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Old 03-31-2011, 12:54 AM   #7 (permalink)
cfg83
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Thymeclock -

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thymeclock View Post
They weigh quite a lot, as a steel tank used for compressed air or gas needs to be substantial enough not to rupture.

No, tanks don't explode. Within their rated standard they are very safe. At worst if they do fail it is "gracefully" from rust and end up with a small leak - often in the form of pinhole corrosion, due to condensed moisture present from the compressed air in the tank.
I saw a video of a car that ran on 100% hydrogen where the tank was deliberately breached in a staged accident. It didn't explode. Instead, the hydrogen shot out like a blowtorch, maybe 1 foot long if I remember correctly. If the breach was in your direction, you would be toast. Otherwise the flame would burn itself out ASAP.

CarloSW2
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