Saturday, September 7, 2013

Safety Tips In Handling Cylinder Valves

By Helene Norris


Tanks which are heavily walled with metals are used to store compressed gases. Cylinder valves are required for the regulation of pressure otherwise the highly flammable substances inside might cause accidents. Appropriate caution should be afforded and these steps will serve as a guide.

One must be prepared at all times for emergencies and this includes having safety equipment located in strategic places. Firefighting instruments as well as first aid kit must be readily available and kept in places where they can be easily reached. There should also be personnel available that have been well trained on their usage.

Be sure to understand how these objects work to be able to know what should be done in case there are disconnection or leaking. These are always connected only to those regulators or other equipment that are designed specifically for them. Because connecting these to the wrong instruments is not proper, there are however standard outlets could be used for different kinds of gas.

How to store and handle compressed elements are governed by the set state and local regulations to prevent any risks that are entailed with their usage. Be sure that any combustible material have been kept away from the storage area because when these gases are highly explosive. The area must be well lighted and adequate ventilated and each gas should be assigned to a different area.

For each gas type, there are also another set of rules that must be followed and be sure to obtain a copy of these regulations. Have a thorough understanding and familiarity of these rules in order to prevent some unfortunate situations. Also, know the different gas properties for each substance stored and the hazards to watch out for before use.

Personal equipment for protection must always be worn during handling and these consist of glasses or goggles, gloves and safety shoes. The standard trucks and cars used in transportation should have been designed suitably for each tank type. Both hands should be used to secure them while moving so as not to drop them.

During the first use of this kind of cylinder, be sure that the thing is properly secured and then the valve cap for protection can be removed safely. There must not be any thread that has been damaged and if there is any presence of grease, oil or dirt, it must be cleaned using a cloth. In those which contains oxidants or oxygen and there is grease or oil, never attempt to use it anymore because the presence of these combustible substances are explosive when come in contact with the gases.

Check if all the fittings have been properly connected and it would be better to use valve for single connection although it has been designed for several gases. Also, heating devices must never be applied because if any part of the object will be overheated, it will cause rupture. The storage area must be arranged in such a way the the old stock would be the ones first taken out.

The use of cylinder valves make sure that the pressure of the tank has been properly regulated. Each of them has been held by a force determined by the gas type contained in the tank. If the pressure safety limit has been exceeded, then it will open to release the gas until the pressure has dropped to a safety limit.




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