Thread: The Great LPG Swindle

by way of a lesson i've received in the comparative safety of vessels used to carry ordinary fuels vs lpg:
last monday morning a standard road tanker carrying petrol and diesel in an aluminium tank overturned near lorne on the great ocean road. it would appear the tank structure became compromised by the impact with the crash barrier and in the ensuing explosion and fire unfortunately the driver was killed. it took 45 of us nearly 3 hours to bring the fire under control and to limit the environmental damage.
although i cannot say this for certain i suspect the steel tank an equivalent lpg tanker uses would have remained intact. several years ago an almost indentical rollover occurred involving an admittedly smaller lpg truck and no leak occurred.
i enclose pictures taken on monday.(i'll give you a clue, i'm very tall)

Originally Posted by pomonastik

just an update for those who expressed an interest in following the developments in this case. nothing has been heard since this e-mail of 25/11.

i suspect that they are holding out in the hope i will go away. they have another think coming. my friend is meeting a government minister tomorrow and will be asking them to view this thread.

Well it only took 15 days for them to acknowledge the original request, you can't expect a full response in 10 days.

After all it has to sit in the waiting pile for at least 3 weeks before someone sends you a "the matter has been investigated and the results are with the minister" or something letter.

None of these bodies take any action on your first contact, you should expect to make at least two more contacts on the subject before they will take any interest in your issue.

Keep following it up and don't accept their first shrug off.

Good work so far!

Diana

Good to see your still pushing.

As for good LPG news, I paid 49.9c/L this morning

thanks for the support.
rangie is doing well, running up and down to the firetower each day. its almost a better car for the gas as when on the fast, loose climbing sections the slightly decreased power and lack of paranoia about the 'cost' of revs means i'm more inclined to hold it down a gear and keep the revs up. this translates into a better 'poise' and allows sharper engine braking should an oncoming vehicle appear.
i filled it up last night from about half full and got change out of a $20 note !

by way of a lesson i've received in the comparative safety of vessels used to carry ordinary fuels vs lpg:

Mate ,I used to live in Bangkok from 88-91. during my time there An LPG tanker overturned off a freeway exit ramp in peak hour.
The valving was torn off the LPG tank.
The gas spread for several hundred metres until it found a charcoal chicken seller .
63 people were killed and 90 injured, incinerated in their cars.
So with LPG the tank does not have to be ruptured , only the valving damaged as it is under pressure and heavier than air.
If you look at the UNEP site under "noteworthy transport disasters" 2 of the 7 listed are LPG related. None are petrol road tanker related.
Regards Philip A

i hear where you are coming from regarding b.l.e.v.e.'s with bulk lpg and i 'll readily acknowledge the dangers that occur when the particular circumstances required conspire to create a big, big bang but i reiterate that in the case of the rollover i was at the other night the valving would not have been exposed to the impact damage and the steel vessel would have in all probability remained intact.
both the hazmat codes for petrol and lpg have 'e' as the last letter and they both mean consider evacuation for up to 1km around.
i did say 'comparative safety' and neither situation is a safe place to be but equally properly applied techniques can minimize danger. the most damage done the other night outside of the tanker itself (and of course the poor bugga driving it) was caused by the single compartment of diesel !

Originally Posted by PhilipA

The valving was torn off the LPG tank.....

Thats why all our taxis are running on LPG and driven by Indians.
Reminds me of the Hindenburg exploding, hydrogen rises and lpg sinks.
Lets run our cars on hydrogen instead.

Anyway, pomonastik dont give up. Im feeling for you.

Originally Posted by PhilipA

Mate ,I used to live in Bangkok from 88-91. during my time there An LPG tanker overturned off a freeway exit ramp in peak hour.
The valving was torn off the LPG tank.
The gas spread for several hundred metres until it found a charcoal chicken seller .
63 people were killed and 90 injured, incinerated in their cars.
So with LPG the tank does not have to be ruptured , only the valving damaged as it is under pressure and heavier than air.
If you look at the UNEP site under "noteworthy transport disasters" 2 of the 7 listed are LPG related. None are petrol road tanker related.
Regards Philip A

I work in the LPG industry & can assure you that if the tanker in Bangkok was manufactured to Australian standards it would not have lost its valving- well it would have- but the Aus standard requires backup internal valving with excess flow valves fitted. So no gas would have been lost from the tank. PLUS Aus standards dictate a thicker barrel.
I might be showing my age but that standard was introduced in the late 70's after a sports car doing the "old ton" down Burwood road Hawthorn went under a LPG semi trailer pulling out of a servo in the early hours

Cheers
David