendous pressure and what that could do, but seems like the whole room would have ignited if O2 was released inside it with any spark or ignition source. Looks like he reefed on the tank and fractured it causing it to fragment and explode. I don't have an O2/acetylene rig myself. Perhaps he put a huge bar or something on the adjustable? Do O2 valves have reverse threads? That would be an explanation of overtorquing the valve threads. Hate to see stuff like this, but it doesn't hurt to look at it and learn.

[Rocky D]

I had an O2 cylinder 200cf that had the valve break and fortunately it was restrained on that back of a 5 ton wrecker in the Army and all it did was scream and freeze up. I don't think medical oxy is any more of an oxidizer that the T cylinder I had. This is a good one for MythBusters.

[monckywrench]

Add the right circumstance and 02 + particles or ignitable material can result in fire or explosion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaBghGKAOBo

I use a medical adapter (to CGA 510) and make sure to use the right seals after seeing this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCyy9yJ0I4E

[Northweldor]

I had an O2 cylinder 200cf that had the valve break and fortunately it was restrained on that back of a 5 ton wrecker in the Army and all it did was scream and freeze up. I don't think medical oxy is any more of an oxidizer that the T cylinder I had. This is a good one for MythBusters.

Rocky:

Those billows of white smoke when a solid fuel rocket is launched ARE aluminum oxide particles, and I believe the 80 % nitrogen room atmosphere might also play a part. ( there was mainly surface combustion in the video). Maybe the chemists among us can explain how an exothermic reaction could have taken place!

[Discoman]

I had an O2 cylinder 200cf that had the valve break and fortunately it was restrained on that back of a 5 ton wrecker in the Army and all it did was scream and freeze up. I don't think medical oxy is any more of an oxidizer that the T cylinder I had. This is a good one for MythBusters.

hmmm... send it in for mythbusters would be interesting. and the video does have me wondering where all the heat MELTING the metal came from?

[monckywrench]

It is quite reasonable that some of the heat generated by the rapid oxidation (burning) melted adjacent metal.

The right conditions can ignite small particles, beginning much more damaging reactions.
,
I got to this section by searching "particle impact ignition", there is enough material to get the basic idea:

http://books.google.com/books?id=G86...nition&f=false

Particle impact ignition is no myth, even NASA tested for it since the consequences could be rather expensive.

[ptsideshow]

Did he use some penetrating oil, since the soot and smoke smudge appears to only be on the very neck ring, and the medical CGA valve body. It would make sense that the combined heat from using a cheater to get the valve out of the cylinder with the full pressure of the bottle, with the use of a penetrate oil could have caused the flash fire when the valve thread nipple snapped in the cylinder neck. With the failure of the aluminum cylinder being in the chain vise which could have nicked the cylinder and caused the failure. Which would make it two separate catastrophic failures in a exceedingly short time frame.

It is to bad that the results of the investigation, may take years and never be made public.

[Roger]

Link to Man from LOX safety film made for USN.
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums...m-Man-From-LOX

[Steve from Ohio]

I had an O2 cylinder 200cf that had the valve break and fortunately it was restrained on that back of a 5 ton wrecker in the Army and all it did was scream and freeze up. I don't think medical oxy is any more of an oxidizer that the T cylinder I had. This is a good one for MythBusters.

Mythbusters did one on a severed oxygen tank. They set up a guillotine to break off the valve of a 125 cft cylinder and when it went, it shot through a block wall that was about 10 feet away making a nice round hole. It stuck into the other block wall that was behind it.

I read a story a while back about an oxy tank that fell off a truck. It hit the ground severing the valve and that tank went a mile and a quarter from where it was. Luckily it did not hit anyone and landed in a field sticking half way into the ground. Those tanks pack a wallop and are like rockets when that pressure is released all at once.

[SidecarFlip]

I mentioned before that some of my buddies at US Steel in Ecorse would line up O2 bottles facing the Detroit River and knock off the valves during lunch break. They would almost make it across the river. Sort of like a torpedo...

Boys will be boys.

[Roger]

I mentioned before that some of my buddies at US Steel in Ecorse would line up O2 bottles facing the Detroit River and knock off the valves during lunch break. They would almost make it across the river. Sort of like a torpedo...

It becomes unguided torpedo or missile with no way to predict course. They could circle back and get you or someone else.

[Northweldor]

It becomes unguided torpedo or missile with no way to predict course. They could circle back and get you or someone else.

In fact, one did, at a welding shop I worked in, during apprenticeship. We were loading cylinders on to a flatbed to take to a cutting operation at the foundry, 2 blocks away. We couldn't find enough caps for some cylinders we were borrowing from a manifold system, so we (stupidly) put them on the truck unprotected, thinking this would be OK, since we intended to chain them down for the short trip.
While we were getting another cylinder, an unprotected cylinder rolled off the truck, the valve broke off, and it left air-borne through the cement block back wall of the shop (which was on the river-bank). According to a weldor, working behind the shop, as soon as it hit the water, it turned around and headed back, on the surface, luckily, since when it hit the bank, it traveled end-over-end through the air, before hitting the back wall of the shop again.
Didn't go through this time,since it hit horizontally, but still cracked the wall.
Needless to say that we were both looking for work on the following day!

[ElDiaOctavo]

In Port Huron, Michigan, a LWS employee removed a valve from "a settling tank" (that is how young girl rookie reporters spell acetylene) which resulted in a massive fire and countless explosions and the destruction of the building. I think the bottle was full but don't know for sure.

A friend of mine is that company's branch manager in my town. He told me numerous cylinders exploded with such force that they launched out of the building and landed in the St. Clair River 150 yards away. No kidding. The fire was so ferocious that firefighters were afraid to approach the facility for a couple hours.

The only person hurt was the employee and he's doing fine now. Truly amazing.

BTW, the company is a very good one. I have known that firm all my life - literally. They've been there for decades before I was even born...and it is a good company.