• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Pneumatic Tips

Tips, Trends, Resources, News and Information

  • Pneumatics Blog
  • Industry News
  • Air Preparation
  • Engineering Basics
  • Equipment
    • Actuators
    • Cylinders
    • Fittings
    • Gears
    • Grippers
    • Pumps
    • Air Compressors
    • Tubing
    • Vacuums
    • Valves
  • Pressure Sensing
  • Design Guides
    • Design Guide Library
    • Electro-Pneumatic Regulator & Flow Controller Design
    • Hydraulic Cylinders
    • Hydraulic Filtration
    • Hydraulic Hose Assembly
    • Hydraulic Pumps
    • Pneumatic Actuators
    • Pressure Gauges
  • Videos
You are here: Home / Air Preparation / Compressed air fail: Safety hazard

Compressed air fail: Safety hazard

March 22, 2022 By Paul Heney 1 Comment

Share
Fig. 1. The potential energy released in a storage receiver failure can damage property and cause death to those close by to the explosion (Source www.potbergcompressors.co.za)

During a compressed air assessment, a service provider was reviewing the total capacity of the storage receivers for his report.  Having adequate capacity helps make the compressors run more efficiently and saves energy.  During his checks, he spotted a strange color on one receiver safety valve.  On closer inspection, he noticed that the pressure relief valve on the tank had been wrapped with electrical tape — preventing any air from escaping!

On further investigation, he was told that the valve was constantly blowing off and disturbing the nearby workers … so some employee took matters into their own hands and silenced the noise with tape. What they didn’t realize was in doing so they had created a huge safety risk.

Further checking of data captured during the assessment data logging showed that a malfunction of one of the compressors was causing the pressure to rise in an uncontrolled manner to very high levels, exceeding the rating of the storage receiver.  This was the reason the valve was blowing off. This safety issue was very quickly resolved and the employee disciplined.

Compressed air storage receiver failures can cause significant damage to property and death to those nearby due to the high potential energy released during a tank failure.  For this reason, stringent safely standards have been set in place in most areas of the world after enduring a significant number of deaths over the early years.

Some tips on receivers:

  • The storage tanks must meet local safety standards and be fitted with a properly sized pressure relief valve,
  • The PRV should be tested regularly,
  • The receivers should be inspected regularly for damage or corrosion,
  • All wet receivers should have a working condensate drain,
  • Receivers should be protected from contact with moving objects and machinery,
  • The operation of the air compressors should be checked to ensure proper pressure is maintained that is under the rating of the lowest rated storage tank, and
  • Outdoor storage tanks should not be used where temperatures can reach lower than their temperature rating as the steel will become brittle.

 

Filed Under: Air Preparation, Blog

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. William K. says

    April 14, 2022 at 8:35 pm

    The amount of energy stored in a compressed air tank is very great, The hazard from failure is rather understated in this article. Not just “death”, but an extremely violent death.
    I recommend redundant relief valves, and as an added precaution, selecting interconnection hoses with burst pressures less than the pressure tank maximum rating..

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Fluid Power World Digital Edition

Fluid Power World Digital EditionBrowse the most current issue of Fluid Power World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading design engineering magazine today.

RSS Featured White Papers

  • eBook: Practical Guide to Pneumatics
  • Saving energy and service cost with electric linear systems
  • White Paper-How to Design Efficient Pneumatic Systems!
Subscribe Today
Hose Assembly Tips

Follow Paul on Twitter

Tweets by @DW_Editor

Follow Mary on Twitter

Tweets by @DW_MaryGannon

Footer

Pneumatic Tips

Fluid Power World Network

  • Fluid Power World
  • Hose Assembly Tips
  • Mobile Hydraulic Tips
  • Sealing and Contamination Tips
  • Fluid Power Distributor Lookup

PNEUMATIC TIPS

  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • About us
Follow us on Twitter  Add us on Facebook  Follow us on LinkedIn  Follow us on YouTube  Follow us on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy