Scuba tank explosion - man loses hand

[mobeeno]

Any one hear any further details? Cause of the explosion and what kind of tank it was
Man loses hand in scuba tank explosion - Local News - News - General - Macleay Argus

 

[Gombessa]

Yikes. I'm sure we'll see some tank details come out eventually.

Btw, poor choice of words by Mr. Hitchins in that article?

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Wondered how long it would take for that to get posted. It will be interesting to see what impact this has on fills and Hydros. We are already required to have our tanks tested and stamped every year.

They check the hydro date stamp and can't fill them if they are out of test. You also can't get a fill without proving your certification.

Not enough places have the tanks sitting in a water trough while filling. I don't remember the setup at that location.. haven't dived with them in a while now.

I am sure we will hear all about it when we go to one of the LDS's we frequent... there will be a lot of speculation. What we have heard so far is that it was an alloy tank and the bottom blew out of it. Blew the windows out of the shop as well. Place is closed for the Workcover investigation. Murry is a decent guy.. shame to have this happen to anyone!

 

[sporket]

Well this is a first for me...........

 

[Sas]

Yea hope he recovers quickly. The tank was in test.

 

[Randy43068]

Yikes. I'm sure we'll see some tank details come out eventually.

Btw, poor choice of words by Mr. Hitchins in that article?

well at least he didn't say "on the other hand."

One exploding tank isn't likely to change the dive industry I'd think.

I wish him a speedy recovery and am dang sorry he lost his hand.

 

[Sas]

well at least he didn't say "on the other hand."

It was possibly a deliberate statement as a joke. Australians can have a warped sense of humor like that.

One exploding tank isn't likely to change the dive industry I'd think.

Well Workcover can be a PITA like that. Hydrostatic testing is required once a year to get fills in dive shops in Australia which I have heard is stricter than a lot of other places. What else increases filling safety that one might implement due to an accident like this? I don't know much about tank filling so was wondering.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

A water bath does not really do it, it just makes the resulting accident site wetter.

There are containment systems that can control and redirect the escaping gas in an explosion and contain any shrapnel, but they are spendy and slow down the tank fill process. Due to space considerations they also tend to reduce the number of tanks that can be filled at once.

One approach that works pretty well and is reasonably cost effective, but not always practical in some dive shops is to have the fill whips on one side of a block wall or piece of suitable steel plate and the fill valves and pressure gauges on the other. Then if a tank ruptures, no one will be in the direct path of the blast or fragments.

It is exceedingly rare (literally a several million to one occurence) for a properly hydro tested and visually inspected tank to fail at any pressure below the test pressure, so it will be interesting to hear what caused this tank to fail. My suspicion is that:

1. Someone screwed up in the hydro testing or visual inspection process, or
2. The tank was subjected to excessive heat - as in a fire or in a refinishing process involving heat over about 300 degrees F.

Number 2 is a subset of 1 as a refinsihed aluminum tank should always be considered suspect and the the owner questioned in detail about the refinishing process used. If any doubt exists, a new hydro test should be done.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

Correct me if I am wrong here. One post said the cylinder was in test. If they were doing a hydro shouldn't it be in a protective vault so to speak? I am familiar with 3 places that will do a hydro and they all use some sort of protective devices when doing a hydro. Yes I am actually asking you .. I wonder if there is a standard for that here vs there. Any thoughts?

A water bath does not really do it, it just makes the resulting accident site wetter.

There are containment systems that can control and redirect the escaping gas in an explosion and contain any shrapnel, but they are spendy and slow down the tank fill process and due to space considerations and they tend to reduce the number of tanks that can be filled at once.

One approach that works pretty well and is reasonably cost effective, but not always practical in some dive shops is to have the fill whips on one side of a block wall or piece of suitable steel plate and the fill valves and pressure gauges on the other. Then if a tank ruptures, no one will be in the direct path of the blast or fragments.

 

[Gombessa]

Correct me if I am wrong here. One post said the cylinder was in test. If they were doing a hydro shouldn't it be in a protective vault so to speak?

I read it to mean the hydro/viz was current and not expired. I don't think it meant the tank was in the midst of a hydro procedure.