CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles [Merged]

[larrycng]

About 5pm this afternoon there was an explosion, in Pasadena, Ca. while a CNG Linnen delivery truck was being refueled. Three people were injured, one seriously with lower extrementy injuries.

There was very little information given on the TV report. The film showed a cylinder, black in color, laying on a sidewalk which appeared to be across the street.

That is all the information I have at this time. The station is www.abc7.com and then check for the Pasadena explosion. The company is Linn an industrial laundry company.

Lets all be careful and have our systems safety checked regularly

Larrycng

[freedml]

Re: another CNG incident

Just watched the story. A tank which looks to be in the 8-10 gge range was blown high in the air and across a busy street, landing about 150' away. Not too many other details. Two seriously injured, one not seriously injured.

[Curtis]

CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles

I just saw on the 10pm news that a California Linen Services delivery van had a tank blow while refueling. No one died but 2 were injured, one very seriously. The news reported that the company has been using cng in their fleet since 1973 without incident.

The vehicles are UPS style, medium duty, delivery vehicles that appear to be fairly old from what I could see on the report. They showed another of the vehicles and the tanks were mounted underneath the sides of the vehicle and were clearly not shielded.

I suspect that this will come back to a damaged, possibly even expired tank. It's unfortunate that these events occur. As with other such tank failures in recent history, the majority in work vehicles, it has been a case of failure to have the tanks inspected for damage, usually caused by a caustic substance damaging the tank.

I doubt that the tank placement, assuming it's the same in the vehicle in question as it was in the one they showed on TV, that that would be the case here. Perhaps road debris could have been the culprit, since the tank was fully exposed to anything thrown up underneath the vehicle.

I'm sure we'll get the full details over the next few days and weeks.

[cnghal]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles

Curtis,
Thanks for the heads up. I wonder if anyone we know will be investigating this.
Here's the story with video:
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/lo...-Building.html

Wow!!!!!!

[ijustride]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles

Jeez, that's right by me! Just a few blocks up the road. Hope they're ok.

[freedml]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles [Merged]

3 injured total, two in the hospital, one critical

[smwalker]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles [Merged]

Will there be any report made public on this event? Is there usually? Is there a way the public can get the results of the investigation?

Thanks

[freedml]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles [Merged]

NHTSA will almost certainly put out a report in 6+ months.

[afvman]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles [Merged]

Larry/cng et al,

Usually, CVEF will get involved on behalf of the industry and send in an investigator. We'll see.

If Curtis is right (1973???) and it's the original installation, it's gotta' be out of date???

I wonder if it's an EDO???

afvman/Bill

[OhMyGas]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles [Merged]

would it make sense to include the tank inspection as part of a car's registration renewal?
Just like a smog-check in CA? the smog-check is every other year and the tank inspection would be every 3 years - without a valid inspection, no registration.

[larrycng]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles [Merged]

Bill, you and I are thinking along the same lines, from the shape of the dome and end boss I would agree EDO. I thought they were phased out a long time ago except for the one I had at the college (I think it expires this year). As of about 18 months ago LAMTA was still running some of the EDO's in Division 8 in the San Fernando Valley -- and they had the metal heat conducting straps!

I wounder when they were last inspected?

Larrycng

[Highmarker]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles [Merged]

I would have to agree on the EDO identification of the tank. It definitely looks like a Type IV and not Lincoln.

[Franz]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles [Merged]

Hmm, an EDO tank? A UPS type vehicle? Putting two and two together, I feel this is a surplus UPS vehicle circa around 1997, when UPS was using EDO tanks. This is about the time EDO had their most failures and were pulled. At one time, UPS was a major user of the EDO cylinders.

Gut feeling tells me that this MIGHT be a refurbished UPS vehicle that MIGHT have been either wrecked and rebuilt, or was missed in the recall.

I remember that this EDO situation in 1997'ish almost shifted UPS away from alt fuels altogether.

If anyone gets a close look at the truck, see if there is any brown paint anywhere!

Franz

[rellimr]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles [Merged]

Does anyone know for sure if this a Type IV tank? From the picture I saw on the Star News website it looked a bit like a Type III - hard to tell for sure.

If it is truly an old EDO tank then it is Type IV for sure - can anyone verify if it is an EDO, or a Lincoln (from before they had their aluminum tube stuff perfected).

[cowboy]

Re: CNG Tank Failure in Los Angeles [Merged]

am I missing something the tank landed across the street ? If parts of the tank landed across the street I could understand. but the whole tank must not have been mounted well as the mounting gave up. I know there is a lot of power stored in the tank but this is why we biuld heavy mounting brackets and bolt them to the frame .