Acetylene’s flammability is its essential value to the welding industry. But it also creates safe handling concerns. To stabilize the acetylene and reduce the potential for “flashback” ignition of the tank, acetylene cylinders are fitted with a solid binding medium containing as much as six gallons of acetone (C3H6O) , which controls decomposition by reducing dissolved oxygen levels. This solvent is considered crucial to the safe operation of acetylene cylinders. Over time and multiple re-fillings, a given acetylene tank cylinder will eventually fail to pass requalification and must be properly disposed of. In the past, this has meant that the metal shell, the residual acetylene gas and acetone are all either sent to a landfill or stockpiled on the owners’ site. This latter option raises risks of leakage and soil leaching, human injury and other HSE issues for the site owner. And the drawbacks to landfilling include the material waste of burying large amounts of recyclable aluminum or steel and the risks of leakage, environmental damage and subsequent liability. Acetone is a common solvent used in a wide range of household and industrial products from fingernail polish remover to detergents. Acetone is considered a VOC and according to the National Institutes of Health,1 breathing moderate-to-high levels of acetone for short periods of time can cause nose, throat, lung, and eye irritation. It can also cause intoxication, headaches, fatigue, stupor, light-headedness, dizziness, confusion, increased pulse rate, nausea, vomiting, and shortening of the menstrual cycle in women. Human exposure to acetone can occur via contaminated drinking water or food and by living near a landfill site or other facility that releases acetone emissions.
On Feb 3, 2010, at 1:05 PM, Don Arburn wrote: > These cylinders contain Acetylene under pressure, are painted black, ( small > "B" and "MC" tanks can be gray, silver or red ) made of steel and have > cylinder valves. They range in size from 10 to almost 400 cuft capacity. The > cylinders contain a porous filler material which is wetted with acetone that > allows the Acetylene to safely be contained in the cylinder at 250 psig. > Always use an Acetylene cylinder in the up right position so you don't draw > any of the acetone out of the tank. Only open the cylinder valve 1 to 1 1/2 > turns, leaving the valve wrench on the valve in the event it has to be shut > off quickly. Acetylene should never be used at a pressure that exceeds 15 > psig as it becomes highly unstable which, depending on the condition, could > cause it to decompose and explode. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
