Why we don’t store acetylene in a closed up vehicle!

This was an incident in Newcastle, Australia that happened on September29, 2003. A fitter with a works van left an E size Oxygen and Acetylene cylinder on the back seat of a Toyota dual cab over the weekend. The Acetylene cylinder must not have fully closed and a small leak occurred.

Over the weekend the Acetylene had accumulated in the van. On Monday morning the fitter approached the van and opened the door, a large explosion took place.

Acertylene IncidentWe believe the ignition could have been caused by either the internal light, the automatic door control or by a mobile phone which was on the front seat of the van. The fellow was also a smoker.

He has damage to his ear drums and facial damage..a very very lucky guy!

What Makes Acetylene so Bad!
FLAMMABILITY LIMITS
(% by volume in air):
Lower: 2.5, Upper: 100
( an extremely wide range!)

NFPA RATINGS
Health 1; Flammability 4; Reactivity 3

Use or store only in a well-ventilated area.
(inside of the truck is not well ventilated)

More information on Welding, Cutting and Brazing Hazards