On 22/10/2015 14:31, NY wrote:


Good thing they weren't acetylene cylinders. Apparently they are even
more dangerous. When roads and railway lines are closed due to a fire
and a several-hundred metre exclusion zone, it's usually acetylene (and
associate oxygen) cylinders from oxy-acetylene welding kit.

Acetylene is very dangerous due to it exploding spontaneously if its
pressurised by more than about 1 atmosphere.

Its dissolved in acetone to stop it exploding..
but if you draw it off too fast you can lose the acetone and then the
remaining acetylene with explode all by itself.

The old acetylene lamps used to be powered by dissolving calcium carbide
which made acetylene and they would blow up if the jet got blocked.