Experimental investigation of consequences of LPG vehicle tank failure under fire conditions

Abstract In case of a vehicle fire, an installed LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) tank with a malfunctioning safety device poses severe hazards. To investigate the consequences in case of tank failure, we conducted 16 tests with toroidal shaped LPG vehicle tanks. Three tanks were used for a Hydraulic Burst Test under standard conditions. Another three tanks were equipped with a statutory safety device and were subjected to a gasoline pool fire. The safety device prevented tank failure, as intended. To generate a statistically valid dataset on tank failure, ten tanks without safety devices were exposed to a gasoline pool fire. Five tanks were filled to a level of 20%; the remaining five were filled to a level of 100%. In order to gain information on the heating process, three temperature readings at the tank surface, and three nearby flame temperatures were recorded. At distances of l = (7; 9; 11) m to the tank, the overpressure of the shock wave induced by the tank failure and the unsteady temperatures were measured. All ten tanks failed within a time of t   250 m occurred. For the tanks with a fill level of 20%, the average number of fragments was twice as high as it was for the tanks that were filled completely.