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Letter: LPG explosions
Another LPG catastrophe and once again those involved, the investigators, the reporters and the media are all being careless in their use of the English language term “canister explosion”
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nother LPG catastrophe and once again those involved, the investigators, the reporters and the media are all being careless in their use of the English language term “canister explosion”.
This implies that the steel bottle or canister itself physically burst into pieces which flew around the area. I doubt this is what has really been happening in these tragic events. In the vast
majority of cases it is most likely accumulations of leaked gas that are exploding.
LPG is heavier than air and if allowed to escape will collect at floor level, in low-lying areas, under tables and inside cupboards. When combined with air it forms a violently explosive mixture which will be ignited by any spark or flame. Any such explosion in a confined space, such as a small kitchen, will have the force to kill, blow off the roof or blow out doors and windows, and start major fires.
Most of the people now being introduced to the use of LPG and gas fired appliances are accustomed to using kerosene stoves and lamps which are relatively safe, even if the fuel is spilled when unlit.
Exactly the reverse is the case with LPG — leaked gas is extremely dangerous even when unlit, something new users apparently do not fully appreciate. So where do the leaks come from?
Starting with the stove; a faulty stove can leak gas even when turned off. When turned on, gas will escape until a light is applied and will continue to leak if the flame blows out in the wind and is not very quickly relit.
The pipe connecting the stove to the regulator may have faulty connections, may be improperly installed or may have a small hole.
In any of these cases gas will escape continuously, no matter whether the stove is turned on or off. The regulator could be faulty, but is not a likely source of leakage unless wrongly installed.
And so we come back to the canister itself. Firstly the needle valve at the top. Those who are accustomed to using the larger blue 12-kilogram bottles will be well aware of the vitally important black rubber washer which seals the annular space between the valve and the stem of the regulator.
If this is missing (quite often the case) or is damaged or wrongly fitted, installing the regulator will depress the needle valve and allow the contents of the canister to escape freely. The steel
canister is not likely to leak by itself; if the valve were faulty or there was a hole in the steel casing it could not have reached the prescribed pressure when being filled and any gas in the bottle would surely have escaped while being transported to distant distributors’ premises or in storage. It would be empty before reaching the user.
So the problem would appear to be primarily with users who do not appreciate the dangers posed by pools of leaked gas. This implies that the “user familiarization”, or instruction sessions, provided by Pertamina or the distributor are either inadequate or are being neglected.
Of course faulty canisters, if any, and appliances should be withdrawn; they should never have been supplied in the first place, but the prime urgent need would seem to be for Pertamina to protect themselves by providing more intensive and effective training for new LPG users.
In the meantime I wonder if anyone has reliable statistics of instances where the canister itself actually exploded into pieces. I expect the number will be very small as the only way this could occur would be if it was engulfed in the center of a very fierce fire for a considerable period of time.
Eddie Cooper
Jakarta
