Blown up compressor tank
- Thread starter gearhead9056
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rlitman
Well-known member
Yikes. Especially that third picture where "top" was to the left. 
I seem to notice a theme to these compressor blew up threads. They're all horizontal tanks. Water collects at the tank bottom, and seems to make them start a failure at a weld in this wet (and therefore corroded thinner) part, which unzips the seams;either the long seam, or the bell end seam(s), or perhaps both. I have not seen a similar failure of a vertical tank. I suspect that is because water would only be collected by one bell end, and no welds would spend substantial time underwater...
I seem to notice a theme to these compressor blew up threads. They're all horizontal tanks. Water collects at the tank bottom, and seems to make them start a failure at a weld in this wet (and therefore corroded thinner) part, which unzips the seams;either the long seam, or the bell end seam(s), or perhaps both. I have not seen a similar failure of a vertical tank. I suspect that is because water would only be collected by one bell end, and no welds would spend substantial time underwater...
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
that's terrifying. I hate having my compressor (a 60gal vertical) running in the garage, but there's no other place to put it. Threads like these make me want to build a concrete room just for the compressor.
Dragster Racer
Well-known member
This is true. However, it is unlikely you will see this in any residential or even small industrial receivers. It's an expensive process. Half of the air receivers I inspected at our plant this year were coated and the others not. the coated ones look better, but coatings that are applied like these have to be are prone to failure. Takes without manways are even more difficult to apply to correctly.
Horizontal vessels are inherently more difficult to drain properly. They have to be leveled in a way that allows the low point to be at the drain, and this is often not the case.
There is a lot of speculation, which is about all that can be done. I didn't see much detail in pictures in needed areas. Generally you need a pretty significant amount of corrosion to thin a vessel enough to fail. You can get pin holes/spalling which can affect it. But it's hard to believe that one with little corrosion would zipper.
Over pressurized? Could be. The failure area would have looked this way at just about any air compressor pressure. I struggle to think that the relief valve being small would have been the issue. Usually Mother Nature helps protect you in these cases. The pump keeps running, and the relief keeps it running longer. The longer it runs, the hotter the pump gets and it loses efficiency....which means it can't pump to as high of a pressure. With the fairly large pump on a fairly small vessel, it may have been able to do it, and the extra heat in the compressed air could further weaken the vessel. Maybe. But again this is speculation.
I don't have anything that I can see that supports this, but I would guess manufacturing flaw. The heat affected zone was mentioned earlier. Generally a vessel that is in good condition will fail around a weld if not at the weld. Like getting hit by lightning, your chances of seeing this failure are slim and I would certainly not stay up nights worrying about it. Thank God the damage was limited to things that are not people.
I am a degreed Mechanical Engineer with 20+ years of experience and am working as a Mechanical Integrity engineer for a large company....arranging and evaluating piping and pressure vessel inspections. You don't see pressure vessels come apart maybe ever in your career. That's what you look to avoid. Of course our pressure vessels are several stories high and much higher pressure.....with hydrogen!
Dragster Racer
Well-known member
While precautions are always a good idea, we need to keep some perspective when it comes to these things. Of all the air compressors in all sorts of conditions you have seen in all the shops you have been in......how many failures have you seen?
On the other hand, how many people do you know that have been injured in an auto accident? How many people have you known that have died from heart related issues or cancer? It's important in life to look at all of life's risks and evaluate which are the ones most likely to get ya. Decide what you are willing to do about the big ones, and do it. The extra 15 lbs I am carrying and my drive to work on a curvy road are much riskier than my home air compressor. My hands stay away from my cell phone when driving, and I wear my safety belt always. I really need to be willing to eat less and exercise more. Those are the things most likely to get me. Now if a certain brand was failing regularly, then that would certainly be high on the list.
Cheap insurance at twice the price: http://www.surpluscenter.com/Air-Pn...f-Valves/125SS-2-100-1-4-SAFETY-VALVE-432.axd
Denwood
Well-known member
I had to replace one 20 gallon tank after 15yrs or so due to rust. It failed gently, rust pin hole right near the drain.
Working beside compressors has always made me a bit nervous, so I moved my 20 and 60 gallon compressor system into an adjoining shed. It's much quieter, and likely a lot safer if one of them goes up.
Working beside compressors has always made me a bit nervous, so I moved my 20 and 60 gallon compressor system into an adjoining shed. It's much quieter, and likely a lot safer if one of them goes up.
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
You're overlooking auto igniton from compression. Either way, the amount of vaporized oil compared to the amount of oxygen in the reciever makes combustion all but impossible. There's simply just not enough fuel for the amount of oxygen. I don't care what OSHA determined.
BTW, ALL oil lubed compressors have some oil in the receiver...
Tommy
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smalltown
Well-known member
Just when I thought I had enough to worry about. Getting close to wiring up my Husky 60 gallon vertical compressor.
my new cheap dewalt 30 gallon, made by Mat industries, has a 10 year rating on it. The crapsman oiless it replaced had to be that old or older but I don't remember any time rating on it.
I never looked at a compressor thinking it could do so much damage, but I should. I'm used to seeing idiots with pressurized tanks from dealing with nitrous and racing. Too many will heat the 10-20 lb cylinders with a torch and they are all ready at 800-1100 psi. I try to avoid them at all cost. I've seen a few pop the relief valve and the results of one exploding, killing the person filling it. I never thought a much lower psi tank would do what the one pictured did.
Ramblur
Well-known member
That's nuts. Was the blow off valve operating properly and this was normal operating pressure?
The story I got was the pressure switch failed and compressor kept running. Theoretically though I'm thinking you would need 3 failures to get to this point. Pressure switch,relief valve,and motor overload/ circuit breaker. I've gotta believe that rust and a chinese made tank are contributing factors.
myredracer
Well-known member
I see this is an old thread. Some said that there could not have been a fuel mixture inside the receiver that could explode but this info. from Worksafe (workers comp.) in Australia says it can happen. They state that sparks can be carried into the tank. http://psc.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/Alerts.pdf Not sure where sparks would come from?
According to this forensic investigation site, rust is the usual cause. https://sites.google.com/site/metropolitanforensics/cause-of-explosion-of-air-compressor-tanks
A lot of guesswork as to causes on these occurences. A common thread seems to be horizontal tanks. Maybe they inherently don't drain well and should be raised at one end?
I thought there was a safety standard compliance requirement for air compressor tanks and a label on it? I bought a new 20 gallon upright Chinese compressor about a dozen years ago at an auction. Looked pretty nice but I did not have time to inspect it closely. Got it home only to find out that there were NO safety standard labels on it - CSA, ASME, ASTM or anything else. Didn't take long for it to break and I ended up scrapping it. I guess the first thing is make sure it has a safety certification label on it before you buy or use.
Is there anything that can be done to the inside of a tank like drying it out and rinsing the inside with some kind of rust converter or something else so the bottom gets some protection?
A local metal recycler has an acetylene tank at their main entry. It had ruptured and the thick wall of the tank around the top is peeled back like a beer can. I will have to take a pic of it the next time I am there.
According to this forensic investigation site, rust is the usual cause. https://sites.google.com/site/metropolitanforensics/cause-of-explosion-of-air-compressor-tanks
A lot of guesswork as to causes on these occurences. A common thread seems to be horizontal tanks. Maybe they inherently don't drain well and should be raised at one end?
I thought there was a safety standard compliance requirement for air compressor tanks and a label on it? I bought a new 20 gallon upright Chinese compressor about a dozen years ago at an auction. Looked pretty nice but I did not have time to inspect it closely. Got it home only to find out that there were NO safety standard labels on it - CSA, ASME, ASTM or anything else. Didn't take long for it to break and I ended up scrapping it. I guess the first thing is make sure it has a safety certification label on it before you buy or use.
Is there anything that can be done to the inside of a tank like drying it out and rinsing the inside with some kind of rust converter or something else so the bottom gets some protection?
A local metal recycler has an acetylene tank at their main entry. It had ruptured and the thick wall of the tank around the top is peeled back like a beer can. I will have to take a pic of it the next time I am there.
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I'm glad my compressor is in the back room. The corner it sits in are block walls so they should capture and redirect any force to the back side of the garage where nobody would be working.
mjoekingz28
Well-known member
Yes, and a cover so it doesnt get dirty from dust....also a remote drain so you pretty much only have to look at it is when it needs oil or an air filter, and then you go in with goggles and a hardhat (or motorcycle full-face helmet)
Dan in Pasadena
Well-known member
What I noticed is no mentioned until post #54 that this could have cause DEATH. Those are some sobering photos.
I have a vertical 60 gallon Harbor Freight I bought used. I LOOKS to be in good condition but f course now I'm feeling like a fool to have bought a used one! Maybe go buy a boroscope to have a look inside.
Personally, I've never trusted machinery much. I hope for the best, but I plan for the worst.
I have a vertical 60 gallon Harbor Freight I bought used. I LOOKS to be in good condition but f course now I'm feeling like a fool to have bought a used one! Maybe go buy a boroscope to have a look inside.
Personally, I've never trusted machinery much. I hope for the best, but I plan for the worst.
But you forgot steel toed boots and ear protection and body armor and secondary blast shield and and and and maybe even a respirator in case the explosion ***** all the oxygen out of the air and you breath in vaporized rusty oil. OMG, maybe everyone should buy a ROV to complete inspections or maybe even not have a compressor, ya that's the ticket, no one should buy a compressor cause it might kilz ya.
99LeCouch
Well-known member
I'll have to check out my Porter Cable clone of yours for the time rating. Where on the tank was that?
Scary stuff. Thanks for the reminder that I'm being safe and not paranoid for powering off and draining mine between uses!
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
I drain mine every time I shut it down and then again the next time I'm in the garage after it has cooled, but I leave it charged. My thoughts (worthless as they may be) is a compressor receiver is much more likely to fail as it's reaching it's peak pressure during a run cycle than when it is sitting turned off, especially if it loses a little pressure when idle.
Tommy
Tommy
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kaymccampbell
Well-known member
Most compressor incidents require a perfect storm of failures. The pressure switch needs to fail on. The over pressure valve needs to fail to closed. And the breaker needs to not blow when the motor is near meltdown from driving ridiculous pressures. In my youth a local gas station lost all the glass and had many of the tin panels knocked off when their compressor popped in the dark of the night. Now I knew how that one happened as a friend pumped gas there. The compressor was a huge old Wayne about 200 gallons from the 40's. The mechanic was hurrying a side job, so he could get it out before the owner showed up the next day. The blowoff valve had been giving trouble, so the compressor was running constantly. Running so much it had popped a few fuses. The pressure switch was iffy and sometimes required a little help from a screwdriver. Cheapness ran rampant there. The owner had bypassed the fuse box with a couple of pieces of copper pipe. Then the mechanic had tightened the blowoff down so it stopped leaking. The screwdriver was in place to help the pressure switch. Things were doing OK at 2AM when the mechanic finally got his side job done and went home. Neglecting to shut down the compressor. About 4 AM the compressor kicked in. The screwdriver shifted and the compressor kept kicking in. And the blowoff couldn't kick in. And when the motor was about to melt from driving against 300+ psi in the 20 yo tank, the fuses weren't there to blow. And the tank did. It made an amazing mess. I think everyone for 50 miles around drove by that gas station in the following week.
Moral of the story. Take care of your ****. If you have potentially dangerous equipment, test it frequently to make sure you don't wind up with a broken garage or worse. I don't know how many folks I've seen crank the blowoff valve down tighter when it starts to hiss, instead of investigating the cause.
Moral of the story. Take care of your ****. If you have potentially dangerous equipment, test it frequently to make sure you don't wind up with a broken garage or worse. I don't know how many folks I've seen crank the blowoff valve down tighter when it starts to hiss, instead of investigating the cause.
Cato
Well-known member
I didn't know compressor tanks could blow up - I assumed they had some safety feature to prevent that.
ishiboo
Well-known member
This is an old but important lesson.
Remember to be safe, use PVC air lines which will rupture at a lower PSI than the tank if the safety devices and pressure switch should fail.
Remember to be safe, use PVC air lines which will rupture at a lower PSI than the tank if the safety devices and pressure switch should fail.
forAK
Well-known member
WOW?! Was this a real post?
ishiboo
Well-known member
Yes. Real sarcasm.
forAK
Well-known member
Phew!! LMAO! New to this forum stuff.......
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
They do. There is an over pressure relief valve on them. These valves can seize up due to old age and and lack of testing. Or if they have tendency to pop easily, owners like to adjust them higher so they don't pop off, thus negating their safty value. In most owners manuals there are instructions on testing and maintenane of this important feature. How many of us have read that manual or done further research into that safety valve?
rayra
Well-known member
Looks pretty new for 17yrs, and oddly looks like the end cap welds gave way. Poor welds coupled with a sensor or relief failure?
Were any more details about the circumstances posted, I'm surry I just skimmed through several paves.
I only power mine while I'm using it, and I crack the bottom drain valve of my vertical tank so that it bleeds constantly. 5mins after I shut it down most of the pressure is gone. And the noise is minimal, compared to running the tools. And I never have to worry about draining it. But then I live in a dry semi-desert anyway
Were any more details about the circumstances posted, I'm surry I just skimmed through several paves.
I only power mine while I'm using it, and I crack the bottom drain valve of my vertical tank so that it bleeds constantly. 5mins after I shut it down most of the pressure is gone. And the noise is minimal, compared to running the tools. And I never have to worry about draining it. But then I live in a dry semi-desert anyway
Abeo
Well-known member
Rust WILL cause that. All it takes is a certain geometry of the rust, and it will rupture instead of leaking. Horizontal tanks are more prone to this.
This is for cracks, but the same is true for corrosion. Once the depth of the defect reaches the critical pressure (in this case, the operating pressure of the compressor), it's a matter of length, depth, and material properties (yield strength, toughness) that determines the failure mode (leak versus rupture).
lakeroadster
Well-known member
Some of the older tanks were made from materials that had very poor qualities at cold temperatures and were prone to brittle fractures, such as SA-216 and SA-515. That means if it does fail it can be catastrophic. Most of these materials have been eliminated.
Always look for an ASME stamp and data plate on any tank you purchase. If it doesn't have one, don't buy it.
http://www.inspection-for-industry.com/pressure-vessel-certification.html
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I'm probably splitting hairs but I notice the graph is for ERW seams. All of the compressor tanks I've seen have a visible, raised bead at the seam. Either way, thanks for posting the info.
My Old Tools
Well-known member
Metal fatigue from lots of cycles can cause it too. That's why SCUBA tanks and welding cylinders are pressure tested every 5 years.
Abeo
Well-known member
Yeah, low frequency ERW seam is most known for lack of fusion and fatigue cracking in pipelines. I didn't want to create a chart for this using company resources, so I just grabbed a publicly available chart to illustrate the effect of defect depth versus length.
Every receiver tank I've seen is SAW, which has better weld properties when welded right (no undercut, dry rods, no high/low mismatch, better material toughness and strength than the base metal). So the geometry of the corrosion area (outside of the weld) has more of an impact.
Falcon67
Well-known member
This. I have a 150 PSI blow off valve just downstream from the compressor. I leave the big gate valve at the compressor open all the time - if I close that, I shut the breaker off too. That only happens when we leave home for a while.
lakeroadster
Well-known member
Really?
Dry "Rods"?
Automated welding, sure.
Submerged Arc Welding on thin wall tanks, possible, but unlikely.
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Abeo
Well-known member
Really?
Dry "Rods"?
Automated welding, sure.
Submerged Arc Welding on thin wall tanks, possible, but unlikely.
My bad, was mixing terminology. I was getting at that it's unlikely that there is hydrogen embrittlement when welded right.
As for the process for welding tanks, I'm not sure what they use. But for pipelines, I've seen SAW down to 3 inch diameter, .125 wall (that's as small as I've assessed).
