Videos of exploding oxygen tanks

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the behavior and dynamics of exploding oxygen tanks, including inquiries about the nature of the explosions, visual evidence of such events, and comparisons with other types of gas tank explosions. Participants explore theoretical aspects, practical implications, and seek video demonstrations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express a desire for direct videos of oxygen tank explosions and question how these tanks explode, whether they disintegrate or release projectiles.
  • Others mention that oxygen itself is not flammable, and that a fuel is necessary for combustion to occur, suggesting that the material of the tank may ignite instead.
  • A participant notes that oxygen tanks can burst due to high temperatures during fires, which can increase the rate of reaction and heat release.
  • There are discussions about the differences between oxygen tank explosions and those of propane or LPG tanks, with some participants explaining that oxygen needs a fuel and heat to burn, while LPG can explode due to leakage and ignition of the gas.
  • Some contributions highlight that the failure of an oxygen tank typically results from mechanical issues or external shocks, rather than the oxygen itself causing an explosion.
  • One participant challenges the notion that all explosions are the same, suggesting that various types of failures and circumstances can lead to different outcomes.
  • Another participant refers to educational resources and suggests looking at classic experiments for visual examples of explosions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specifics of how oxygen tanks explode, with multiple competing views on the mechanisms involved and the nature of the explosions. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the exact dynamics and visual evidence of such explosions.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of specific video evidence requested by the original poster, as well as varying assumptions about the conditions under which oxygen tanks may explode.

Cobul
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I can't find anywhere direct videos of exploding oxygen tanks. Have you seen one? How does it explode? Does the tank disintegrates into smithereens like a sidewinder missile? Or does the cap blows off and the oxygen tanks becoming projectiles? And how do the exploding flames behave? The tank becomes a inferno exploding in all directions all the stored oxygen or the top spewing off flames and igniting just the released oxygen?

Or just share some actual videos of exploding oxygen tanks (in lab demonstration or real). Thank you.
 
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If you go to youtube and enter "exploding oxygen tanks" you get pages and pages of them. What do you want that these don't provide?
 
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Cobul said:
I can't find anywhere direct videos of exploding oxygen tanks. Have you seen one? How does it explode? Does the tank disintegrates into smithereens like a sidewinder missile? Or does the cap blows off and the oxygen tanks becoming projectiles? And how do the exploding flames behave? The tank becomes a inferno exploding in all directions all the stored oxygen or the top spewing off flames and igniting just the released oxygen?

Or just share some actual videos of exploding oxygen tanks (in lab demonstration or real). Thank you.
I have my EMT O2 tank that I can sell you and a hammer that I can loan you. You will need to set up your own video camera, and leave me instructions for where to post your last YouTube video. :wink:
 
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Cobul said:
Does the tank disintegrates into smithereens like a sidewinder missile? Or does the cap blows off and the oxygen tanks becoming projectiles?
The tank will split along the bottle since, with increasing internal pressure, the hoop tension is twice the axial tension.

Cobul said:
And how do the exploding flames behave? The tank becomes a inferno exploding in all directions all the stored oxygen or the top spewing off flames and igniting just the released oxygen?
Oxygen is the oxidiser, there must also be a fuel, only then can you get a flame.

Oxygen tanks burst when subjected to high temperature during fires. The release of oxygen will then increase the rate of reaction, and so increase the rate of heat release during the fire.

The oxygen tank should have a fusible plug that will blow out to relieve the internal pressure without splitting and exploding the tank during a fire.
 
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Vanadium 50 said:
If you go to youtube and enter "exploding oxygen tanks" you get pages and pages of them. What do you want that these don't provide?

I tried but all videos didn't actually show how the oxygen tanks explode (like angle of propagation of the debris in the tanks. I want to see exactly how the tanks behave or dynamics of its explosion).

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=exploding+oxygen+tank
 
Cobul said:
igniting just the released oxygen?
Oxygen is not exactly flammable. The material of the tank however, usually is. So what can make any flash is the ignition of steel. From that on it looks (works) like a really violent cutting torch.
 
No single video of the actual tank exploding? Not even in universities educational aid?

Anyway. How does a propane tank or LPG (Liquified Petrolium Gas) tank explosion differ to oxygen tank explosion? I read news about LPG tank exploding when the contents leak out and collected at floor and touch something with flame. It is the contents that explode. How about in oxygen tank explosion? Is it also the leaked oxygen when collected outside that explodes? How do they differ in their explosion trigger or behavior? One is LPG tank, one is oxygen tank, so I can't imagine.
 
Cobul said:
How do they differ in their explosion trigger or behavior?
O2 is only one leg of the Fire Triangle. It needs fuel and heat to burn. When an O2 tank ruptures, it is due to a mechanical containment failure (tank out of Hydro and corroded or something), or due to a mechanical shock at a vulnerable point (like the valve getting hit as a tall tank falls over. If the pressurized tank is sitting in a fire for some reason, it can overpressure and rupture.

Tanks of flammable liquid like Propane or Gasoline are different. If they leak, that leakage can catch fire which heats up the tank and boils the flammable liquid inside, and given the right (wrong) condictions, can lead to a BLEVE...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_liquid_expanding_vapor_explosion
 
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Cobul said:
I can't find anywhere direct videos of exploding oxygen tanks.
What makes you think they all explode the same way? There may be several types of failures, and an infinite range of external circumstances.

Would you watch a single video of a car crash to make conclusions about car crashes?
 
  • #11
Cobul said:
I read news about LPG tank exploding when the contents leak out and collected at floor and touch something with flame. It is the contents that explode.
What is it with “explosions”. Why do you read and imagine it so wrong. The fuel gas tank leaked into the enclosed space where the fuel was mixed with air containing oxygen. When the mix was ignited it exploded and set fire to what remained of the building.

The tank may then have been heated by the fire. The tank should have blown out the fusible plug and allowed the remaining contents to burn at a controlled rate. If that did not happen then the tank would be weakened by the heat, so the rising pressure would have suddenly split the wall causing a fireball. The tank would not fragment, a short straight line would simply rip through the sheet metal.

Cobul said:
Anyway. How does a propane tank or LPG (Liquified Petrolium Gas) tank explosion differ to oxygen tank explosion?
Neither tank should explode. The tank should release the contents at a controlled rate. The fuel gas would burn at a controlled rate as it mixed with air. The oxygen released would increase the heat generated by the existing local fire.
 
  • #12
Cobul said:
No single video of the actual tank exploding? Not even in universities educational aid?

May i suggest that you go to the classic mythbusters episodes on exploding water heater tanks. Actually they had lots of slow mo explosions of everything. Not a lot of science but unparalleled television.
 
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Thread closed temporarily for Moderation...
 
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We think the OP's main question(s) have been answered well. Thread will remain closed. Thank you everybody for contributing.
 
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