Will it burst?

[Todd B]

I agree with Ed.

 

I wonder what would happen if you shot a 30-06 at one of them? 

 

Several years ago my buddy had a 100# cylinder in the bed of his truck that the valve was open and the tank was empty.  He asked me to help him remove the valve because he wanted the tank for a spare air tank.  He bear hugged the tank as it was laying flat on the truck bed and I used a 12" cresent wrench to spin off the valve.   Not sure how we did not get hurt but when the valve came loose it and the wrench flew out of my hands about 50' and the tank slammed into the front of his truck bed with unbelievable force and the tank started pissing gas out at a very high rate.  Both of us took off running like little school girls. 

 

I talked to the local LP delivery guy and he figures it was a bad valve and it really wasn't open. 

[Dan Hiebert]

I would like to have these open up, but I don't want it that bad. My neighbors already think I'm crazy, I don't need to prove it.

 

 

Life's no fun if you're not a little crazy.

Yeah - where's the fun in that?  (not proving it)

[whtbaron]

IMG_3130.JPGThermo says 13 above now. THE TANKS ARE SWELLING UP!  The curve at the top of the sides where it turns into ends is noticeably rounder and the tanks look a little bloated.  Still waiting.......................

 

With 19 degrees of frost, anything that was going to freeze is probably solid now. That's probably all you're going to get unless you put them on the barbeque next...

[Niel Hoback]

What will happen when it thaws? Tomorrow we will be above freezing. I may pull the plugs and top them off with more water. I know they are frozen to the ground right now and won't thaw much at all. What will happen if I leave them sealed and warm them up to thaw completely?

[TodFitch]

What will happen if I leave them sealed and warm them up to thaw completely?

My guess is that they will have a vacuum in them not exceeding 14.7 psi. Since that probably is not enough to cause any part of the tank(s) to collapse, I'd not expect any visible changes on the outside.

 

If you open them thawed and add more water to take up the slightly expanded volume cause by the previous freeze and then seal and freeze them again they will probably bulge more. Eventually, with enough cycles of freeze/thaw with water added on each thaw, the tanks will fail.

[Don Coatney]

What will happen when it thaws? Tomorrow we will be above freezing. I may pull the plugs and top them off with more water. I know they are frozen to the ground right now and won't thaw much at all. What will happen if I leave them sealed and warm them up to thaw completely?

Water is different than most compounds. It expands when heated and it expands when frozen but is most compact in the liquid state.

[Niel Hoback]

That's what I think too. I don't think the freeze/thaw cycle will have the temperature range to completely thaw them in a day or two. We'll get about 36 hours above freezing and then back in the teens. They are frozen to the ground and quite heavy or I could put them in the basement. Too much like work. I don't do work.

[Don Coatney]

You could completely saturate the tank with water as it is non compressible. Install a grease zerk in the pipe plug and use a grease gun to pressurize the tank. Some grease guns have an output of close to 15,000 PSI. However remember that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The tank may land in timbucktoo or in smithereens. 

[Plymouthy Adams]

a good whack with an axe to the side of the tank at this time seems more appropriate..or let them thaw and allow high velocity round smack into them....just to destroy is easy..but I see the fun in seeing if they will freeze...if not failed by spring thaw, remove the plug and drop them off...

[Niel Hoback]

I'm beginning to think there will never be violent opening, just a slow split. The one I cut apart was to hard to cut with an axe. It's quite hard steel, doesn't bend easily, I couldn't get it to break by bending it. Think I'll wait till spring. If it melts any, I will put in more water.

[austinsailor]

Some places that fill tanks will take them.

If you are determined to burst it, it'll take several freeze/thaw cycles to do

It. It'll just split, not explode. And I've had heavier containers burst from this.

But, be careful. Any spark - like from that axe, could cause an explosion. They are dangerous.

[Niel Hoback]

This just in;  After 24 hours above freezing, one tank split open across the top. All of them are swollen up pretty good but only split. The metal at the crack is considerably thinner than what I saw on the sides of the one I cut open. Temps will be in the single digits tomorrow night and a couple of days after.  BTW, I didn't hear a thing.

[Ulu]

I followed one of these down highway 99.

 

This guy lost a whole propane barbecue off the back of his truck.

 

The hose snapped off and this cylinder just bounced down the highway like a rubber ball until it landed in a ditch.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Niel Hoback, on 15 Jan 2016 - 12:28 PM, said:

This just in;  After 24 hours above freezing, one tank split open across the top. All of them are swollen up pretty good but only split. The metal at the crack is considerably thinner than what I saw on the sides of the one I cut open. Temps will be in the single digits tomorrow night and a couple of days after.  BTW, I didn't hear a thing.

POP goes the weasel....the whole family is going down...in time!

[Niel Hoback]

Single digits for 24 hours, no change. I don't get it.