Gas cylinder rupture. Gas explosion in a residential building: causes of explosions, cases. Violation of the rules for refilling household cylinders

We are often asked the question: “Why does a gas cylinder explode?” How to avoid it? We decided to take a closer look at the reasons for the explosion of gas cylinders.

The main reasons for the explosion of gas cylinders

• violation of refueling rules
• violation of storage rules
• violation of transportation rules

Violation of the rules for refilling household cylinders

According to the standards, gas cylinders must be filled at specialized enterprises - gas filling stations (GNS), where they are filled strictly by weight on special weighing installations. This filling of cylinders is carried out to 80% of their volume. The remaining 20% ​​is the so-called buffer zone, intended for the transition of part of the liquid phase into the gaseous phase when the ambient temperature rises. However, recently many consumers liquefied gas They fill up their cylinders not at the gas pumping station, but at ordinary gas filling stations, where there are no devices for weighing cylinders, and refueling is carried out with regular gas. In this case, the cylinders are filled, as they say, to capacity. If such refueling is carried out in the summer, then the temperature of the gas being refueled is almost equal to the ambient air temperature and the pressure in the household cylinder does not change much. In winter, refilling propane cylinders requires special adherence to temperature conditions. Let's assume that a household cylinder is filled to capacity in the cold season and then brought into a heated room. The graph below shows how the pressure of the propane-butane mixture rises sharply when the temperature changes. Since LPG is characterized by a high coefficient of thermal expansion and provided that there is no buffer zone in the 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 homes. Recently, very often such cases occur during installation suspended ceilings, when a filled cylinder is brought into the house from the street and used in a room where a gas burner operates at an elevated temperature.

Dependence of LPG vapor pressure on temperature

Violation of rules for storing household cylinders

Gas cylinders must be stored outdoors, in cabinets specially designed for this purpose, with holes for ventilation. Such storage does not allow household cylinders to overheat, and the presence ventilation holes prevents the creation of an explosive concentration of propane-butane mixture even in the presence of gas leakage through the connecting fittings. However, 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, which is accompanied by explosions. Also, if there is a leak in the hoses or fittings, then over time an explosive mixture of propane and oxygen may form in the room, which again leads to explosions of gas cylinders when gas burners are running.

Violation of the rules for transporting household cylinders

Household gas cylinders are transported by special transport equipped special device for their transportation (in common parlance – “cage”). This method of transportation eliminates the possibility of impacts and damage to household gas cylinders, and also creates ventilation that prevents the temperature of the ambient air around them from rising. In the summer, you can often see a picture when, after refueling, people transport household cylinders in the trunks of their cars and leave them in closed cars in the sun. Such transportation and storage is fraught with their heating, an increase in internal pressure, which, as in the first two cases, leads to explosions of household gas cylinders. We have listed the main causes of explosions of household gas cylinders that occurred due to negligence or ignorance of the rules of storage, transportation and operation. Of course, there are other reasons: cylinders explode due to stupidity and accident, but these are isolated cases. Wondering whether it is possible to improve the situation in the use of household gas cylinders and reduce the number of injuries and injuries as a result of their explosions, we have been looking for an answer for a long time, and this is what we found. The chief state fire inspector of Moscow, Sergei Anikeev, in an interview with Arguments and Facts, said that “no regulatory documents there is no supervision over gas equipment. There is no body that would be responsible for this.” And since there is no control, we believe that before using explosive equipment at home or in production, it is necessary to thoroughly study all aspects of its use. All in our hands.

Automotive gas cylinders

And in conclusion, I would like to touch upon the issue of explosions of automobile gas cylinders with a propane-butane mixture. There are two reasons for explosions:

• External impact on the fuel system of a car, which occurs in emergency situations.
• Faulty condition of the vehicle's fuel system.

So, take care of yourself on the roads and remember safety precautions! In the following articles we will return to the topic of automobile fuel systems using propane - butane mixture and, having considered the reasons emergency situations, we will prove that propane - butane on a car does not pose any danger when correct operation systems. A small selection of videos of explosions of gas cylinders that occurred due to careless handling, improper transportation and improper storage.

Household propane is not only a source of light and heat, but is also a time bomb. Few people imagine that ordinary propane tank may pose such a danger, but if you look at this picture, you will understand that you are exposed to danger every day by violating these rules:

Let's figure out why gas explodes? The main reason, as in all our troubles, is ourselves, namely improper storage and operation.

In order for propane to “detonate” it must mix with oxygen, so there should be no smell of propane in the room!

Now let’s look at some dangerous situations using examples:

• The water boiled in the pan and accidentally extinguished the flame, but the gas continued to flow into the room, hence the explosion and fire.
• You enter in warm room a cold cylinder leads to a sharp change in temperature, this in turn increases the internal pressure in the cylinder, hence the consequence of an explosion.
• Another reason is microcracks inside the cylinder. Even if the cylinder is beautiful, there may be danger hidden inside! If you have ever shaken empty cylinder, then you probably felt a rustling sound, this is condensation that leads to corrosion. Hence the consequence: explosion, fire. In this regard, they are absolutely safe! There's simply nothing there to rust.
• The most common case is frayed hoses at the connection points or the use of a bad gasket on the gearbox. Gas will begin to fill the voids and any spark will lead to a fire!
• 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. But in this case, only human responsibility will help!

Here are a minimum of reasons why household cylinders explode; almost all of them can be dealt with using a polymer cylinder, which is absolutely safe and with which you can be at peace for your loved ones!

The most dangerous damaging factor when using standalone 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 polymer appeared gas cylinder. 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 can not be. The fact is that under the influence of temperature and increasing pressure inside the cylinder, its body becomes membrane-like and allows passage overpressure 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 filling the cylinder in winter period It should be remembered that gas of the same volume at different temperatures creates different pressure inside a 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 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 .

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

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

To domestic gas exploded, it should mix with the 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 the gas continues to flow intensively into the room. Accidental spark - explosion and fire.
• Stored for a long time the cylinder is brought from the cold into a warm room or placed next to a heat source (the same gas stove). There is a sudden change in temperature, the balloon bursts 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. The specified disadvantage Composite cylinders are deprived - 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 does this happen. The surveillance video is impressive. Safety requirements were invented for a reason.