How a propane tank explodes. Causes of explosions of gas cylinders in a car and at home when stretching the ceiling

Nissan Murano 1st generation bitter experience of owning this monster Nowadays gas installations are considered very popular among car enthusiasts, and many are confident in the safety and relevance of such equipment, although both positive and negative aspects such an addition.

The biggest fear of any driver is the explosion of a cylinder. Mechanics claim that these fears are groundless, because LPG is much safer than a simple gasoline tank. Let’s try to figure out how true this statement is.

When does a cylinder become explosive?

In theory it's really no more dangerous than a tank of gasoline, but there are certain factors that can affect the properties gas system. Experts identify several reasons why a cylinder on a car can explode:

• Incorrectly selected installation, which ideally should correspond to the vehicle’s power, engine capacity and other indicators. If the installation is chosen incorrectly, this can be noticed by a significant loss of power, when the car simply “does not pull”, and rapid wear of parts;
• With low-quality equipment, which is often inferior in price modern installations and is therefore considered quite in demand. Modern gas equipment is distinguished by a multilayer tank structure and a safety valve, which, if filled incorrectly, releases excess gas until the pressure inside the cylinder is optimized. In addition, they are shock-resistant and are not afraid of temperature changes. At the same time, outdated handicraft options are made of plain metal, which is susceptible to corrosion, may have cracks and explode when heated, refilled, or impacted;

• When mixing fuel is irrelevant, when propane is combined with butane. Explosion hazard in this case is explained by different requirements for temperature conditions. In order to save money, propane is often mixed with cheap butane, but this gas can only be used in the warm season, since in cold weather such raw materials become inoperative. If in winter period If you mix these two types of fuel, then when heated, the container may burst and even explode;
• Excessive filling can also lead to an explosion, because the gas tank is provided for filling no more than 80%; when overfilling, the pressure in the cylinder increases greatly and an explosion occurs. For more modern polymer-composite options, excess fuel is not a problem, because such installations are equipped with a pressure relief valve, but even such devices can malfunction and open the valve untimely;
• If there are cracks in the fuel tank, an explosion can also occur, so to check the integrity of the cylinder, it is recommended to periodically go through the seams soap solution– this makes it possible to detect holes in a timely manner;
• Improper maintenance is often the cause of rupture; HBO requires timely cleaning of condensate, checking the patency of the tubes and performance; inspection must be carried out by specialists.

How to protect your car from explosion

So that your desire to save on fuel does not turn into a threat to life, first of all, the selection and installation of gas equipment should be trusted to professionals. At the same time, always request that you be provided with a service booklet for installation.

Monitor temperature changes and the quality of fuel raw materials and do not forget to monitor the condition of the gas fuel system, carry out inspections at the service center on time. If during operation you notice a decrease in vehicle performance or smell gas, immediately switch to classic look fuel and contact the service center.

And most importantly: be careful on the road, because emergency situations poses a risk of explosion to any fuel system.

Household gas has the same powerful destructive force as TNT! Using gas and neglecting safety measures, we expose our lives, the lives of loved ones and neighbors to mortal danger. How does a gas explosion occur? Take a closer look at the picture:

So why does gas explode? The main reason is improper storage and exploitation. Industrial defects account for a minimum of tragic cases, which, again, were provoked by operational violations.

For household gas to explode, it must mix with air. The most dangerous concentrations are 30 and 70 percent of gas. If you smell gas, something is wrong. In this case, the leak must be repaired immediately. At the same time, you should remember that you cannot use electricity (do not turn on or off the lights or other devices), you cannot use open fire, or smoke. At the same time, the room should be completely ventilated.

Typical situations in everyday life that lead to explosions:

• A boiling kettle/pan is stewed gas burner, but gas continues to flow intensively into the room. Accidental spark - explosion and fire.
• A cylinder that has been stored for a long time is brought out of the cold into a warm room or placed next to a heat source (the same gas stove). There is a sharp change in temperature, the cylinder bursts with internal pressure. A subsequent gas explosion is inevitable.
• A common misconception is that rupture of a pressure cylinder is possible only in the situation described earlier and only in winter. This is wrong. It is the large temperature difference that has an effect. If in summer you move the cylinder from a cool room to a hot kitchen, the effect will be the same.
• The rupture of the cylinder occurs due to microcracks that form over time. In the process of corrosion inside(!) the cylinder. If a steel cylinder is beautiful and new on the outside, this does not mean at all that it is in good condition inside. Shake the empty cylinder that contains no gas. Do you feel something rustling there? - this is condensation. It is this, like any moisture, that causes a gas cylinder to rust. Time passes and at one tragic moment the pressure will do its job (described above). This can happen even while filling a gas cylinder. Composite cylinders do not have this disadvantage - there is nothing there to rust.
• 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.

Many other cases can be written, but it's better to see once how this happens. The surveillance video is impressive. Safety requirements were invented for a reason.

Reading time: 3 minutes

It is unlikely that anyone will argue that HBO is beneficial. But how reliable is it? After all, many have heard, and some even saw with their own eyes the consequences of a fire in a car with gas equipment. Of course, the cause is not always HBO, but it still carries additional safety risks. Modern equipment provides certain guarantees, but is sometimes quite expensive, and if maintenance is carried out irregularly and not with the proper quality, then it is impossible to exclude the possibility of an explosion of a gas cylinder in the car. We will tell you how to protect yourself and your passengers.

Is HBO explosive?

A certain danger, of course, comes from the state of the LPG units and connections or a collision with another vehicle, although shut-off valves With safety valves able to minimize risk. There are possible options where the pressure in the cylinder is higher than normal or there is a leak - with all the obvious consequences.

Explosion of a gas cylinder in a car: Video

Main reasons for the explosion household gas cylinders are:

• Violation of norms and rules for refilling household cylinders
• Violation of rules for storage and operation of gas cylinders

According to standards gas cylinders must be refilled at specialized stations, where they are filled strictly by weight on special weighing units. This filling of cylinders is carried out to a maximum of 85% of their volume. 15% - buffer zone, intended for the transition of part of the liquid phase into the gaseous phase.

According to statistics, the main share of explosions occurs in the cold season due to a 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 violation of the rules for operating gas vessels working under pressure. Such as:

• lack of timely examination (once every 5 years),
• refueling at non-specialized points, where refueling is carried out from a conventional gas dispenser, and the degree of filling is controlled by pressure,
• refilling cylinders with expired service life (40 years),
• placement of gas containers during storage and operation in common areas.

If the cylinders are not filled at a specialized station, then they are filled to capacity. If such refueling is carried out in the summer, then the temperature of the refueled gas is almost equal to the ambient air temperature. In winter refilling propane cylinders requires special observance temperature conditions.

If a cylinder is filled to capacity in the cold and then brought into a warm room, the pressure in it increases sharply, because LPG is characterized by a high coefficient thermal expansion. If there is no buffer zone in a 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 houses.

Gas leak through the valve causes gas to gradually fill the room. This is precisely why store gas cylinders necessary outdoors, in cabinets specially designed for this purpose, with holes for ventilation. Such storage does not allow household cylinders overheat, and the presence of ventilation holes prevents the creation of an explosive concentration of propane-butane mixture even in the presence of gas leakage through the connecting fittings.

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 and explosions. Also, if there is a leak in the hoses or fittings, then the gas, being heavier than air, accumulates in places below floor level and an explosive mixture is formed in the room, which, when operating gas burners leads to unpleasant consequences, because the gas has the same destructive power as TNT.

As a result of the rupture of the flask with gas, in the presence of an open flame or an accidental spark, fires occur. Due to fires that occurred as a result of spontaneous depressurization of containers with liquefied hydrocarbon fuel, not only the perpetrators of the incident suffer, but also neighbors and passers-by.

When the gas in the cylinder runs out, condensate remains behind, which must be drained at special stations. Some people drain it themselves, which also leads to dangerous consequences.

Availability large number casualties and significant destruction in a gas explosion is explained by the fact that fires are characterized by the occurrence of a volumetric flash (explosion), during which overpressure leading to personal injury 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.

Take care of yourself and your loved ones.

The most dangerous damaging factor when using autonomous gas equipment is an explosion. Gas explosions, according to the reasons for their occurrence, can be divided into two types: fire and explosion after a gas leak due to poor quality gas supply from the source to the equipment or as a result of flame extinction, and explosion of the gas source itself, i.e. gas cylinder.

Gas leaks can be combated by installing a gas analyzer in the room, which will signal an alarm if the gas concentration in the room becomes explosive. With gas sources, i.e. Until recently, everything was more complicated with gas cylinders. Until a polymer gas cylinder appeared. Let's look in more detail at the advantages of polymer, or to be precise, polymer-composite gas cylinders, in comparison with metal ones.

A polymer gas cylinder, unlike a metal one, is not capable of causing an explosion itself. Everyone knows that if a fire breaks out in a room where a metal gas cylinder is stored, then you should “admire” the fire at a respectful distance until an explosion occurs. But if instead of a metal one there is a polymer gas cylinder in the room, you can put out the fire without fear of an explosion. Polymer gas cylinders http://safegas.com.ua/ru/ do not explode in ordinary household fires. An explosion of such a gas container is still possible, but in domestic fires it is so high temperatures doesn't happen. The fact is that under the influence of temperature and an increase in pressure inside the cylinder, its body becomes membrane-like and allows excess pressure to pass out. This gas burns in a fire, the entire cylinder is engulfed in flames, it is useless to extinguish it, but there is no explosion, and therefore there are no potential casualties or destruction.

The second factor, which can also lead to an explosion of a gas container, is the so-called “pumping” of the cylinder. When refilling a cylinder in winter, remember that gas of the same volume at different temperatures creates different pressures inside the gas cylinder. If you fill a gas tank at the summer level in winter, you will pump in an additional volume of gas, which in a warm room will begin to increase the pressure inside the tank. And this pressure can increase so much that the metal cylinder simply cannot withstand it. A polymer cylinder can withstand pressure three times greater than a metal one, which absolutely eliminates depressurization and explosion as a result of this reason.

The cost of a gas cylinder http://safegas.com.ua/ru/ballonyi/ of the polymer-composite type is not much more expensive than a conventional metal one, so purchasing such a gas container will not hit your pocket hard, but will significantly reduce the risks associated with the operation of autonomous gas equipment .