A fire protection system using Halon (a liquefied gas fire extinguishing agent) was being inspected. As part of the system inspection, two employees were moving a Halon cylinder to be weighed on a portable scale. The cylinder was dropped and its top valve hit a concrete platform. The impact of the cylinder valve on the concrete caused the threads on the screw connection which held the valve on the cylinder to fail, resulting in complete separation of the valve from the cylinder. The cylinder’s internal pressure was 600 psig (~ 41 bar). The combination of pressure and size of the cylinder hole caused the cylinder to discharge its contents rapidly, and it flew through the air like a rocket!
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Thanks for the share DH!
