Equipment Tank explodes killing one - Mauritius

[nadwidny]

Some years ago while diving in Costa Rica I poked around the compressor room of the dive op. I notice a few AL6351 cylinders. While they had a hydro they did not have a VE. While a DOT requirement I asked that while we were diving that those cylinders not be used. The dive op honored my request.

The point being that as customer it is worth poking around the compressor room of the dive op.

The danger is in the filling, not in the using.

 

[Scared Silly]

The danger is in the filling, not in the using.

By not used I meant not filled, not brought on the boat, etc. The point being that if used by others (not on our boat) and filled with a subsequent incident the fill station would be damaged. That would result in the diving being shut down. I didn't want our time there to be impacted.

 

[darkdelta]

Very curious about what comes from the investigation.

Cylinder explodes before the burst disc lets go? My guess, and it's only a guess, is the cylinder came apart, or the burst disc was replaced with something other than a burst disc. Again, only a guess.

 

[BoltSnap]

Cylinder explodes before the burst disc lets go? My guess, and it's only a guess, is the cylinder came apart, or the burst disc was replaced with something other than a burst disc. Again, only a guess.

Burst disc? In Mauritius? They don't require a burst disc in countries outside the US domain. Also, tanks explode long before the burst disc ruptures.

 

[Tracy]

Cylinder explodes before the burst disc lets go? My guess, and it's only a guess, is the cylinder came apart, or the burst disc was replaced with something other than a burst disc. Again, only a guess.

Only the US uses burst discs.

 

[Russjstewart]

Burst disc? In Mauritius? They don't require a burst disc in countries outside the US domain. Also, tanks explode long before the burst disc ruptures.

Australia and New Zealand use burst discs. There has been at least one incident in Australia where a tank “exploded” while being filled and it was below the fill pressure.

Aluminium tanks made of 6351 alloy could suffer from SLC or Sustained Load Cracking, around the neck One example cited exploded at approximately 1500-2000 psi.

Apparently Luxfer in the UK were still making tanks out of 6351 as late as 1994.

https://adas.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Work-Safe-NZ-safety-alert-scuba-cylinders-withdrawl.pdf

https://www.hawaii.edu/ehso/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Cracking-and-Ruptures-of-SCBA-and-SCUBA-Aluminum-Cylinders.pdf

https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/safety-alerts/safety-alerts/gas-cylinders-manufactured-from-aluminium-alloy-6351-t63

 

[Thunder Struck]

Article is light on details. Was this a partial pressure nitrox fill getting filled with 100% O2 or possibly a 6351 alloy cylinder that failed?

Mark Gresham of PSI-PCI made did an article about the 6351 cylinders. My takeaway was sure you can test and "certify" them, but at 36 years of age since last produced, you should have gotten your money's worth by now and should replace.

As if it never happened. The cleaning power of these PADI wipes.

 

[Russjstewart]

Article is light on details. Was this a partial pressure nitrox fill getting filled with 100% O2 or possibly a 6351 alloy cylinder that failed?

Mark Gresham of PSI-PCI made did an article about the 6351 cylinders. My takeaway was sure you can test and "certify" them, but at 36 years of age since last produced, you should have gotten your money's worth by now and should replace.


View attachment 894392

I know people who as recently as 5 or 6 years ago were complying bitterly about not being able to get 6351 alloy tanks filled.

I agree it could be partial pressure blending, but who knows how well testing standards for tanks are enforced in other countries. Another option is that someone decided to fill a tank that should have been sent to the scrap heap years ago and wasn’t.

Without more info the list of things that could have gone wrong is only limited to our imagination