[TheForge] propane cylinder and tank safety ( was [OT] Pyro-boom )

Sun Jun 1 12:19:00 2003

I recycle them for a living, we vacuum pump the gas from the and run it
through a condenser then back into storage tanks.  In all seriousness I
doubt any one on this board is going to attempt to cut open a full
tank.........

Also since we all have gas forges why would we vent a tank to the atmosphere
when we can use it to run our forges till its empty?

Paul

----- Original Message -----
From: "terry l. ridder" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2003 8:16 AM
Subject: [TheForge] propane cylinder and tank safety ( was [OT] Pyro-boom )

> hello;
>
> i feel that i need to jump in here concerning cutting propane cylinders
> and tanks. several safety points and environmental protection agency
> regulations need to be restated.
>
> 0. venting propane to the atmosphere is against epa regulations. if a
> propane cylinder and or tank has propane in either gas or liquid it must
> be burned off using a propane flare. ( think large weed burner on tripod
> stand in a vertical position. ) the alternative is to pump the cylinder
> or tank empty. the pumping tends to labor intensive so most propane
> service companies burn it off.
>
> 1. if a cylinder or tank has a value which will not open ( the value has
> failed closed ) the procedure to handle this depends on whether it is a
> cylinder or tank.
>     a cylinder:
>         if at all possible the cylinder should be frozen using liquid
> nitrogen. once the propane has solidified the value is removed and a new
> value is installed. the cylinder is allowed to warmup naturally.
>         if the cylinder cannot be frozen and if the failed value has the
> screw vent, the screw vent should be opened to allow the cylinder to
> vent at a slow rate. remember that propane is heavier than air and
> collects in low areas. the venting should be reported to the proper
> regulatory agency/agencies.
>     a tank:
>         if the tank has an emergency unloader value ( most do ). an
> unloader adapter is attached allowing liquid propane to be withdrawn.
> the unloader value allows for either pumping out to an alternate storage
> facility or for the burning off of the propane. the propane flare in
> this case has a vaporizer which allows the liquid propane to become
> gaseous propane and burned off using the propane flare.
>         if the tank has a belly value this is used in place of the
> emergency unloader value ( which is normally located on top of the
> tank.)
>
> i have worked with propane, propane cylinders and tanks for nearly 35+
> years. propane, propane cylinders and tanks need to be respected and
> proper safety precautions must be taken. remember the person injuried or
> killed may be you. perhaps worst it may be someone else and you have to
> live with the guilt of directly or indirectly causing or contributing to
> their death. in which case you may be rightful sued for wrongful death
> or negligence.
>
>
> On Sun, 1 Jun 2003, Peter Fels And Phoebe Palmer wrote:
>
> peter>
> peter> Paul;
> peter> A while back we had a discussion about cutting open old propane
tanks
> peter> and several of us had fairly elaborate precautions we took first.
> peter> Clearly you are the expert here...
> peter> The text below infers that you just jerk the valves and plugs and
cut
> peter> them open straight off...is that right?........Pete
> peter>
>
> Paul Hewitt wrote:
> <snip>
>
> paul>
> paul> We devalve about 500 to 1000 tanks a day, and typically then
> paul> cut holes in them.  The guys with torches usually pride themselves
on the
> paul> tanks that become "jet engines"  when a tank sits open long enough
they get
> paul> a perfect mixture and then will burn inside the tanks emitting the
hot
> paul> exhaust gasses out the hole that's been cut.  After about a 2 to 3
second
> paul> interval they burn out, but do not explode the tank.
> paul>
>
> <snip>
>
> --
> Terry L. Ridder ><>
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