Compressed Air Tank - Safety Guidelines

[Brian Seo]

All,

I have found the compressed air tank left in MAG Laboratory while still holding air compressed at 80psi.

If a tank is under a high enough pressure, it explodes (not in the combustible sense however) and creates shrapnel. This can harm people easily.

Although 80 psi is not high enough to cause this, putting the tank under stress for longer periods of time than what is necessary induces unnecessary stress on the tank's structure.

For that reason, it is important to depressurize the tank after use. Following is the procedure:

Step 1) Tank the tank outside, in an area that is away from vehicles and MAG Lab's garage door (middle of the empty lot in from of the space is fine).

Step 2) Make sure all hoses and items are cleared from the bottom of the tank. This ensures there is an open path for the pressurized air.

Step 3) Kneel down and open the valve that is at the bottom of the tank. The valve is open if the handle points downwards. You will hear a loud "hissing" sound once the vale is open.

Step 4) Once the valve is open, step away from the tank and let it decompress.

Step 5) From time to time, check the pressure gauge at the to of the tank. Once it reaches zero, you can close the valve.

Step 6) To close the valve, kneel down and lift the valve's handle until it reaches a horizontal position. This will close the valve.

Step 7) Wrap all hoses and wires that are connected or used with the compressed air tank around the top of the tank.

Step 8) Bring tank back inside the Makerspace and store in an available corner.

Remember, safety first!

Sincerely,

Brian Seo

[Trenton Wilson]

A bit of a correction here:

The tank is rated well above the operating pressure (and the safety blow off).  The concern with not depressurizing the tank has more to do with evacuating the accumulated water and condensation inside the tank to reduce rusting.  Over time (especially if water is allowed to sit in the tank) the tank will erode away the internal walls of the tank.

as for internal stresses in the tank itself; there is no issue other than corrosion to leaving the tank pressurized (assuming its not moved often or in a place it could be damaged accidentally).  In all reality, the act of pressurizing and de-pressurizing the tank often would induce stress more so than just leaving it pressurized, however the amount is insignificant compared to the risk of corrosion.

I might propose the process for depressurizing the compressor as follows:

1. unplug
2. roll outside
3. ear protection on
4. quarter turn valve at bottom most point of tank
5. wait till fully de-pressurized ~10 minuites(depending on conditions accumulated water will freeze and temporarily clog valve)
6. leave open roll inside

additionally i might add some notes in using the compressor:

1. ear protection
2. roll just outside roll up door against wall
3. plugin, flip switch to "auto"
4. check valve at bottom is closed (quarter turn one way or other) you will hear air escaping if open
5. when done using, de-pressurize
6. eat a cookie
   

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[Kia Kroas]

As a side note, a few weeks back, I was around when someone did depressurization on the tank and I believe they found rust. So there's some corrosion of the tank already.