Why Can't Acetylene Cylinders Be Used Up? Do You Know These 6 Reasons?

Acetylene is indispensable for hot work. How to use acetylene safely? Remember the following 6 reasons!

01

Why can’t acetylene cylinders be used up?

When the gas in the bottle is used up, the pressure in the bottle is balanced with the atmospheric pressure, and air can easily mix into the bottle to form a mixture of acetylene and air. The explosion limit of acetylene is 2.3%-100% (volume fraction). When the acetylene bottle mixed with air is sent for inflation, the high-pressure acetylene mixed with the air in the bottle is very likely to explode;

Acetylene is chemically unstable and prone to decomposition reactions. A slight amount of energy (such as impact and vibration) will cause decomposition and explosion. Even in the absence of oxygen or air or other combustion aids, pure acetylene will explode when pressurized to more than 0.2MPa. The acetylene bottle contains the solvent acetone. As the pressure of acetylene in the bottle decreases, the amount of solvent taken out of the bottle by acetylene gradually increases. If the acetylene is used up, the loss of solvent will increase, which will bring explosion risks during filling, transportation, storage and use.

02

Why can't acetylene cylinders be placed on insulating pads?

Placing acetylene cylinders on the ground can remove static electricity at any time. If placed on an insulating rubber pad, static electricity cannot be removed, and accumulation to a certain extent may generate static electricity sparks and cause explosions.

03

Why do acetylene cylinders have 2 pressure gauges?

The inlet end is a high pressure gauge, which measures the pressure in the bottle, and the value is relatively large (0-4MPa). The outlet end is a low pressure gauge, which measures the pressure of the cutter hose, and the value is relatively small (0-0.25MPa). When using, first open the cylinder valve two turns, then adjust the pressure reducing valve, and adjust the low pressure gauge to about 0.03MPa, which is enough for cutting 1 cm thick steel plates.

04

Why can’t acetylene cylinders be placed upside down?

Acetylene cylinders are filled with fillers and solvent acetone. When placed horizontally for use, acetone is easy to flow out with the acetylene gas, which not only increases acetone consumption, but also reduces the combustion temperature and affects the use. At the same time, it will cause backfire and cause the acetylene cylinder to explode;

Acetylene cylinders are prone to rolling and being hit when placed horizontally, leading to explosion accidents;

Acetylene cylinders are equipped with shockproof rubber rings to prevent collisions during loading, unloading, transportation and use. The rubber rings are insulating materials. Placing the acetylene cylinder horizontally is equivalent to placing the acetylene cylinder on an insulator, which prevents the static electricity on the cylinder from spreading to the ground and accumulates on the cylinder body, which is prone to generate static sparks. When acetylene leaks, it is very easy to cause an explosion accident.

The acetylene cylinder valve is equipped with a pressure reducer, flame arrester and connected with a hose. Since it is easy to roll when lying down, the pressure reducer, flame arrester or hose may be damaged or pulled off during rolling, resulting in acetylene leakage and combustion and explosion.

05

Why can't acetylene cylinders be exposed to sunlight?

During gas welding and gas cutting operations, acetylene cylinders and oxygen cylinders must not be exposed to the sun. Exposure to the sun can cause the pressure inside the cylinder to increase, which may cause the cylinder to explode.

06

Why can't acetylene come into contact with containers containing more than 70% copper for a long time?

When acetylene comes into contact with objects or valves containing more than 70% copper for a long time, a chemical reaction will occur to produce acetylene copper, which is a dangerous substance that is extremely flammable and explosive. Therefore, the acetylene usage specifications clearly stipulate that the copper content in containers, valves, pipes, etc. that are in long-term contact with acetylene cannot exceed 70%.