Exploding Argon Cylinder

[Theland1]

Todays news, a man died and others injured after an argon cylinder exploded in a factory near Welwyn Garden City.
How could it explode? I thought argon was inert?

[redcrx]

perhaps pressure caused it to explode or a tank cracked in a fire.

it is inert but can suffocate

[Teddio]

Argon is an inert gas. If a cylinder containing high pressure argon was faulty or was heated, the cylinder could explode. A fully charged cylinder contains gas a typical pressure of 3000 psi, that's over a ton of force per square inch.

[Theland1]

My son is an apprentice sheet metal worker, and uses argon arc welding daily, hence my concern.
I have used it myself years ago, although any welding I've done in recent years has been stick.
A damaged bottle seems to be the answer, releasing high pressure, but not an explosive flame as was the inference from the reports.

[flydia]

I work for Air Liquide Gas. This is a super rare thing to happen your welder son need not worry. Argon is inert and so is not flammable.

I would imagine that the cylinder must have had a faulty valve. The valve is the only vulnerable part of the bottle. Having said this, the valves are very strong and are designed to withstand misuse/fire etc. All gas suppliers have to send cylinders regularly for rigorous testing procedures.

This kind of thing almost never happens. But it shows that it is best to treat all gas cylinders with respect - not just the poisonous and flammable ones.

[BillyBB]

If the whole cyl is heated in a fire the safety plug should blow preventing the main body from breaking apart. Localised extreme heat from welding could cause a fracture but this would really only be down to human error.
Perhaps rare manufacturing fault or a major impact?

[theprof]

Yes, undoubtedly this was either attributable to heat or a faulty valve.

In my laboratories, most gases are piped directly from a central source just like oxygen and nitrous oxide in hospitals. When we need Argon, it's always from a cylinder assembly. If you ensure that these cylinders are kept well away from a heat source, as per H&S requirements that impinge upon every workers job nowadays, the only other cause must be a faulty valve,

I doubt very much that a damaged cylinder would have been refilled, so I agree with flydia.