The power of acetylene

Keith Webb · #1 09-12-11, 21:05

A leaky valve on a tank of acetylene caused this...

Lynn Eades · #2 09-12-11, 21:29

I looked at all those pics, and he is one lucky boy, to have come through that. Amazing to me that it just exploded, but nothing seems burnt. The air accetylene mix must have been just right.
The steering wheel is all bent. I guess the blast pushed his body onto it.
We used to set off the odd acetylene bomb at the workshop in singapore.
We used small milk cartons Probably only 250 or 300ml, and they went with a good bang.
I remember hearing about a massive explosion in France years ago. It was set off, by a fireman turning OFF a light.

Phil Waterman · #3 09-12-11, 23:23

Good Cautionary Tale, and a very lucky boy, glad he live to tell the tale.

Pictures and stories like this are a object lesson for us all, you can tell people not make sparks when they smell gas but something like this is a far more memorable lesson.

Cheers Phil

chris vickery · #4 10-12-11, 01:56

Dumbass probably laid the acetylene bottle down.....a no-no by all accounts.
Acetylene is always supposed to be transported upright, otherwise it leaks out past the valve in liquid form, gasifies and, well... you know.

Bob Carriere · #5 10-12-11, 02:53

.... I got a full acete;yne bottle laying on its side in the back of the truck box..... box has covered top.......

Guess I will let Rob or Grant open up the tail gate tomorrow morning......

......hisssssssss

Bob

hrpearce · #6 10-12-11, 03:36

Although you should keep acetylene bottles upright usually no damage is done laying them down. The problem arises if you draw off acetylene while the cylinder is lying down or shortly after standing it upright. This causes the asetone to be drawn off with the gas making the remaining contents unstable.
So Bob stand your cylinder up and don't draw off any gas for a fiew hours to give the asetone time to resettle.

While we are talking safety never let any oxygen fittings become contaminated with oil, our teck teacher had a large poster in the welding room reading " oil + oxygen under pressure = BANG.

Barry Churcher · #7 10-12-11, 14:50

While transporting acetylene and oxygen between home and the garage I routinely lay the bottles on their sides. I do as hrpearce says and stand the acetylene up for a time before I use it. I also have a US Army welder trailer that has lying down storage for the bottles. I am more afraid of an oxygen bottle falling over and breaking off the valve. When I was an apprentice mechanic for a ready mix company an idiot truck driver kicked over a bottle and broke off the valve. The bottle went through a block wall and into the washroom where it stopped after smashing into a toilet. There were no drivers allowed in the shop after that.
Cheers,
Barry

Grant Bowker · #8 10-12-11, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barry Churcher

....... The bottle went through a block wall and into the washroom where it stopped after smashing into a toilet.......

Were you skulking in your "office", sitting on the throne at the time?

Barry Churcher · #9 11-12-11, 15:20

No Grant, I wasn't in "the office" at the time. Back then I was young and full of pee and vinegar, as we all were, and rarely venture there during work hours. Now I am just full of you know what according to my friends. I now live by the immortal words of Jack Nicholson in the movie The Bucket List. "Here's something to remember when you're older Thomas - never pass up a bathroom, never waste a hard-on, and never trust a fart. "
Barry

Tony Smith · #10 12-12-11, 01:22

Keith, you may have heard about this (literally!

):

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/austral...-van-explodes/

Keith Webb · #11 12-12-11, 06:30

Yes, looks nasty - a fatality. No word yet on what type the gas was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Smith

Keith, you may have heard about this (literally!

):

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/austral...-van-explodes/

Lynn Eades · #12 12-12-11, 10:13

I thought current use refrigerents were non flamable?

Keith Webb · #13 12-12-11, 10:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

I thought current use refrigerents were non flamable?

Here's a quote from the news update:

Phil Waterman · #14 12-12-11, 16:19

May be the remote door lock is a good safety device that way you can trigger the explosion from behind cover, but to really be sure you need to be sure there is a good spark.

After seeing this thread I sent it to couple guys in MV club who are ex-fire fighters and one explosive training officer. One of them sent back the following information:

"Lucky driver, but dumb. Acetylene is in an explosion category by itself- Group A. The explosive limits with air are roughly 2 percent to 95 percent, and it has the same specific gravity as air, so it distributes itself nicely. Gasoline by comparison is 3 to 8 percent mix with air, and is heavier than air. Acetylene by itself in any mixture is unstable, and can be set off by spark or shock easily. It can only be pressurized by putting it in solution with acetone in a cylinder. If the acetone leaks out because a cylinder was on its side and someone tried using the cylinder, you have a pressurized bomb."

All of this just goes to show that you need to respect flammable gasses.

Cheers Phil

Lynn Eades · #15 12-12-11, 18:49

I was forgeting the fridgy's tools ane equipment.

Alex Blair (RIP) · #16 12-12-11, 19:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Yes, looks nasty - a fatality. No word yet on what type the gas was.

Keith ..
have attained the exalted position of Journeyman refrigeration in December of 1967,I have no doubt that the explosion was caused by acetylene .
We carry.cylinders contained LPG, acetylene and refrigerants,nitrogen and oxygen and the acetylene would be the only one capable of an explosion like that..
Propane ,if it was present,which it could have been,also could make an explosion like that..
The problem with Acetylene and propane is that it is heavier than air and tends to "Pool"up in low spots..
That is why propane is much more dangerous than natural gas,which is lighter than air and tends to float off and dissipate ,unless contained in an airtight enclosure ,like the back of a van..
Propane pools up and hangs around waiting for a spark..
Either one is dangerous unless treated respectfully.
Natural gas is quite safe and if you see a natural gas flare stack ,look from the top of the flare stack to the bottom of the flame..there is no fire...The natural gas coming out of the stack is too rich to burn until it gets high enough and has enough air mixed with in it to support combustion..from 7%-14% gas-air ratio..
between these two points only supports combustion in natural gas..
so it is really quite safe..
When you smell natural gas you are actually smelling Mercaptan, an intense oderant added to the natural gas to identify it in the case of a leak..
If the mechanic had a n over filled propane cylinder in the van and it was extremely hot out the propane cylinder has an overpressure relief valve that starts to slowly release propane...that is also a possibility...
A broken acetylene hose or valve inside the van ..If the cylinder was not shut off after use.but the mechanic only used the valve on the torch to shut off the gas ..is also a possibility...but what ever the cause..I attribute it to mechanic error..
Cylinders don't leak by them selves..
48 years in the trade and still in one battered piece...