Exploding gas bottles

Submitted: Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 13:25
ThreadID: 106839 Views:3157 Replies:11 FollowUps:7
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Here's what can happen with gas bottles in a crash. I'm hoping transportation regulations are stricter here.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=612127462174006

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Reply By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 20:55

Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 20:55
Facebook!!!!!
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 21:02

Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 21:02
Seems odd to place a link only accessible to some!

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Follow Up By: SDG - Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 21:11

Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 21:11
Sorry. Could not find a link for where else. Not of the whole content anyway. I did look.
As much as I don't like the place myself, a lot of places keep sending me there.
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Reply By: Member - Scott M (NSW) - Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 21:52

Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 21:52
Here you go on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5sXki8of9I
AnswerID: 528901

Reply By: Rangiephil - Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 22:06

Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 22:06
I think the description is very wrong.
That was a truck carrying dozens of gas cylinders, and I can tell you if it were the equivalent petrol then the damage would have been much worse as it would have run down the gutters.
You can see the hot bottles venting before they explode one by one.
Imagine 20% more energy released all at once , and that would have been the case with petrol.
Interesting video but I hope the poster wasn't implying that it was an LPG powered car. I have seen a fuel depot go up and it ain't pretty, but the firies cooled the LPG tank which was about 10000 litres and it didn't blow, but it sure had blistered paint so IMHO LPG is much safer.

BTW, I don't see how if an LPG truck caught fire in Australia how the outcome would be any different.
Regards Philip A

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Follow Up By: SDG - Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 22:56

Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 22:56
Nothing about lpg cars. Was in relation to people with gas bottles, and previous discussions on storing them inside cars.
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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 06:30

Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 06:30
I think the driver was going camping for 347 years. You need quite a few gas bottles for that amount to time.

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Follow Up By: Rangiephil - Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 09:56

Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 09:56
You are talikng 2 very differnet scenarios here.
If a gas bottle leaks or vents in a car , the gas will pool and find a spark. If the leak is not large then even if the free gas ignites, the cylinder will not explode, only flare on the outside where the leak is or from the relief valve until the surrounding fire gets the cylinder so hot that the vessel cannot take the pressure.
This could be say 10 minutes or never. When you see a car with windows blown out etc this is really not a violent explosion as such but quick combustion. I guess the difference is that I have seen reports of drivers surviving with burns from these incidents.

The truck incident shown shows what happes when a external fire , say from spilt truck fuel gets gas bottles so hot over a long period of time that they explode. You could see cylinders venting minutes into the video.
The cylinders are in open air , or they could have been in a van I suppose, who could tell? But they exploded because of external heat heating the cylinders maybe from adjacent cylinders venting onto them.
This just does not happen with one cylinder in a car, or if it does it is so far along the chain of destruction that it is really irrelevant.
I recall seeing a photo of a Toyota landcruiser at AFAIR Uluru , that had a fridge left on gas in it and had burned to the ground but it didn't explode.
Regards Philip A
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Follow Up By: Rangiephil - Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 10:00

Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 10:00
BTW the regs in Australia would not stop such an accident.

My local gas supplier brings 45Kg cylinders to my house on about an 8 tonne truck fully loaded with say 50 ( or more?) x 45Kg cylinders.

If that caught fire from an accident there would be bigger bangs than in the Russian ones, unless the firies got there in time to hose down the cylinders.
Regards Philip A

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Reply By: SDG - Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 22:53

Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 22:53
I only put this up as in the past there has been discussion on bottles exploding inside vehicles. Sure there are more than one would normally carry, and bigger, but one can see individual explosions which can give an idea of the force behind them.

In Australia, are transport companies allowed to carry that amount of full bottles? I have only ever seen two or three full bottles transported at a time.
AnswerID: 528905

Follow Up By: Lyn W3 - Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 19:27

Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 19:27
How do you think they service all the exchange places................with a truck load of full gas bottles. they certainly don't do it two or three at a time.
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Reply By: Lyn W3 - Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 22:57

Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 22:57
SDG, Perhaps the authorities could do something about petrol being carried in cars also, perhaps you would like the size of petrol tanks reduced to a litre. I wonder how many petrol tanks explode in crashes compared to gas canisters.
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Reply By: Allan B (Member, SunCoast) - Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 23:35

Saturday, Mar 22, 2014 at 23:35
So maybe this is a better LPG transport? Photographed in Lombok.
At least he is wearing a safety hat....... albeit backwards.

Cheers
Allan

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Reply By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 00:48

Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 00:48
The trick is not get the bottles that hot! Michael
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Reply By: Member - Andrew L (QLD) - Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 10:25

Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 10:25
Cause or consequence.

CAUSE - The was all a result of a road traffic crash. Similar cylinder reactions could have occurred at a factory fire etc.

CONSEQUENCE - The cylinders that exploded are a consequence of a road traffic crash and ignition of the vehicle occurred either electrically or displaced vehicle fuel finding an ignition source.

Some of the freighted gas cylinders with flammable contents may have heated quicker than the expanding contents could vent, some were heat impinged externally causing a BLEVE. (boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion)
AnswerID: 528921

Reply By: Bludge - Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 10:39

Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 10:39
The video shows the gas bottles have split over the road during the accident, possible fracturing a cylinder which has ignited. other heated cylinder have vented and ignited the pressure of the venting has these cylinders spinning across the road.
This has compounded the scene. An undamaged gas cylinder is extremely safe under pressure and heat.



As stated above a similar petrol spill tend to result in worse scenarios due to the liquid spread.

An in care LPG installation is extremely safe provided the installation is completed by a trained/skilled installer.

Video shows tank venting but not exploding


AnswerID: 528925

Reply By: The Bantam - Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 11:11

Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 11:11
Yeh..its all very spactacular...but not all that relivent to carrying a couple of gass bottles for cooking.

Just for giggles.....here is another view of the same accident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI00qYt_GGI

This one however is closer to the money.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSeifottg_Y

There are fairly frequent occasions where there have been gas explosions and fires assocaited with vehicles in this country.

Not that long ago there where two incidents where plumbers vans blew up.....one of them the apprectice was very lucky he punched the central locking some distance away from the truck...it more or less leveld the van to the chasis.

YES that was acetelene that has more bang for your buck that LPG.

Not too long ago there was a family car burned and blew up in the main street of ipswich......Mr average just had a couple of smallish LPG cylinders in the car

We do have regulations on how and how much dangerous goods can be carried.
ANd pretty cleer regulations and guidelines about how that should be carried.

Oh and check out what you have to do to hold a dangerous goods transport licence these days...In thaught about getting one a while ago...but unless you have annongong need it is just to arduous and expensive to obtain and continue to hold one.

But people still don't want to hear that how they are carrying petrol and gass are not clever.

We see jerries and gass bottles mounted on the outsides of cars and trailers where there is a clear impact risk.
We even see gas botles and petrol containing generators housed in sealed compartments in manufacturerd caravans & campers.

Of and don't forget about those batteries..no one whats to her the truth there either.

These things can all explode & or burn and the matter needs to be taken serioulsy.


Cheers
AnswerID: 528927

Reply By: Bazooka - Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 13:08

Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 at 13:08
Yep, don't leave home, it's a VERY dangerous world out there. Heck, don't stay at home either because we all know just how dangerous that can be.
AnswerID: 528931

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