{"id":120874,"date":"2021-12-03T18:18:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-04T01:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=120874"},"modified":"2021-12-03T18:18:40","modified_gmt":"2021-12-04T01:18:40","slug":"exploding-gas-appliances-in-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/12\/03\/exploding-gas-appliances-in-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploding Gas Appliances in Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong data-rich-text-format-boundary=\"true\">Sarath Bulathsinghala<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<p><strong>4 Dec 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The \u2018experts\u2019 &#8211; the politicians, the administrators, and the businessmen are trying to &#8216;rediscover the wheel&#8217;! A few days ago, we witnessed parliamentarians, administrators, and perhaps businessmen with vested interests in the &#8216;gas saga&#8217; sitting together to find solutions for the gas explosions happening throughout Sri Lanka. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is this the best coterie of \u2018wise men\u2019 who can come up with\nsolutions for what is happening? The country would have expected the\nInstitution of Engineers investigating almost now a month of Guy Fawkes \u2018fire\nworks\u2019 happening throughout the island. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why not follow the best practices from the rest of the world\nwithout \u2018pussy footing\u2019 around the problem? The \u2018experts\u2019 look like an assembly\nof beggars trying to make porridge around a campfire, only a few having\nanything worthwhile to contribute in terms of real experience! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From what has happened already the evidence for gas fires\nand explosions point to the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Loss making Gas companies resorting dubious\nbusiness practices <\/li><li>Recently an abundance of leaking gas bottles\nreleased to the users<\/li><li>Absence or near absence of added smelling agent<\/li><li>Collection of leaked gas confined spaces in\nhouses or other places of gas use \u2013 gas being heavier than air!<\/li><li>Presence of gas igniting mediums eg: unsafe\nelectrical wiring, electrical switches, mobile phones, simply match sticks used\nfor initiating gas ring fire for cooking or even hot surfaces left after\ncooking initiating fires or explosions<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>All this is happening while the rest of the world is using\ngas safely and happily without concern or untoward incident. Gas has been in\nuse for lighting, heating, transportation and power generating purposes for\nnearly two centuries. Over the years the world has mastered how to obtain gas\nfrom natural sources \u2013 ground based natural gas (methane) , or from petroleum\nmanufacturing \u2013 LPG (Propane, Butane etc) . They have also mastered how to\nstore, transport (over land, sea and air) and use gas safely in widely\ndifferent places and climes \u2013 in business, transportation, industry and in households.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Liquefied\npetroleum gas (LPG or LP gas) is also referred to by its constituent names \u2013\npropane or butane. LPG are hydrocarbon fuel gases used for heating, cooking,\nhot water and vehicles. Most countries have either 100% propane (Australia\n&amp; USA), an LPG gas mixture of 60:40 propane:butane (NZ &amp; Belgium) or\npercentage of propane and butane in LPG around 35:65 propane:butane LPG gas\nmixture (India, Spain &amp; Hungary). Thus, the much talked about \u2018doctoring\u2019\nof the mixtures now in vogue among the \u2018frogs of the Diyawanna Oya doesn\u2019t seem\nto have much traction in the science of gas mixtures technologically\nspeaking!&nbsp; PROBLEMS LIE ELSEWHERE TO BE\nFOUND OUT BY REAL EXPERTS AND NOT BY THE PRETEND TO BE QUALIFIED, THE BARELY\nQUALIFIED, THE RARELY QUALIFIED AND THE NOT QUALIFIED!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The safe and best practices have been used and are working well\nelsewhere in the world with little danger to users. It is worthwhile to note\nthat behind every safety practise now in use, there are many of victims, some\nstill among the living with horrid tales to tell and others as dearly departed,\nleaving only sad memories for those left behind to suffer not only their personal\nloss but also the loss of entire livelihoods. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For safe practises, it is not only the dead and the injured\nthat are counted \u2013 ALSO THE \u2018NEAR MISSES\u2019! Every \u2018NEAR MISS\u2019 IS CONSIDERED\nALMOST AS A REAL INCIDENT FOR IT COULD HAVE GONE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER \u2013 MAIMED,\nDEAD OR \u2018ESCAPED WITHOUT INCIDENT\u2019! So far in Sri Lanka the reported incidents\ndiscounting fake news are only \u2018near misses\u2019! This is no cause to celebrate for\ndeath was only inches away for those who escaped grave injury or death! Also in\nSri Lanka, it is not readily apparent that near misses are taken seriously enough\nto give due recognition and consideration. This is unfortunate! Most left in\nthe category of God\u2019s will, Good Luck or Good Karma!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In industry, it is usual when untoward incidents take place for\nengineers to come together an analyse the cause of the incident and come up\nwith solutions to completely eradicate or if not find ways to mitigate the\npossibility of such incident happening again. One such investigative method is\ncalled a HAZOP ( Hazard and Operability)&nbsp;\nstudy. During this investigation, simple questions are asked and\nanswered leading to intelligent insights and methodologies to improve the\nprocess or mitigate danger to acceptable level where entire elimination of the\nproblem is not cost effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the case of the above incidents, carrying out a simple\nHAZOP involving the gas bottle, its accessories and the gas burning device study\nwould suffice. Each of the components should be studied asking relevant\nquestions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hazops <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can it happen? \u2013 leaks, fires, explosions<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How do you know? \u2013 smell; gas hose connections damaged,\nsubstandard; hissing noise or soap bubble test; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Does it matter? \u2013 If matters, can the leaks if any be\nstopped, what regulatory measures should be implemented by law and by the\nvendors? Role of the governmental safety watchdogs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the gas bottle: The design specifications of the gas\nbottle \u2013 holding capacity litres, weight, maximum and all pressure limits of\nthe bottle, storage and handling methodologies; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LPG cylinder can blast if it is continuously kept exposed\nto immense heat or fire. In houses, LPG cylinder will not just get blasted on\nits own. first there will be a LPG leak from the O ring\/ faulty regulator or\nleaky cylinder (rare). then the gas will mix with air, form a combustible\nmixture and when it comes in contact with a spark or naked flames, the gas\nexplodes. But then also LPG cylinder itself will not get blasted.\u201d \u2013<strong> Gautam\nDas, Indian Oil Corporation. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-120875\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The graph above shows how the bottle pressure varies according\nto the ambient temperature, (the pressure within being simply a function of the\nambient temperature).&nbsp; All bottles are\nnormally designed to withstand 5 times or more pressure than what these gasses\nin any combination of can generate within, 100% Propane being the highest. They\nare normally equipped with a pressure relief valve in case the pressure goes\nhigh due to temperature hikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the gas mixture: what gases were used and their\nproperties, individually and in mixture. The effects of usage at different\nproportions \u2013 the experiences worldwide. Most countries have either 100%\npropane (Australia &amp; USA), an LPG gas mixture of 60:40 propane:butane (NZ\n&amp; Belgium) or percentage of propane and butane in LPG around 35:65\npropane:butane LPG gas mixture (India, Spain &amp; Hungary).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From high pressure to low pressure at the user\u2019s end:&nbsp; the accessories used \u2013 pressure relief valve\nand pressure regulators etc, when replaced last, whether within the warranty\nperiod? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the gas utensil: domestic cooker mostly : what make, all\nconnectors including gas hose from the pressure regulator to the gas ring; how\nold, within any warranty or not? whether maintained well? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, in Sri Lanka they have to contend with dubious\nbusiness and political interests too in arriving at \u2018solutions\u2019! The situation\nin Sri Lanka in regard to the \u2018leaking gas bottles and blowing gas appliances\u2019\nshould be understood in this context. Are we in Sri Lanka following the best\npractices followed elsewhere in the world? If not where have we gone wrong? Do\nwe have to \u2018rediscover\u2019 the wheel in Sri Lanka or follow already well\nestablished safety protocols in use elsewhere in the world without wasting much\nneeded capital?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elgas.co.nz\/resources\/elgas-blog\/252-how-much-pressure-is-in-lpg-propane-cylinders-in-what-state\/\">https:\/\/www.elgas.co.nz\/resources\/elgas-blog\/252-how-much-pressure-is-in-lpg-propane-cylinders-in-what-state\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elgas.co.nz\/resources\/elgas-blog\/245-how-lpg-works-gas-bottles-regulators-appliances-vaporizers\">https:\/\/www.elgas.co.nz\/resources\/elgas-blog\/245-how-lpg-works-gas-bottles-regulators-appliances-vaporizers<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sarath Bulathsinghala 4 Dec 2021 The \u2018experts\u2019 &#8211; the politicians, the administrators, and the businessmen are trying to &#8216;rediscover the wheel&#8217;! A few days ago, we witnessed parliamentarians, administrators, and perhaps businessmen with vested interests in the &#8216;gas saga&#8217; sitting together to find solutions for the gas explosions happening throughout Sri Lanka. Is this the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,132,158],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","category-science","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120874\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}