Why do liquefied gas cylinders continue to cause trouble?, Three liquefied gas explosions per month in restaurants | liquefied gas tanks | liquefied gas

On the morning of June 26th, the sound of a liquefied gas explosion was emitted from a restaurant on Jiefang Road in Jinta County, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province, resulting in two injuries. According to incomplete statistics, this is the third liquefied gas explosion injury accident exposed by the media in June.

Liquefied gas cylinders have been widely used in China for many years since the 1970s to the 1980s. What is the cause of the explosion accident? How can we prevent tragedy from happening again?

Three "liquefied gas explosions" per month

According to a notice released by the Office of the Safety Production Committee of Jinping District, Shantou City, Guangdong Province, on June 5, 2023, a gas cylinder explosion occurred at a fast food restaurant on Longyan South Road. After the incident, departments such as public security, emergency management, fire protection, and 120 first aid quickly went to handle and rescue. The incident resulted in one death and six injuries.

According to reports, the cause of the accident was a gas leak from the liquefied gas tank used, which caused the accident during ignition.

The gas explosion accident at Fuyang barbecue restaurant in Xingqing District, Yinchuan City occurred on June 21, 2023. After investigation, it was found that the head store of the barbecue restaurant, Mr. Hai, and staff member, Mr. Li, violated relevant safety management regulations by replacing the pressure reducing valve connected to the liquefied gas tank without authorization, resulting in a rapid leakage of liquefied gas in the tank and causing an explosion, resulting in 31 deaths and 7 injuries, with particularly serious consequences.

According to official reports, the legal representative of the store, Ma Moulin, the actual controlling persons Zhang and Liu, and the store manager, Suo Moufu, are suspected of committing a major responsibility accident. Currently, the four individuals mentioned above have been criminally detained by the public security organs in accordance with the law, and the case is under further investigation. At present, the State Council has decided to establish an accident investigation team, led by the Ministry of Emergency Management, with the participation of relevant parties such as the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the All China Federation of Trade Unions, the National Fire Rescue Bureau, and the People's Government of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, to investigate the "6.21" particularly serious gas explosion accident at Fuyang Barbecue in Yinchuan, Ningxia.

According to a police report released by the Jinta County Public Security Bureau in Jiuquan City, Gansu Province, at around 8:00 am on June 26, 2023, a liquefied gas leak and flash fire occurred at a braised meat restaurant in Jinta County, resulting in two minor injuries and no fatalities.

In less than a month, explosion accidents have occurred one after another. What is the reason for this?

Liu Ning, who is responsible for safety management at the gas company, believed in an interview with China News Agency's Guoshi Direct that there were more liquefied gas explosion accidents this month because the liquefied gas explosion accidents at the Yinchuan barbecue restaurant received more attention. In fact, liquefied gas accidents of all sizes occur almost every day across the country, but they are generally not very serious and have not received widespread attention.

According to the National Gas Accident Analysis Report released by the China Gas Association, a total of 802 domestic gas accidents reported by the media were collected throughout 2022, resulting in 66 deaths. Among them, liquefied petroleum gas accidents account for 56.1% of all gas accidents and 61.3% of deaths and injuries.

Why do liquefied gas accidents occur frequently?

Su Jie, Director of the Safety Production Comprehensive Coordination Department of the Ministry of Emergency Management, stated at a public press conference in January 2022 that with the rapid development of China's urbanization process, the scale of urban gas use in China has grown rapidly, and the national gas consumption population has exceeded 667 million people. The penetration rate of urban gas use in China has reached 97.87%. While gas usage brings convenience, gas safety risks are increasingly prominent. The main causes of accidents such as explosions and leaks are gas pipeline leaks, which are caused by long-term corrosion leading to explosions; Third party damage during construction; Improper use, etc.

In addition, after comparing the descriptions of the causes of these three liquefied gas accidents that occurred this month by relevant institutions, it can be found that there are two commonalities: first, there are all liquefied gas leaks; Secondly, the gas equipment that caused the accident all had liquefied gas cylinders.

According to the "National Gas Accident Analysis Report" released by the China Gas Association mentioned above, in 2022, after the implementation of the new safety production law and the "Gas Engineering Project Specification", with the installation of alarm linkage cut-off devices by catering merchants, the promotion and implementation of essential safety measures such as replacing stainless steel corrugated hoses, metal coated hoses, self closing valves, smart meters, and safety gas appliances at the user end, it has played a role in curbing accidents at the user end, especially at the natural gas user end.

However, liquefied petroleum gas accidents still occur frequently. Especially in the case of bottled gas catering merchant accidents, which account for 60% of major accidents, due to the complex gas consumption environment, dense personnel, and inadequate implementation of alarm linkage and cut-off devices, it is extremely easy to cause group deaths and injuries.

The report also suggests that the proportion of third-party construction damage accidents is high, still accounting for over 70% of pipeline accidents. Therefore, key prevention and control measures should be taken in pipeline operation and management. At the same time, the number of old gas pipelines continues to increase, and the proportion of accidents caused by corrosion of pipeline facilities continues to increase. These types of accidents are highly concealed, difficult to detect in a timely manner, and can easily lead to serious consequences, requiring vigilance.

In addition, an informant who used to work at a liquefied petroleum gas station revealed to China News Agency that despite repeated orders and strict inspections by the government, it is not ruled out that there are still illegal operators illegally adding dimethyl ether to liquefied petroleum gas, which is also one of the possible reasons for the accident. The cost of using dimethyl ether can be reduced by half, and it can create the illusion of "blue flame" for users to burn fully. However, its harm is not only to reduce gas quality, but once a leak occurs, it is more likely to cause an explosion when encountering an open flame.

In this regard, the country has already explicitly prohibited it, and market regulatory authorities often conduct inspections on such illegal addition behavior.

How to maximize the avoidance of gas accidents?

Efforts should be made by regulatory authorities, production enterprises, industrial and commercial users, as well as the general public to prevent gas accidents from occurring at the root.

In the National Gas Accident Analysis Report, experts suggest that for liquefied gas cylinders, efforts should be made to deliver them to households, connect and replace them, and conduct user security checks. The focus should be on promoting the indoor security level of bottled liquefied petroleum gas users, especially for bottled liquefied petroleum gas catering merchants. Efforts should be made in key links such as alarm linkage cutting, pressure regulators, connecting hoses, and safety gas appliances.

Some vulnerable valves, hoses, and even aging pipelines make gas leaks difficult to prevent. How to detect gas leaks as early as possible and handle them correctly in daily production and life, and resolve accidents in their early stages?

Xu Lin, the Safety Director of the Customer Service Center of Guizhou Gas Group, once stated in a media interview that if a gas leak occurs at home, immediately close the gas valve, open doors and windows for ventilation, eliminate all sources of fire, and do not turn on or off electrical switches or use mobile phones indoors. Escape to a safe outdoor area in a timely manner, then call the customer service hotline 96977 to explain the relevant situation. The repair personnel will arrive at the scene as soon as possible for disposal. If you encounter a gas pipeline leak outdoors, do not surround or linger, let alone take photos with your phone. You should leave the scene and report to the police in a timely manner. If driving, take a detour and make way for the emergency exit.

Tips for identifying gas leaks

There are some tips to detect gas leaks in a timely manner, such as "wiping, listening, smelling, and observing".

Wipe: Soap water can be used to apply to gas meters, valves, and pipeline connections at home. If there is a leak, bubbles will be generated.

Second listen: Generally, when there is a gas leak, there will be a slight "faint" sound. If you hear similar sounds, you should pay attention and check in a timely manner.

Three smells: Natural gas has been odorized. If you smell something similar to rotten eggs, it may be a gas leak.

Four observations: When not using gas, observe the gas meter. If the number on the meter changes, there may be gas leakage.

In addition, if a gas alarm is installed at home, once a leak occurs, the alarm will also automatically sound.