exploding air compressor tank

I do realize alot of poor judgment, but I would assume concrete would have resisted as much as a steel tank, although concrete has alot of variables. No one was around so no injuries.

This perhaps will make some of us cobblers a litle more aware of the things that could happen.

I wonder if a saftey alert on this board for us careless, take it for granite guys that are in a hurry all the time would serve us well. Dave NE IA

Now that I have had time to reeeeethink, it probably had no rebar, and would be more of a no brainer.

I guess I'm thinking he should have used more bailing wire and duck tape, maybe a tarp strap or two.
Dave NE IA

My first question is why is a pressure tank buried in 5" of concrete? The crete would eat on the tank walls ?

I just can't by this is a rust problem nor can I by too thin of a tank skin to explode the tank. Yes I can see a tank rupture to where the contents are blasted out in such a volume to cause harm if someone was standing near by when this happened.

My reason for this conclusion is refrigerant cylinders are built with a rupture disc incase the cylinder is subject to excessive heat. As the temperature increases so does the cylinder pressure increase.

I've had a new cylinder of R502 blow the rupture disc while inside my service van. The rupture disc nothing more than a thin gauge metal covering a 3/4" diameter hole in the cylinder wall. Yep it made some noise and emptyed the cylinder contents but that was it. No stress on any other part of the cylinder. Yes I do realize were talking about saturated vapour vs a dry gas state but saturated vapour is very close to a dry gasses state in the top 10% of the cylinder. The rupture disc blew at about 500psi.

I also realize that the posters in this thread have seen tanks blown apart. I just question as to why the tanks exploded.

To cause one type of combustion, you need carbon, oxygen and ignition.

Could the true reason why the tanks exploded is from excessive compressor oil being pumped into the cylinder where it mixed with compressed air then ignited by latent heat of compression or the same reason a diesel engine fires.

I've seen some reports of compressed air entering the tanks at 300º or more than enough temperature to ignite a compressed charge of carbon and air.

So to me if a person didn't drain of the excess oil out of the bottom drain, they could have a potential bomb setting there. My concern would be more here than worrying about rusted metal.

T_Bone

You probably seen the above post with the 55 gallon barrel.

To have known the owner of this Red neck ordeal there would no doubt be less questions--good ol boy and all but probably seen many so called accidents in his day. He owned many farms, worked long days and nights, lived without anything that he just did not have to have. He died and to my best knowledge he did not take his money with him. The Church got alot of it when he attended on Sunday mornings all his life.

I can't help but shoot my mouth off --(we are waiting for materials at a job site), and for cryiong out loud you know I have more to do that computerin as much as I do. Buttttt the guy had two AC WC tractors, one had a mounted corn picker that was to wide and could not enter his yard to unload the ear corn. So thats where the other WC came into play, not a big deal other than he only had one wagon, and did I mention only one magneto---At the time a good used magneto (early 70's) I would guess $20.00. Yep you guessed it, install mag, timed the tractor (with 2 row mounted picker) picked the one load of corn, put mag on the other WC, time the mag., unloaded the corn, then started over again etc. etc. etc. I would guess he had 100-150 acres of corn. He said he got pretty good at it, and didn't have to remove his gloves to often. If I recall he was given a mag the next year by a neighbor. Now you probably get what could have actually been the total build up to the explosive ordeal.
I can't imagine a pop off valve, less likley a drain, and as far as the compressor, i'm thinking a old bulk tank compressor that was wore out.

We have come up with some new termonology for the tank, EX-WIFES SEAT, (I"M thinkin her attorney could have had her on his lap and....NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION BY THE WAY) Then comes the politician's seat, (not sure what they could have done with all the manure that would have been scattered in the building) OOOOO O---KKKKK K I do need to get something accomplished yet today. Dave NE IA

I have seen people using Goldenrod fuel line water separators in an airline.

I used to hate working around deliquescent dryers for this reason. they have tabs of salt, or salt-like material inside that reduce to a briny solution as they absorb water. I have seen one with the entire bottom missing. As I get older, I am beginning to approach old air tanks with some trepidation, especially if it leftover from the previous compressor which wore out in the 1960's, but was left inline when the "new" machine was installed 40 years ago, for "extra storage".

A few months ago a shop where I used to work was in a spot of trouble because of an explosion in an air system. They had rebuilt the compressor pump, but the customer did the r&r. Turns out, there was a ball valve between the compressor and a remote tank which somebody shut off. The compressor ran and ran since no pressure was reaching the pressure switch. The copper line between the pump and the tank blew up and nearly tore a guy's arm clean off. Of course, it wasn't the shop's fault, but they tried to pin it on them (unsuccessfully).

He gave me the tank...as I wanted to bring it into work to show the dangers involved. He admitted that his dad never drained the tank from condensate left from compressing the air. You could plainly see inside the tank where the corrosion was heavier on the bottom from water.

Make sure you drain that tank !!!! Install your valve of choice and blow a little air out after each days use. I feel very confident he'd have been dead had he been standing over the compressor.

DJHoosier

Gotta be careful with stored energy.

I used to work for a company that had weldors that were AWS certified six-ways-from-Sunday, but the company held no "R" stamp, and therefore would were prohibited legally from welding on pressure vessels.

It's serious business I tells ya.

I think I will be moving my compressor to an outdoor leantoo in the new shop.