WARNING NSFW! Exploding air compressor GRAPHIC

[Kartracer55]

This isnt for the weak stomach. Im warning you guys on this one, its graphic. I didnt even want to look at the full size of the last picture. This is actually a bit disturbing, but its the aftermath of an exploding air compressor. I came across this and figured I would post it just as a sobering reminder of the dangers

I suggest the weak stomachs do not look at the pics in the links, its rather gruesome

Mods please delete if you are not okay with this, I am posting because it is a danger that people can potentially face, and alot of guys on the boards dont think this is possible or dont care about it when modifying air tanks and things of the like. If anybody is offended and wants me to take it down, please let me know and I will do so immediatly. I do not wish to offend anyone by posting this and it is with good intentions that I do so.































































http://www.ogrish.com/archives/man_killed_by_exploding_air_compressor_Oct_20_2006 .html

[Schmozilla]

Damn...
Makes me glad ours is outside the shop in its own shed...

[kodiak1232003]

wow, chucho got fawked!!!

[Proeliator]

Its an important thing to be aware of......yea, this is why compressor closets are a good thing.

[tnjeep]

damn Makes me want to put a shield around by compressor

[p575]

if something can do that at 200-300 pounds, id hate to think what an oxygen cylinder or the like could do...i know in the fire dept, our airpack cylinders are charged to 4500 pounds, and there subjected to in excess of 800 degrees, and rapidly cooled and such...now im scared to refill em...

[cebby]

Wow! Makes me leary of an old compressor I use once in a while....

[geberhard]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! fawk!!!! fawk fawk! thanks for posting, this is freaking creepy, but a good reality check for a lot of people. I think the same could apply to people running small air tanks inside their rigs...

[Todd W]

if something can do that at 200-300 pounds, id hate to think what an oxygen cylinder or the like could do...i know in the fire dept, our airpack cylinders are charged to 4500 pounds, and there subjected to in excess of 800 degrees, and rapidly cooled and such...now im scared to refill em...

Mythbusters did a Jaws thing where the airtank was in his mouth. They shot it and exploded it with c4. It put huge dents in the side of the container they were testing in. It would rip your body to shreds.

[78bronco460]

if something can do that at 200-300 pounds, id hate to think what an oxygen cylinder or the like could do...i know in the fire dept, our airpack cylinders are charged to 4500 pounds, and there subjected to in excess of 800 degrees, and rapidly cooled and such...now im scared to refill em...
If you're re-filling bottles you should get trained to check them for a current hydro test stamp and pressure rating. When I get my scuba tanks filled they check the stamps. I notice after a 3300# fill they are almost too hot to touch.

[ZJim]

Am I the only one that's a tad skeptical?

[braxton357]

What's to say it was an air compressor that killed him? I see no shrapnel/air tools/compressor...or really any tools at all. Just because ogrish gets pictures and puts a caption with them...

[Bolt Thrower]

Kinda makes me want to borescope my 200 dollar craigslist special, even if the pictures are from another industrial accident.

[DRM]

I'd expect to see shrapnel too... bits of tank/compressor/steel if SOME kind.

[FullsizeYota]

something isnt right here.. there has to be more to the story..

a guy walks by a compressor and it explodes... give me a break.

i sell compressors all day long. never heard or seen anything like the sorts...

i have seen tanks litterally rotton, to the point they do leak, but they dont do anything but a puff of air and start leaking, never anything that dramatic.

something isn't right.

[Kartracer55]

Some of you guys can be dumbasses sometimes. I post this as a warning of what COULD, under certain circumstances, happen. Maybe the tank was over pressurized, maybe he fawked around with a safety valve or the pressure switch, who knows. Regardless, Im showing the potential danger of compressed gases and you continue to challenge everything. The point is we dont know what happened exactly, but this is story #2 that I have found online of people getting killed by compressed air. Compressed gases are dangerous. All I said is that this is the aftermath of an exploding air compressor or air tank of some sort and you must always challenge friendly warnings. Its something to be AWARE of. As long as Im not the one working next to your 1937 vintage compressor that you dont feel needs to be drained or inspected it really doesnt matter all that much to me what you do.

Jim

[Travis Waldher]

Am I the only one that's a tad skeptical?

I am, I've seen your average 120psi airlines go, nothing happened basically. BANG! psssshhhh!!!!!!!

In mythbusters in teh jaws episode, they shot a SCBA tank and it DID NOT explode, the air shot out of the hole, the tank flew around, but there was no explosion. The tank is also at 3-4500psi - not 120psi. That's why they pulled out the C4.

So yes - I'm just a tad skeptical - especially since no air compressor is shown.

[Travis Waldher]

Some of you guys can be dumbasses sometimes. I post this as a warning of what COULD, under certain circumstances, happen. Maybe the tank was over pressurized, maybe he fawked around with a safety valve or the pressure switch, who knows. Regardless, Im showing the potential danger of compressed gases and you continue to challenge everything. The point is we dont know what happened exactly, but this is story #2 that I have found online of people getting killed by compressed air. Compressed gases are dangerous. All I said is that this is the aftermath of an exploding air compressor or air tank of some sort and you must always challenge friendly warnings. Its something to be AWARE of. As long as Im not the one working next to your 1937 vintage compressor that you dont feel needs to be drained or inspected it really doesnt matter all that much to me what you do.

Jim

No - our bullshit detectors went off - therefore we challenged it. You yourself said you don't know what happened - so you don't even know if it was your average air compressor.

[BRAD D]

Am I the only one that's a tad skeptical?


Me too, if a tank went I would think it would rip a hole and the air would jump out... Did the whole top jump off and blast his head apart?

[AthlonAJ]

Some of you guys can be dumbasses sometimes. I post this as a warning of what COULD, under certain circumstances, happen. Maybe the tank was over pressurized, maybe he fawked around with a safety valve or the pressure switch, who knows. Regardless, Im showing the potential danger of compressed gases and you continue to challenge everything. The point is we dont know what happened exactly, but this is story #2 that I have found online of people getting killed by compressed air. Compressed gases are dangerous. All I said is that this is the aftermath of an exploding air compressor or air tank of some sort and you must always challenge friendly warnings. Its something to be AWARE of. As long as Im not the one working next to your 1937 vintage compressor that you dont feel needs to be drained or inspected it really doesnt matter all that much to me what you do.

Jim

Easy there Safety JimBob, you're never going to get your golden safety badge by flippin' out. You can't be so quick to take something off a site like that as FACT, hell if you're that gullible I've got some beautiful mountain view land here in Iowa to sell you.:flipoff2: How many compressors have you seen explode, leak or fail??? Personally I've seen one let loose at 175psi.and another at around 140psi..wow it was grisly. Guy had noticed a crack at the top of the tank, welded it but undercut it a bit, pressurized it to 175 and then it let go. *TING* WOOOOOSH...that was the extend of it "letting go". There simply wasn't enough pressure to do anything else. The other one at 140psi was from rust and was about as uneventful.

I call BS, absolute total BS that this was an air compressor tank. Looks waaaay too violent for that. Suppose if he took a brand new 125psi rated tank and just flat out pressurized it until it burst somehow it's possible but then let's thank Darwin for that one.

[Old Scout]

Some of you guys can be dumbasses sometimes. I post this as a warning of what COULD, under certain circumstances, happen. Maybe the tank was over pressurized, maybe he fawked around with a safety valve or the pressure switch, who knows. Regardless, Im showing the potential danger of compressed gases and you continue to challenge everything. The point is we dont know what happened exactly, but this is story #2 that I have found online of people getting killed by compressed air. Compressed gases are dangerous. All I said is that this is the aftermath of an exploding air compressor or air tank of some sort and you must always challenge friendly warnings. Its something to be AWARE of. As long as Im not the one working next to your 1937 vintage compressor that you dont feel needs to be drained or inspected it really doesnt matter all that much to me what you do.

Jim
:shaking: :rolleyes: GEE I better not walk outside I have the potential of getting hit by lightning or a plane falling out of the sky. :rolleyes:

[desertsport]

Dosent look like scrapnel, Looks more like he jumped and landed on his head, or a fake.

[desertsport]

Dosent look like scrapnel, Looks more like he jumped and landed on his head, or a fake.

[JR]

" Get up you pussy! It's just a flesh wound!"

Good reminder. I need to drain the tank on my compressor. :D

[glfredrick]

It can and does happen... My kid's neighbor has a new back wall on his block garage, and my kiddo has a new roof on his - from the neighbor's air compressor exploding. Fortunately, no one was hurt. It seems that the regulator stuck or something.

In addition, I worked in a shop that used large diameter (3") PVC as a distribution system. It blew large chunks around the shop once a year or so. I could not get the management to change the system to something more substantial. Eventually I left the company... One man has impaired hearing from being next to the line when it blew. Another has permanent scars on his body from the chunks. Several others were hit, and/or frightened severely while operating powered wood-working tools. The accidents were already major, but they could have been deadly.

These things DO go boom from time to time, albeit rare, who wants to be there when they do? Gonna take that chance?

I've seen blown water heater tanks - makes a mess out of a basement.

I've also seen what happens when you knock the valve off of an oxygen tank. An idiot did it in shop class at a school in Wisconsin. As we arrived for a football game, there was a crowd standing on the field looking at something. It was the tank, which had made it through a block wall and ended up on the field. I started chaining mine up after that.

A few quotes I found on the web:
The company that is leading the way on air car research, MDI, has designed several prototypes. All of their prototypes cut weight by using aluminum tubing. To avoid the problem of shrapnel from an exploding tank, the air tanks are made of plastic surrounded by a carbon composite. A failure would split the tank. No pieces - plastic or metal - would go flying.

http://kettlemorainemotorsports.com/air.html

Here is the California reg:

http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/462.html

http://www.aircompressorsource.com/articles/issue1.shtml

[guidolyons]

BS! It looks like some kind of industrial accident, not sure about an exploding air compressor. Get CSI in there and conduct an analysis on the blood spatter.

Yes, I agree compressed gasses at high pressures are very dangerous, but a properly functioning air compressor with a pressure switch and pop-off valve could not catastrophically explode like that.

Years ago in an industrial maintenance and safety class I took, they showed a controlled experiment with a large oxygen (or maybe it was nitrogen) tank that went through a cinderblock wall when they knocked the valve off. More like a rocket motor than a bomb though...it was a projectile not shrapnel.


There have been many more people injured (and/or killed) by overpressurized truck tires exploding, than the air compressor used to fill them. That's why the military quit using split ring tire rims and requires a tire cage and clip on air chuck to air up large truck tires.

Now, everyone go drain your compressor and make sure your pressure switch works, and don't overinflate your tires :flipoff2:

[Travis Waldher]

There have been many more people injured (and/or killed) by overpressurized truck tires exploding, than the air compressor used to fill them. That's why the military quit using split ring tire rims and requires a tire cage and clip on air chuck to air up large truck tires.

And you'll notice there's a bigass truck in the background.

Anyone want to lay odds they were changing a tire?

[D60]

I'd like more details, it seems fishy.

From the website:
"One common fault that leads to explosion is corrosion within the tank. This can often take years, possibly decades, to reach a critical point however making any failure of the equipment hard to gauge. "

Isn't a pinhole leak far more probable?

[NIB-98TJ]

And you'll notice there's a bigass truck in the background.

Anyone want to lay odds they were changing a tire?
I thought about that also. My buddy's brother worked for his dad in a tire shop years ago. He is still fawked up from getting hit in the head with a two-piece rim that someone else was airing up.

If there was a High Lift jack somewhere in the photo, there would be no doubt what happened to the guy. :D

NIB

[ZJim]

Would the average compressor even have the ass to compress air to the pressure that a tank would rupture? Even if the blowoff valve were to malfunction and the compressor stuck on, would it have enough power to grenade a tank like that? It just seems unlikely, although I'm sure not impossible.

[cj5 kid]

There is a good chance that poor guy never saw it coming. That is probably the only thing good to come out of this. As far as compressed air is concerned it is extremly dangerous, be it in a tire, or a corroded tank. A couple of years ago a guy two blocks away from my house had his compressor tank blow up. Turns out he was using an old hotwater tank as the pressure vessel. He had been using this "tank" for a couple of years, and had been warned not to use it. When it let go, the roof of his garage was literally lifted off and landed in the neighbors yard. His garage door landed about 85 feet away across the street. He was shielded by the blast from the car he was working on but suffered many injuries, (cuts, broken bones etc...), He died a few days later.

[Travis Waldher]

There is a good chance that poor guy never saw it coming. That is probably the only thing good to come out of this. As far as compressed air is concerned it is extremly dangerous, be it in a tire, or a corroded tank. A couple of years ago a guy two blocks away from my house had his compressor tank blow up. Turns out he was using an old hotwater tank as the pressure vessel. He had been using this "tank" for a couple of years, and had been warned not to use it. When it let go, the roof of his garage was literally lifted off and landed in the neighbors yard. His garage door landed about 85 feet away across the street. He was shielded by the blast from the car he was working on but suffered many injuries, (cuts, broken bones etc...), He died a few days later.

I call bullshit without pics.

[Proeliator]

In addition, I worked in a shop that used large diameter (3") PVC as a distribution system.

Holy shit, you know thats OSHA approved...it kills me everytime I see folks using pvc for their airlines :shaking:

[hoohaa]

For those that were skeptical that compressed air could cause this, have you ever seen the explosion posters at a welding supply shop? A bottle of oxygen, argon or whatever will rip a car to pieces if it explodes. It's almost unreal how much damage an exploding bottle will do. If you search around google you can find pics of scuba shops that had a bottle explode. Very bad damage.

Of course we are talking about a lot less pressure, but how hard do you have to be hit in the face with a piece of metal to die? Not very.

[ChiScouter]

This topic seems to come up here with someone all fired up about the horrific power of air from a compresser tank. If you watch the first 5 minutes of the movie Chain Reaction you will see what appears to be a semi tractor flying through the air. I was one of the guys who built that gag, and it was pressurized with nitrogen to between 4000 and 5000 lbs if I remember correctly. We have done all kinds of air moarters that shoot all kinds of stuff and sometimes catapult stunt guys through the air. Most of these gags are done with only around 175psi max which is released in a split second through a very large ball valve. You just can't compare the stored energy of a couple of hundred psi to a few thousand, they are very different animals.

I call all of these horror stories of exploding compresser tanks bullshit until I see legit pics and a report by someone credible that states that the tank actually exploded with less than 175psi in it. All legit compressers have popoff valves that will limit the tank pressure to 175psi.
Even if a tank was rusted and weak it would be at the bottom and that is what would blow out and the brunt of the force would be against the floor. With the weakest part of the tank at the bottom how in the hell does the side of the tank blow out? and if it did how does it rip the metal into pieces that actually seperate from the tank?

If you think the tank can just shread into pieces take the biggest sledge hammer you can swing and smack any kind of a piece of sheet metal of similar thickness to a compresser tank be it round or flat. Maybe you can knock the hammer through the metal......maybe, but do you really think you it will shatter, or that the metal will actually break apart into pieces? Try it with a big old pick, now you will get a hole, but shrapnal, I think not. Some of you guys are really lacking in logic and common sense.

Plain old air at 175psi cant just explode. Maybe its energy can be released quickly by a huge hole or a large valve opening, but it doesn't just explode unless there is a spark and a fuel. Think about your engine, does the air explode without gas and a spark?:confused: The release of air pressure is not the same as an explosion.

If your so afraid of 175psi because what 2000psi can do than make sure you never put your thumb over a running garden hose. I hear that 40psi can blast right into your thumb, through your body and cause your head to blow off:laughing:

[guidolyons]

For those that were skeptical that compressed air could cause this, have you ever seen the explosion posters at a welding supply shop? A bottle of oxygen, argon or whatever will rip a car to pieces if it explodes. It's almost unreal how much damage an exploding bottle will do. If you search around google you can find pics of scuba shops that had a bottle explode. Very bad damage.

Of course we are talking about a lot less pressure, but how hard do you have to be hit in the face with a piece of metal to die? Not very.

Apples and Oranges 150psi v/s 4,000 psi that's why I mentioned the the nitrogen bottle as a projectile not a bomb.

You just can't compare the stored energy of a couple of hundred psi to a few thousand, they are very different animals.

I call all of these horror stories of exploding compresser tanks bullshit until I see legit pics and a report by someone credible that states that the tank actually exploded with less than 175psi in it. All legit compressers have popoff valves that will limit the tank pressure to 175psi.---


Plain old air at 175psi cant just explode. Maybe its energy can be released quickly by a huge hole or a large valve opening, but it doesn't just explode.
That's what I say, too

And you'll notice there's a bigass truck in the background.

Anyone want to lay odds they were changing a tire?

I'd believe he was killed changing a big ass truck tire before I believe he was killed by an air compressor.

[DrMaserati]

In the last photo you can see that his brain is missing, and there is a nice, neat round hole in the top of his skull. This is pretty typical of what happens when someone sticks a shotgun in their mouth and pulls the trigger. The hole is from the projectile. The pressure of the expanding gases takes off the top of the skull and pretty much removes everything inside.

In the photo with the truck you can see a crowd outside watching, and what appears to be a uniformed police officer. Not what you would expect to see at the scene of an air compressor accident. But very typical for a crime scene.

Suicide? Maybe.

Homicide? Could be.

But this ain't no exploding compressor accident. :shaking:

-

[6869704x4]

I once thought about cleaning the sludge out of the bottom of my compressor tank with gasoline. I changed my mind because I was worried they would misspell my name on the Darwin certificate.
I set the tank in the sun, let it get nice and warm, then rinsed as much as I could out with hot water.

[SHERPA]

I've seen first-hand the result of a PCV pipe/mainfold system fail in a compressor situation............

I'm guessing the failure occurred because: The manifold was only about 2-3
feet away from the compressor tank.

The guy always used the compressor, and I don't think he drained it often.

notice the "always used the compressor"....... I think the compressor pump

should have been serviced/rebuilt. maybe there was excessive oil being pumped thru the lines.

oil in PVC lines, 2-3 feet away from tank/pump=heated air in manifold (PVC)

= BOOM.......... it blew a 1x2 hole through 2 sheetrock walls......... plastic

frags were everywhere.............everywhere..........

--Sherpa............ NO PVC will ever grace my compressor system...

[SkyHiK5]

1) compressed air is very dangerous, and swill kill and launch small animals

2) This is a Ho-AX

Yes I said a Ho
axe


2 syllables for my othr southern friends.

#1) My man just happens to be wearin 2 different shoes
#2) The blood aint running. I have seen lots of blood on concrete (worked for 3 years in a deer processing plant in HS) believe me it dont pool up it runs
#3) His mask has a distinct line near his shirt


It is near halloween season. The costume stuff is readily available. You have all been played in my opinion

[CPOM]

He was working under a vehicle or large piece of heavy equipment and it fell on him. Notice there is no blood spray and only a small pool of blood. It also cleanly severed the top of his skull and broke it open. There is no fragments in him so whatever hit him was not some explozive fragmented projectile. It was a large object like a steel beam or something. This also explains the small pool of blood and no spray. It was like something fell on him at close range. This is my guess.

[YamanX]

The mask is pushing it. An explosion there would be burn marks.

Now a shotgun maybe. But who honestly shoots themselves right there? On the side of a truck? If it was murder, who put the gun there? And it would split the head, not "Take the top off."

Kinda hard to explain this one. But a air tank it hard pressed. Maybe a propane tank, and spark when it blew, but he'd still be burnt.

[ZJSAMPLE]

If you're re-filling bottles you should get trained to check them for a current hydro test stamp and pressure rating. When I get my scuba tanks filled they check the stamps. I notice after a 3300# fill they are almost too hot to touch.


Your tank is being filled to fast. Is it filled off a compressor or a cascade system? The tanks should be put into a protective barrier while refilling.

[AthlonAJ]

There is a good chance that poor guy never saw it coming. That is probably the only thing good to come out of this. As far as compressed air is concerned it is extremly dangerous, be it in a tire, or a corroded tank. A couple of years ago a guy two blocks away from my house had his compressor tank blow up. Turns out he was using an old hotwater tank as the pressure vessel. He had been using this "tank" for a couple of years, and had been warned not to use it. When it let go, the roof of his garage was literally lifted off and landed in the neighbors yard. His garage door landed about 85 feet away across the street. He was shielded by the blast from the car he was working on but suffered many injuries, (cuts, broken bones etc...), He died a few days later.

Either he was trying to compress natural gas into that tank or it's complete BS. Well maybe not if he was living in a cardboard box.

In addition, I worked in a shop that used large diameter (3") PVC as a distribution system. It blew large chunks around the shop once a year or so. I could not get the management to change the system to something more substantial. Eventually I left the company... One man has impaired hearing from being next to the line when it blew. Another has permanent scars on his body from the chunks. Several others were hit, and/or frightened severely while operating powered wood-working tools. The accidents were already major, but they could have been deadly.
Seriously, was it a requirement to be mentally handicapped to work at this place? Besides the fact that OSHA would shut this place down in a heartbeat just for the PVC, not to mention the accidents due to that...not one worker sued the hell out of them?

[Slowzuki]

Compressor bang (http://www.tractorshed.com/cgi-bin/gallery/trouble_pic.cgi?pic=http;//www.tractorshed.com/gallery/trouble/r1969.jpg&firstrec=192&lastrec=207&Parameter=&mode=All&what=trouble)
http://www.tractorshed.com/gallery/trouble/r1969.jpg

[Travis Waldher]

Compressor bang (http://www.tractorshed.com/cgi-bin/gallery/trouble_pic.cgi?pic=http;//www.tractorshed.com/gallery/trouble/r1969.jpg&firstrec=192&lastrec=207&Parameter=&mode=All&what=trouble)
http://www.tractorshed.com/gallery/trouble/r1969.jpg

But again - no mention of how many psi were involved.

You know - discovery channel is looking for spoof shows... I think this is a mythbusters in the making. All that's needed is one cargo container (contain potential explosion) and 4-5 air tanks, and an air compressor capable of 1,000psi or better.

[Todd W]

Compressor bang (http://www.tractorshed.com/cgi-bin/gallery/trouble_pic.cgi?pic=http;//www.tractorshed.com/gallery/trouble/r1969.jpg&firstrec=192&lastrec=207&Parameter=&mode=All&what=trouble)
http://www.tractorshed.com/gallery/trouble/r1969.jpg

Busted at seems... I see no jagged edges or gaps where shrapnel went flying. Sure it'd suck to have that happen with ur head next to it still ;)

[AthlonAJ]

Busted at seems... I see no jagged edges or gaps where shrapnel went flying. Sure it'd suck to have that happen with ur head next to it still ;)

Imagine the dimwit it would take to have that scenario happen. Air compressor is just running and running, way past pressure limit...air tank starts creaking and groaning so guy walks over to it and puts his ear next to it to listen....

[Dusty Booger]

If you're re-filling bottles you should get trained to check them for a current hydro test stamp and pressure rating. When I get my scuba tanks filled they check the stamps. I notice after a 3300# fill they are almost too hot to touch.

They are hot to the touch because people fill them too fast. You are only suppose to fill at the rate of 300#/minute. Most SCUBA shops fill faster. Once the cylinder cools, you will lose pressure, which means your tank is not truely full. Unfortunately, most shops will overcome this by "hot filling". This means that if a tank is rated at 3000#, they will fill it to 3200-3400, and then let it cool to read the desired 3000#'s. This is obvoiusly dangerous but happens all the time.

On a side note, my instructor for my Dive Rescue 1 cert has seen the results of a SCUBA tank exploding during a fill. He has been diving for almost 30 years. It took place in Florida and killed the guy. The dive shop workers legs were completely blown off when my instructor reached him after the explosion.

[jbailey]

I do know of someone (friend of my dad's) who was killed while working on his antique truck. He was messing with the tires and it had split rims. One of the rings broke and shot up hit him in the head. He was dead before the Resque Squad could get there. It also took a large chunk out of his head.

Really was a sad thing he had just retiered. He had been a mechanic for 40 years.

You just don't know when your time is up.

[p575]

They are hot to the touch because people fill them too fast. You are only suppose to fill at the rate of 300#/minute. Most SCUBA shops fill faster. Once the cylinder cools, you will lose pressure, which means your tank is not truely full. Unfortunately, most shops will overcome this by "hot filling". This means that if a tank is rated at 3000#, they will fill it to 3200-3400, and then let it cool to read the desired 3000#'s. This is obvoiusly dangerous but happens all the time.


all of our scba bottles are hydro'd. some stations have the fancy cascades with a sealed chamber surrounds in 1/4 to 3/8 steel to enclose the bottle, my station has a hose and a tank of water to "keep the bottles cool" most of the time we dont even use the water, its just more work to dry em off... on the 300# a minute thing, that never happens either, to fill 15 bottles, 2 at a time from nothing to 4500 #'s would take forever...i know it safer, but it just doesn't happen...

[78bronco460]

Your tank is being filled to fast. Is it filled off a compressor or a cascade system? The tanks should be put into a protective barrier while refilling.
Yes, they fill them from a large set of cascaded HP tanks. This guy is who I bought the tanks new from, and does my VIP and hydro inspections. If he pops em it's all on him. He says he can hot fill them because they are ++ steel (90cuft) tanks. I usually drop them off to get filled a few days before a trip, and they're cool and full when I pick them up.

[Dusty Booger]

Yes, they fill them from a large set of cascaded HP tanks. This guy is who I bought the tanks new from, and does my VIP and hydro inspections. If he pops em it's all on him. He says he can hot fill them because they are ++ steel (90cuft) tanks. I usually drop them off to get filled a few days before a trip, and they're cool and full when I pick them up.

If the steel tank has a + after the pressure rating, it means that you can fill the bottle to 10% above the listed rating. For example, a 3000 + rated tank can be filled to 3300. However, after its 1st hydro, you are no longer supposed to go the 10% above rated PSI.

[fj40forlife]

thanks man, Now im never going to use mine, :( I drain my all the time. And alot of water is in there. Is that good ????????

[Peter_C]

This is what happens when a scuba tank explodes in a car :eek:
269645

269646

269647

269648
http://www.diveshop-pr.com/explosion.html
http://www.scubabomb.freeservers.com/Scubadag.htm

In at least parts of California or some cities require an inspection be performed and charge for air compressor inspections to prevent them from exploding.

I routinely drain mine at home.

[packnrat]

not saying yes or not to the photos....but i did work at a service station a long time ago, the owner had a bad arm due to a tire "blowing up".

just the force of a sudden lose of psi could have riped the guy apart.

but i do question the photos...why not show the tank?? "need input"

for more info on air psi riping apart something, go talk to your local fire ex shop that does hyrdo testing.

air psi ripes apart the tank, liquid psi does not.

[Slowzuki]

Fellow was hit by a piece of it. I also know of a fellow hit by a coroded freon tank filled to 80 psi.

Why people insist on pretending tanks can never fail is beyond me. Its the reason pressure vessel codes exist. Old propane tanks fail hydrostatic and they don't even really rust on the inside.

Generally tanks fail at seams because corrossion occurs quicker in the heat affected zone of the weld.

Busted at seems... I see no jagged edges or gaps where shrapnel went flying. Sure it'd suck to have that happen with ur head next to it still ;)

[rusted]

Does anyone know if straight up calculations have any meaning on a compressor?

pi*r^2 at 175psi on a 2ft diameter tank means that over 79000 lbs of pressure are on the top of the tank. Now that pressure is going to be gone almost instantly after you have a 2x1" hole in the tank, but the initial velocity given to the top of the tank or whatever part peels up is going to be substantial.

So I can see the top peeling off and flipping over and the compressor itself demolishing the guy's head.

I can't see fragmentation from those pressure, maybe one triangle of a 3-part weld seam, but certainly no 'shrapnel.'

[MC]

I am sure it wasnt a small air compressor. I too have seen carnage from a diesel air compressor and a kid who was putting 16" tires on a 16.5 rim.

[jasonmt]

Does anyone know if straight up calculations have any meaning on a compressor?

pi*r^2 at 175psi on a 2ft diameter tank means that over 79000 lbs of pressure are on the top of the tank. Now that pressure is going to be gone almost instantly after you have a 2x1" hole in the tank, but the initial velocity given to the top of the tank or whatever part peels up is going to be substantial.

So I can see the top peeling off and flipping over and the compressor itself demolishing the guy's head.

I can't see fragmentation from those pressure, maybe one triangle of a 3-part weld seam, but certainly no 'shrapnel.'

Ever notice that most pressure vessels have hemispherical shaped heads and round shells: http://www.efunda.com/formulae/solid_mechanics/mat_mechanics/pressure_vessel.cfm
http://physics.uwstout.edu/Statstr/Strength/Columns/cols75.htm

The calculation you should be worried about is the calculation for the stored energy of air in a compressor "tank" (Dan Crowl Formula).

E=P1*V*(ln(P1/P2)),
E=Energy in kJ
P1=Contained pressure, Absolute, kPaa.
P2=Atmospheric pressure, Absolute, kPaa.
V=Volume, Cubic metres.

So if we take a standard 60 gallon, 2 stage compressor with 150psi in it you get:

E=1135*.227*(ln(1135/101))
E=623kJ which is equal to just under a 1/3 pound of TNT...

[Urban Wheeler]

I'll have to dig out the pics, but my brother built an air cannon out of sched 40 pvc and lawn sprinkler valves. The biggest cannon he built so far has put potatoes through tabletops and rocks through 1/2 in plywood, and that's just with 80 psi. It's not just pressure, but volume.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/Fryloc/Cannonstuff003.jpg


My dad has a compresser that rusted on the bottom. Did it explode? No, it just blew out the weak spot and now it won't go over 30 psi.

[byen00]

http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2006/10/28/image2135478g.jpg

Compressed air in a carbon-fiber tank, something like scuba divers use, drives the pistons and turns the crankshaft. There is no combustion and no gasoline. That's why there's no pollution. You fill it up at an air compressor. It may sound far-fetched, but at his labs on the campus of UCLA, professor Su-Chin Chow is also exploring the power of air.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/28/tech/main2135518.shtml