Corrosion induced failure of gas cylinder–two case studies

Abstract

Small gas cylinders (SGC) are convenient and common types of vessels for various gas storage, from home to laboratories, various shops, and medical institutions. Improper use and regular maintenance of SGC can lead to catastrophic failures or gas storage ability loss. The analysis of corrosion-induced failures is an important object of study and always a valuable resource of common knowledge. This paper analyzes two SGC failures, one with a catastrophic burst and the second one, the leakage of gas through the wall. The failure analysis for both cases will be presented briefly and followed by the root cause failure analysis. The authors will present the suggested remedy for the prevention of failures. For both case studies, failure was triggered by corrosion, which will be discussed based on the presented results. Procedures of regular maintenance and inspection will be discussed, too.