What are cylinder safety devices?
Most cylinders have one or more safety-relief devices. These devices can prevent rupture of the cylinder if internal pressure builds up to levels exceeding design limits. Pressure can become dangerously high if a cylinder is exposed to fire or heat, including high storage temperatures.
There are three types of safety-relief devices. Each relieves excessive gas pressures in a different way:
Safety- or Pressure-Relief Valves: These valves are usually a part of the cylinder. They are normally held closed by a spring. The force holding the valve closed is set according to the type of gas in the cylinder. The valve opens if the cylinder pressure exceeds the set safety limit. Gas is released until the cylinder pressure drops back to the safety limit. The valve then closes and retains the remaining gas in the cylinder.
Rupture Discs (also known as frangible or bursting discs): These discs are usually made from metal. They burst or rupture at a certain pressure, releasing the gas in the cylinder. The bursting pressure is designed so that the disc ruptures before the cylinder test pressure is reached. These devices cannot be reclosed, so the entire contents of the cylinder are released.
Fusible Plugs (also called fuse or melt plugs): Temperature, not pressure, activates fusible plugs. These safety devices are used where heat could initiate an explosive chemical reaction. A pressure-relief valve or rupture disc acts too slowly and too late to prevent rupture of the cylinder if an explosive reaction has already begun. The fusible plug releases the gas before the hazardous reaction can begin. Fusible plugs are made of metals that melt at low temperatures. For example, acetylene cylinders have a fusible plug which melts at about 100°C (212°F). This temperature is safely below the temperature at which hazardous polymerization may occur.
Not all compressed gas cylinders have safety devices. Some gases are so toxic that their release through a safety device would be hazardous. Cylinders for these gases are built to withstand higher pressures than normal cylinders. When these "toxic gas" cylinders are involved in a fire, the area must be evacuated.