Three killed in 'oxygen tank' blast: Thai police

[fakename]

So people just pull into a station and fill up their "oxygen tank" ? As I said, someone has their gasses mixed up.

If you dont know why oxygen is dangerous, just go to someones bed side, that is on oxygen, and light your ciggy.

[Farma]

fakename, it's not the best written article. My take from one of the stories down the front page is they had a O2 cylinder in the back of the pickup. The cylinder was getting filled with O2 and not the pick up truck.

[XINLOI]

Conversation between customer and shop owner:

"I think there is a slight leak in this oxygen tank"

"I'll get to it after I smoke a cigarette"

"<deleted>!!!..."

Explain why smoking near an oxygen source is danderous ?

Oxygen that comes in these bottles is pure oxygen. It is an oxidizer and will self ignite under the right conditions and will help other gasses and materials ignite easier than normal. Smoking a cigarette around a leaking cylinder is like playing with rocket fuel. The same occurs with hydrogen peroxide (pure).

[spirit47]

That explosion is more than just a ruptured pressure canister. My guess is that they were filling a gas/acetylene tank with oxygen. Just a small amount of residue gas when mixed with pure oxygen, will produce a powerful explosion.

If a backfire comes to a acetylene tank it can react by itself. In Germany must have a backfire protection for both, oxygene and acetylene, and the acetylene bottle have a sponge from stone inside. If it happen, they will come black smoke, and the bottle going hot, until it explode. I hear about a bottle going through a 30cm concrete wall and fly another 50m before it stops.

I think he have a backfire and bring the bottle back for complainment, normal they only change the bottles in these shops.

R.I.P.

[Chanticlear]

Safety 3rd! Is this a surprise to anyone? In a country where safety has little to no value and where there are no liability laws? I see guys riding around on motorbikes with compressed gasses all the time. All it takes is a small accident and those tanks will turn into missiles that will go through a car. Is there anyone inspecting tanks for safety checks in Thailand? Would such a person take a bribe? The only thing I can think of that would cause a tank like this to explode is failure of the tank. Which is why they have to be pressured checked and certified on a regular basis. Certainly, "Shaking the tank" would not do it.

[HerbalEd]

You don't use Oxygen tanks for balloons ... Compressed air or is it Helium for the floaters .... RIP

Helium is expensive possibly hydrogen.

Whatever 'you do not use oxygen' to inflate balloons' "balloons buffoons" at least there are now 3 less than before...

Are you actually so cold hearted that you laugh at the death of three people.

[stiggy]

Oxygen, fuel source and heat are the 3 components in equal measure necessary to make fire.If any part is in abundance ( in this case pressurised gas oxygen),then you need very little of the other two.

If any oil or other hydrocarbons are on hands (fuel) then just opening a valve fast can cause adiabatic combustion (heat)and boom.

I worked as a oxygen technician for years in hyperbarics, the fact these events don't happen more often in Asia surprises me.

Oxygen the princess of gases, treat her kindly and she can give you life, treat her badly and she will take your head off.

What a terrible incident.

Edited November 14, 2013 by stiggy

[harrry]

Original thread does not make much sense. Compressed gas cylinders are color coded to avoid erroneous filling and it is highly unlikely that anyone would fill an acetylene tank with oxygen or vise versa. A mixture of these gasses would most certainly lead to a violent explosive detonation with the occurrence of a fire ball which was not mentioned. This type of explosive damage was not caused by a valve neck failure as it would have turned a charged cylinder into a missile. It is more likely that it was caused by metal fatigue and or corrosion of a cylinder which had not undergone the routine inspections. Standard safety regulation dictate that pressurized cylinders should have routine inspections on a 2 to 4 yer basis depending on the cylinder manufacture and condition. Such inspection certifications are date stamped on the cylinder neck and no cylinder out of certification should ever be filled with pressurized gas. Furthermore all pressurized industrial gas cylinders should be fitted with a safety cap especially during transportation. Whatever happened her was in all probability a significant violation of safety protocols and legal requirements however in Thailand such conditions are common place.

They are colour coded in other countries but in thailand the same cylinders are used for various gasses regardless of colour coding.

[stiggy]

Original thread does not make much sense. Compressed gas cylinders are color coded to avoid erroneous filling and it is highly unlikely that anyone would fill an acetylene tank with oxygen or vise versa. A mixture of these gasses would most certainly lead to a violent explosive detonation with the occurrence of a fire ball which was not mentioned. This type of explosive damage was not caused by a valve neck failure as it would have turned a charged cylinder into a missile. It is more likely that it was caused by metal fatigue and or corrosion of a cylinder which had not undergone the routine inspections. Standard safety regulation dictate that pressurized cylinders should have routine inspections on a 2 to 4 yer basis depending on the cylinder manufacture and condition. Such inspection certifications are date stamped on the cylinder neck and no cylinder out of certification should ever be filled with pressurized gas. Furthermore all pressurized industrial gas cylinders should be fitted with a safety cap especially during transportation. Whatever happened her was in all probability a significant violation of safety protocols and legal requirements however in Thailand such conditions are common place.

They are colour coded in other countries but in thailand the same cylinders are used for various gasses regardless of colour coding.

Nope Oxygen is green in Thailand, medical grade has a white top to it.Helium is Brown. Nitrous oxide blue. However there is no real check on condition of bottles at some places, We condemned loads, drained them out stripped valves.

[harrry]

Original thread does not make much sense. Compressed gas cylinders are color coded to avoid erroneous filling and it is highly unlikely that anyone would fill an acetylene tank with oxygen or vise versa. A mixture of these gasses would most certainly lead to a violent explosive detonation with the occurrence of a fire ball which was not mentioned. This type of explosive damage was not caused by a valve neck failure as it would have turned a charged cylinder into a missile. It is more likely that it was caused by metal fatigue and or corrosion of a cylinder which had not undergone the routine inspections. Standard safety regulation dictate that pressurized cylinders should have routine inspections on a 2 to 4 yer basis depending on the cylinder manufacture and condition. Such inspection certifications are date stamped on the cylinder neck and no cylinder out of certification should ever be filled with pressurized gas. Furthermore all pressurized industrial gas cylinders should be fitted with a safety cap especially during transportation. Whatever happened her was in all probability a significant violation of safety protocols and legal requirements however in Thailand such conditions are common place.

They are colour coded in other countries but in thailand the same cylinders are used for various gasses regardless of colour coding.

Nope Oxygen is green in Thailand, medical grade has a white top to it.Helium is Brown. Nitrous oxide blue. However there is no real check on condition of bottles at some places, We condemned loads, drained them out stripped valves.

Oxgen should be green in thailand but if you go to any big liquid oxygen filler you will find that may are also black. Next to my bed I have a tank which is green with a white top and contains oxygen but has stamped on it N20. All the O2 bottles at a private hospital I regularly attend are black.

Edited November 15, 2013 by harrry

[h90]

Conversation between customer and shop owner:

"I think there is a slight leak in this oxygen tank"

"I'll get to it after I smoke a cigarette"

"<deleted>!!!..."

Explain why smoking near an oxygen source is danderous ?

Oxygen that comes in these bottles is pure oxygen. It is an oxidizer and will self ignite under the right conditions and will help other gasses and materials ignite easier than normal. Smoking a cigarette around a leaking cylinder is like playing with rocket fuel. The same occurs with hydrogen peroxide (pure).

It will ignite things, smoking a ciggi, might result in a flash when it burns at 20 time the normal speed.

But 02 does not self ignite...it oxidize other things, even metals but alone without partner it is harmless.

[Loles]

I forgot to tell something. In my country there also many many very smart worker like here. 2 guys were tired to carry always the oxygen tank for welding. One of them probably told:

- He Buddy, we have to weld two handles to the tank's sides than we can move it very easy.

- Ye my Bro, this is an excellent idea! Drink my beer first, than just do it!

TTTTTTRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

And in their funeral the coffins were pretty empties.

[h90]

I forgot to tell something. In my country there also many many very smart worker like here. 2 guys were tired to carry always the oxygen tank for welding. One of them probably told:

- He Buddy, we have to weld two handles to the tank's sides than we can move it very easy.

- Ye my Bro, this is an excellent idea! Drink my beer first, than just do it!

TTTTTTRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

And in their funeral the coffins were pretty empties.

Well in my country they are also smart but try the lite version first. Every 2 years you read about a farmer who welded something on the wheel of his tractor.

And as it is difficult to remove these big tires you just keep them on it when welding.

Result varies from: they guy is naked and deaf to it even blows the meat from the bones.

And that is the lite version...a full O2 tank (what do the fill 200-300 bar) is the hardcore version.

[indyuk]

You don't use Oxygen tanks for balloons ... Compressed air or is it Helium for the floaters .... RIP

Helium is expensive possibly hydrogen.

Yes my vote on seeing the photo of the damage is the same i.e. Hydrogen! Though not suitable for balloons be they commercial or private.

By the way: Pressurised tanks of volatile gases do not become unstable when vibrated.

[otherstuff1957]

While I was reading this thread I overheard my wife discussing a Hydrogen tank explosion with while on the phone with a friend. Apparently Thai news sources are reporting this as a Hydrogen tank explosion, not an Oxygen tank explosion!

I have frequently noticed that many reporters in Thailand have little or no knowledge of science, mathematics or geography, so their articles concerning such matters are usually riddled with errors.