Causes of Cooking Gas (LPG) Cylinder Explosion

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  • Author: Muyiwa Ige(LPG Stakeholder and Consultant)

Overfilling Camp Gas Cylinders

It is very possible to fill 3kg, 5kg, 6kg, 10kg and 12.5kg camp gas cylinders to their maximum capacities of 3.5kg, 6kg, 7.1kg, 11.2kg and 13.5kg of LPG, respectively.

But the vital reason a cooking gas cylinder must not be filled to its maximum capacity is that some space above the liquefied petroleum gas (liquid state) must be reserved for the expansion of LPG vapor( gaseous state), which occurs when the ambient temperature increases.

In essence, a 3kg camp gas cylinder filled to its maximum capacity of 3.5kg, will have no space for this vapor expansion, which occurs when the surrounding temperature rises. And because camp gas cylinders are not equipped with a safety device known as the pressure relief valve(PRV), which relieves the pressure of a gas cylinder when it builds up to a level that exceeds the design pressure of a cylinder, an explosion is the inevitable outcome of overfilling such cylinders.

Old, substandard and fake camp gas cylinders are the most vulnerable to explosion.

Desist from overfilling your cylinders, and also from using old, substandard and fake camp gas cylinders, to substantially mitigate the risk of explosion.

Overfilling LPG Cylinders equipped with Pressure Relief Valves (PRV)

Standard, Util, Nido and Cut valve-type cylinders that are equipped with pressure relief valves(PRV) can equally explode, if the ambient temperature increases very rabidly such that the pressure inside the cylinder quickly builds up and exceeds the pressure rating value of the pressure relief valve(PRV).

Overfilling a cylinder increases the likelihood of such a catastrophic occurrence.

Gas Leakage

Uncontrolled leakage of gas from the body of a LPG cylinder, valve, regulator, hose or from the gas cooker, that results in the formation of a gas-air mixture within the flammability range, when ignited by any ignition source, will cause an explosion of any filled cooking gas (LPG) cylinder around the immediate vicinity.

This is as a result of the rapid increase in the ambient temperature which forces the vapor pressure in the cylinders to skyrocket and exceed the cylinder’s design pressure/pressure relief valve’s pressure rating.

Slamming a filled cooking gas cylinder on a hard floor

Slamming an old, substandard or fake cylinder filled with LPG on a hard surface, may result in an explosion, if the cylinder ruptures at the point of impact with the hard surface.

The impact will cause a spark, which will ignite the spilled LPG and result in an explosion.

Similarly, the pressure inside an overfilled gas cylinder that is slammed on a hard surface will make the vapor pressure of the LPG in the cylinder to rise sharply.

Factors such as the tensile strength of the cylinder, quality of the valve and presence/quality of the pressure relief valve(PRV), will determine whether an explosion will occur or not.

Closing Prayer

You will not land in the Burns Unit of the hospital or exit planet earth in disastrous style via LPG (Cooking Gas) cylinder explosion in Jesus name. Amen.