Uncontrolled and Controlled Destruction of Acetylene Pressure Cylinders

Abstract

The risk of physical destruction of a pressure cylinder increases with increasing temperature load. Acetylene is a significant hazardous gas in cylinders. If the destruction pressure is reached, the cylinder is torn into two or more pieces, followed by the gas release to the environment. The presence of ignition sources could lead to the formation of the fireball phenomenon. This phenomenon generally reaches approximately ten meters in diameter and can be accompanied by a blast wave and a spread of the cylinder’s fragments or surrounding objects. The consequences of this type of fire could be fatal. Shooting through the cylinder shell may lead to the mitigation, if not elimination, of the effects of the uncontrolled destruction mentioned above. As a result of the review of relevant publications, several states commonly use this method as a standard procedure. Internal gas is released through the resulting hole, the pressure drops down and the gas creates a fire jet or disperses to surroundings. This study is based on a large-scale experiment where acetylene cylinders were placed inside a prepared woodpile and exposed to fire. In the fire condition, the cylinders exploded and created fireballs, or were penetrated via shooting and created fire jets. The results from these tests were compared, focusing on the shooting procedure, then analyzed and discussed.