FIRST: RIP and Prayers to the truck driver and three (3) citizens who lost their lives in this event. We wish a full and speedy recovery to the 17 that we seriously injured, five (5) of whom have life-threatening injuries.
This week, we saw a catastrophic failure of an LPG tanker truck in Chile (see video below). This video, ever how unfortunate the event was, is a TEACHABLE moment for those who work with or around LPG or respond to LPG events.
News Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34VG-8H2uoc
NOTE: this was NOT a BLEVE; this was just a good old fashion catastrophic failure of a pressure vessel containing a Liquefied gas under pressure that was also a Flammable Gas.
When we discuss Vapor Pressure, Boiling Point, and Expansion Ratio… sit up and pay attention!
Here are three (3) critical data points regarding LPG.
LPG boils at around -40°F
The VP of LPG is 7,200 mm Hg (at 70°F); compare that to water’s VP at 70°F of around 22 mm Hg
The expansion ratio of LPG is 270:1, meaning 1 container of liquid will make 270 containers of the same size in gas
Let’s see what this looks like once its container is breached