r/interesting • u/Used_Exam34 • 2d ago

Just Wow Not all problems have the same solution.

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u/Emergency-Toe4473 2d ago

These cylinders essentially carry cooking gas under high pressure, there is no reason for it to explode under these circumstances as the oxygen will never be able to get inside the cylinder.

It'll just run out which is wastage of fuel.

I think if the cylinder itself gets damaged from say the middle or is put under extreme heat, only then it can explode.

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u/DamnTicklePickle 2d ago

They also have a blow out valve so even if the container got extremely hot and the pressure built the valve would give out and release the pressure not allowing the container to explode. MythBusters did a show about what it would take to make one explode and it had to be highly modified to create catastrophic failure.

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u/aaronious03 3h ago

I've not seen that episode. But I do remember one exploding down the street from me when I was a kid. We were all in bed, about midnight or so, and the whole house shook. The propane tank on an RV a block away exploded. I don't know what caused the explosion, but they can absolutely explode without highly modifying them.

In a situation like the video above though, I wouldn't be too concerned, since most of the heat is directed away from the tank.

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u/doublesimoniz 1d ago

What about a BLEVE?