Thread: Who says LPG cylinders explode??

Originally Posted by DeeJay

There is a report of a gas tank exploding in Marysville, yet to be confirmed. There are two BLEVE'S recorded in Australia, both were in Gas Depots, one in Qld, the later one in Botany around 1990- Boral depot.

There have been far more BLEVEs than the two owned by BORAL, its just that they were large storage facilities, and made the news.

BLEVEs in a bush fire situation are not uncommon, and will occur if the relief valve can't vent the gas fast enough coupled with a structural failure of the cylinder.

There was a bit of footage on the news from the Vic fires, that showed an explosion from a burning house - a 34kg? (100lb) cylinder would be my guess.

I think we have some photos at work of a car after an automotive cylinder exploded in the back, I'll see if I can dig them out today.


Martyn

Anyone remember the road tanker of lpg that went pop at a caravan park in Spain some years ago? Horrific loss of life.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Anyone remember the road tanker of lpg that went pop at a caravan park in Spain some years ago? Horrific loss of life.

Los Alfaques ?? (or some thing like that)

Edit
1978!! didn't think it was that far back.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Alfaques_Disaster


Martyn

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Anyone remember the road tanker of lpg that went pop at a caravan park in Spain some years ago? Horrific loss of life.

I can remember seeing the flash in the sky from the tanker that caught fire and exploded on the Hume Hwy near Kilmore about 20+ years ago, from about 100kms away!

The driver had stopped because something was alight, ran back up the road and stopped the traffic. Then KABOOM......... but no-one hurt.

I have the newspaper photo of the trailer tank somewhere. The steel cylinder was blown nearly flat with only the internal baffles sticking up.

cheers, DL

I was unfortunate enough to be one of the people to arrive on the scene of the Fatal LPG truck accident on the Bruce Highway in 2007. one of the scariest things i've witnessed.

quite a few cylinders exploded, lots more venting like a big can of hairspray and a lighter - a few were buried up to a metre into the median - on these the valve had failed/been broken away and the exiting flame fired them like rockets into the earth.

About 15 years back a gas falcon caught fire under the bonnet.
(run out of gas changed to petrol..perished fuel lines petrol
on hot exhaust )
Fire truck stopped 200m away as gas cyl exploded and
blew the roof into the tree above. the roof stayed in the tree for
a copple of weeks.
The cylinder is at the CFA training ground at Wangaratta.
all welds intact it tore the steel.

Have also seem the large tank of borals that went of in sydney
the end that ripped was about 6'' thick from memory.

Andrew.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Cairns goods yard, rail gas tanks 8-10 (?) years back

Yes, you got it, sorry to say it was before the NSW explosion, time gets away

Originally Posted by DeeJay

Yes, you got it, sorry to say it was before the NSW explosion, time gets away

The NSW one was 25th April 1991 (IIRC)

Pic of a 100lb LPG cylinder that went off in the 1994 fires at the NPWS depot in Royal NP others were found out on the road. Torn the steel not weld failure.




Martyn