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Oxygen fires in aluminum alloy cylinders
Initially only steel cylinders were used for the storage and transportation of compressed oxygen. However, in early 1960s, aluminium alloy cylinders started to be used. Aluminium is known to be one of the most flammable metals in oxygen, and several oxygen fires were reported for equipment or components made of aluminium (e.g. regulators, pumps, equipment of air separation units, etc.). One of the most frequently asked questions in the oxygen compatibility world is whether aluminium is compatible with oxygen. The answer is yes for high pressure AA (aluminium alloy) cylinders, and this is proven by the fact that several million AA cylinders are safely used around the world every day. However, some accidents have occurred with AA cylinders in oxygen service. In this paper two main accident types are described and illustrated. The first accident occurred when devalving a cylinder which was under full pressure, resulting in a violent explosion and burning of a large part of the cylinder shoulder. The second accident occurred when a cylinder was dropped from a height of about 400 mm; again the cylinder exploded and again a large part of the cylinder shoulder burned. Tests were conducted in an attempt to understand the ignition mechanisms. In this paper the ignition mechanisms are explained. To avoid repetition of the accidents, the following recommendations can be made: Never devalve a cylinder without having systematically checked that it is empty. Adequate protection of the operator during cylinder devalving is recommended. These requirements have been introduced into the periodic inspection standards (ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and CEN (European Committee for Standardization)) and into the Industry Code of Practices.
Oxygen fires in aluminum alloy cylinders
Initially only steel cylinders were used for the storage and transportation of compressed oxygen. However, in early 1960s, aluminium alloy cylinders started to be used. Aluminium is known to be one of the most flammable metals in oxygen, and several oxygen fires were reported for equipment or components made of aluminium (e.g. regulators, pumps, equipment of air separation units, etc.). One of the most frequently asked questions in the oxygen compatibility world is whether aluminium is compatible with oxygen. The answer is yes for high pressure AA (aluminium alloy) cylinders, and this is proven by the fact that several million AA cylinders are safely used around the world every day. However, some accidents have occurred with AA cylinders in oxygen service. In this paper two main accident types are described and illustrated. The first accident occurred when devalving a cylinder which was under full pressure, resulting in a violent explosion and burning of a large part of the cylinder shoulder. The second accident occurred when a cylinder was dropped from a height of about 400 mm; again the cylinder exploded and again a large part of the cylinder shoulder burned. Tests were conducted in an attempt to understand the ignition mechanisms. In this paper the ignition mechanisms are explained. To avoid repetition of the accidents, the following recommendations can be made: Never devalve a cylinder without having systematically checked that it is empty. Adequate protection of the operator during cylinder devalving is recommended. These requirements have been introduced into the periodic inspection standards (ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and CEN (European Committee for Standardization)) and into the Industry Code of Practices.
Oxygen fires in aluminum alloy cylinders
Barthelemy, Herve (author)
2006
7 Seiten, 16 Bilder, 1 Quelle
Conference paper
English
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