Exploding Tank in Utila

[Blasto]

A 16 year old girl has died and this is the concern?

More people could have died if it was actually filled with O2.

 

[Bubblesong]

A 16 year old girl has died and this is the concern?

The only way to prevent more deaths is to learn how this happened and get the news agencies to broadcast accurate warnings about the risk; whether from aged, uninspected tanks, or whatever the exact circumstances were in this case.

 

[DogDiver]

Tanks in the bay islands are rarely hydro tested and almost never annual visual. DOT does not exist in Honduras. Most cylinders go to the scrap yard with the valves never removed from the born on date.

 

[CuzzA]

Tanks in the bay islands are rarely hydro tested and almost never annual visual. DOT does not exist in Honduras. Most cylinders go to the scrap yard with the valves never removed from the born on date.

Yeah, so probably original hydro and that valve has never been off the tank.

It's unfortunate for the young girl. She likely never even realized the bad situation she was in.

 

[KevinNM]

Tragic

But what happened to the burst disc?

Burst disks are only helpful where someone overfills the tank. Apparently they are sometimes useful in a fire too. Burst disks are a US thing anyhow, Euro tanks don't use them and yet you don't hear about exploding tanks very often from the UK, Germany or France. Apparently they are required in the US due to the part of the DOT that regulates scuba cylinders starting out way back when regulating steam engines and other high pressure boilers where over pressure releases are really useful.

This sounds like failure in service due to previous damage or corrosion, not the tank being overfilled. (It was clearly overfilled for the tanks current actual capacity, but probably not for the tanks rated capacity.) You also have to REALLY overfill AL80s to make them do that from what I have been told, or have a long history of doing that. I suspect it hasn't have a hydro in a while or a visual inspection either.

 

[TrimixToo]

Burst disks are only helpful where someone overfills the tank. Apparently they are sometimes useful in a fire too. <snip>

Burst discs on AL80s are useful in a fire if the tank is full. If it's partway full, the aluminum can weaken before the disc blows and the tank can rupture. The moral: Store your AL80s either full or almost empty (500PSI or less).

 

[pepperbelly]

Is that pitting on the interior walls?

 

[tridacna]

I'm going to guess that's 6531 and the tank was heat-treated in some way. Also, there is NO way that happened "on a boat". We'd be hearing about salvaging the wreck too.

 

[abnfrog]

is it me or do I see combustion ash on the valve ?.....since I teach vip id really like to know the details , but I really don't think we will ...........tanks in the islands are LUCKY to get a vip so im sure this tank was never hydro'd

 

[Charles2]

I'm going to guess that's 6531 and the tank was heat-treated in some way.

What is it that you see to make you think that? I couldn't make out the dates on the cylinder, nor could I see any evidence of overheating (not that I would know what to look for anyway). Thanks for your help.