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“On the night of September 23, between 6 pm and 8 pm, there was only half a minute left in Kaunas before the powerful explosion. The family that went to buy a domestic gas cylinder with valves, which are mandatory since this year, almost fell victim. After removing the balloon and driving a few kilometers, a strong smell of gas spread through the cabin of the car, and a hiss was heard. When he pulled into the road, the family saw a leaking gas bottle in the trunk, which was clearly evaporating in their eyes.
When we urgently called the fire department, we learned that we were very lucky: half a minute, a sniff of another moving car and a powerful explosion would have been devastated. Fortunately, the isolation of the car was ordered, which prevented it from happening, ”the story was related. 15 minutes the reader who sent the letter to the editor.
VIDEO: He filmed a balloon that began to release gas during transportation.
According to him, firefighters said that this was the first case in Lithuania where a leak even occurred with valves, because such a strong leak was observed through them.
“It was also surprising that the balloon was transported in an orderly manner, it was supported so that it did not crush, but the accident could have become the cause of the disaster.” The firefighters themselves warned that it was necessary to inform people who use gas cylinders to carefully inspect the cylinder at the time of purchase, and to turn off the engine and disconnect the battery when they perceive the slightest odor.
Fire brigade: faulty fault
Kaunas Fire and Rescue Board 15 minutes confirmed that such an event had indeed occurred on September 23. 7 pm A message was received that the speaker had bought a gas cylinder and while driving in Kaunas on the Western Bypass, gas began to leak.
“People had bought a 50-liter cylinder of liquefied gas at the service station and the gas began to flow through the safety valve. The cylinder was lifted from the car, the battery was disconnected, he informed the Deguva company, which was he is in charge of the maintenance of the gas cylinders. Upon arrival, the employees of the gas company found that the balloon was defective, “said the comment of the Kaunas Fire and Rescue Board.
Same 15 minutes The Department of Fire Protection and Rescue also confirmed: “Upon the arrival of the employees of the gas company, it was established that the cylinder was defective, after the gas was detected in the car, the indicators did not detect the concentration of gas”.
Claims that unsafe transportation is the culprit
15 minutes contacted Dailius Šova, the boss of Deguva, a gas cylinder dealer mentioned by firefighters. This refuted the reader’s claim of a “leaking gas valve” or a comment from firefighters that the gas cylinder was defective.
“From what I have seen the conclusions of our commission, the comment would be the opposite. The safety valve is said to have tripped in this situation. This is an injustice. If the safety valve is disconnected, the gas cannot be stopped; it won’t close, it won’t do anything until the entire cylinder is empty. Could be terrible the amount of that gas. At the invitation of the fire department, our people discovered that the valve was closed. He turned around because the balloon was not operating according to the rules. He turned the wooden blocks over, the valve handle hitting a ledge, and he turned. This has happened more than once, but these situations are quite rare, “explained D. Shova.
When asked if the seller is obliged to explain to the buyer the rules for transporting a suitable gas bottle, he assured that he must not only explain, but give the instructions that are set out in the brochure each time. And was there any danger to people in this situation?
“Where there is gas, there will always be at least some danger. The danger arises when an explosive mixture of gas and oxygen is formed. In this case, a great odor spread. The odor is not due to the gas, but to the odor in gas. That smell always causes great fear in people. It can last 24 hours if it is not ventilated, and half a year if it comes out with microparticles of humid gas, especially if it falls on some soft material “, explained the interlocutor.
Broken do not sell
According to D.Shova, they have no right to sell defective gas cylinders. If any gas leak is observed during filling, the cylinder must be replaced.
“If something happened, for example, it fell during transport, we immediately ‘rejected’ those balloons. Of course, there are problems with the valves. Take it to the man, after a while he calls and says he allows the valve. Everything happens. Send a technician if you find a leak, screw on the balloon and replace it with another. As a result, the problem was raised in the Government. As a result, as of January 1 of this year, we began to replace the old valves with new ones with safety valves If a person comes with a balloon that has an old valve, we replace it with a new one with a valve.
This is necessary when there is a lot of pressure on the balloon, there is a risk of explosion, for example if the balloon is placed in the sun. The safety valve opens and releases the gas to prevent an explosion. In most cases, gas cylinders do not explode because of the technical condition, but because of the human factor, ”said D.Shova.
When asked how to deal with a terrible situation like the one described in this article, he suggested opening the trunk as soon as possible and lifting the gas cylinder outside.
You must explain the transportation rules.
Commenting on this situation, the Ministry of Energy assured that it is consistently implementing measures to improve the requirements for the operation and safety of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders. For example, in 2018, the procedures for periodic technical inspection of old cylinders were tightened, the periodicity of periodic technical inspections of old gas cylinders was reduced, and the life limit of old cylinders was set at 40 years. from the date of manufacture of the cylinder.
The Order of the Ministry of Energy of October 20, 2016 modified the rules for the operation of LPG equipment and provided that as of January 1, 2020 it is forbidden to fill LPG cylinders if the LPG cylinder (its valve) does not It has a safety device (valve) to avoid gas pressure in the LPG cylinder. rise above what is allowed. The adoption of this amendment provides for a three-year transition period to allow gas sellers to smoothly prepare for the new requirements.
Therefore, starting this year, all gas cylinders sold or refilled must have a safety valve. They are designed to protect the gas cylinder and the environment in which it is located from explosion in the event of fire, so that no other disaster will occur in such cases. However, the valves are not designed to protect LPG cylinders from gas leaks during transport, ”explained Alina Žilinaitė, chief communications specialist at the Ministry of Energy.
According to her, the rules for the operation of LPG installations stipulate the conditions that must be met when transporting gas cylinders in an individual vehicle. It is allowed to transport a maximum of 2 gas cylinders with a total capacity not exceeding 54 liters at a time.
“The cylinders must be blind, fixed in the car so that they do not move and protected from sunlight and rain. The seller who sells the gas cylinder must advise the consumer about the conditions of its transportation and storage, as well as provide him with the operating memory of the gas cylinder and a gasket for connecting the gas cylinder. The gas cylinder experts are being investigated by experts from the State Energy Regulatory Council (VERT). Therefore, to obtain more detailed information on the safety of gas cylinders and incidents, we recommend contacting VERT ”, explained the representative of the Ministry of Energy.
Every year around 50 points of sale are inspected
15 minutes the journalist also sent a request to said VERT. The Authority’s response indicates that the frequency of inspections of the outlets of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders to verify compliance with the established requirements and the quality of the gas sold and the compliance of the cylinders themselves with the technical requirements is not regulated by law.
Every year, VERT inspects around 50 trading venues, when cylinders are marketed, as well as the compliance of cylinders with technical requirements will be verified during planned and unscheduled inspections, inspections of cylinder fill points and investigation of complaints related to trade and use of cylinders.
In addition to VERT, the entities dedicated to the trade in cylinders are also inspected by the State Service for the Protection of Consumer Rights; In February this year, the forces of both institutions merged to inspect cylinder sellers: the State Tax Inspectorate, the Customs of the Republic of Lithuania, the Police Department and the Lithuanian Metrology Inspectorate.
According to representatives of VERT, the seller must give the buyer a souvenir of the operation of the gas cylinder with the specified details of the gas seller.
“In the event of an uncontrolled eruption of liquefied petroleum gas, there is a risk of explosion or ignition, danger to human life and health, destruction of property. The question of liability should be raised after an incident investigation. First of all, it is necessary to determine the cause of the gas eruption (cylinder, valve damage, operation, violation of transportation requirements, etc.). The incident is investigated accordingly: in case of fire, the incident is investigated by fire and rescue specialists, in the case of injured persons, by the police, if during transport, by transport safety specialists, VERT is evaluated from a technical point of view.
If it turns out that the cylinder was faulty, that is, the cylinder was not inspected, the body was damaged, etc., the responsibility lies with the cylinder filler and the seller, if the damage occurred during the operation (transportation) of the cylinder, the buyer (consumer). A technically sound cylinder with a technical inspection mark, operated in accordance with requirements, is safe and reliable, ”the council said in its response to the editorial board.
According to representatives of VERT, if a high temperature develops in the trunk of the car, the cylinder could heat up and the pressure could increase. In response to the increase in pressure, a safety valve (safety device) would release some of the gas into the environment, in this case the trunk of the car.
What to do in case of danger?
VERT representatives shared how to deal with a threat similar to the one in this story. If a gas leak is detected from the gas cylinder, the gas cylinder should be taken to a safe place (not less than 40 m from buildings, open fire sources, basements, wells, wells on the wind side) and the Gas should be gradually drained from the gas cylinder. If the gas cylinder is connected or its valve will not close, bend the hose behind the pressure regulator, cut it, remove the cylinder and discharge the gas as described above.
Photo by Alvydas Januševičius / Gas cylinder
In case of fire, bend the hose behind the pressure regulator and, after cutting it, take the gas cylinder out into the field.
If the gas cylinder valve nozzle and reducer connection are not leaking, close the valve and tighten the nut. If this does not eliminate the gas leak, the connection should be disassembled, the gasket inspected and replaced if necessary.
Every year, according to VERT, 3-4 balloon-related events happen. Most often, these are fires in which a balloon explodes, an uncontrolled gas eruption from the balloon occurs, ignition.
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