XYZ Welding & Fabrication specializes in welding and metal fabrication services to the oil and gas industry. The storeroom clerk received some refilled 250 ft3 oxygen tanks on a summer day when the temperature of the bottles is 95 degrees F. The oxygen bottles are delivered to the facility with 2000 psi gas pressure in the bottles. However, the clerk has not stored them in the designated compressed gas storage area. A forklift develops a diesel fuel line leak which creates a very hot fire in close proximity to the oxygen tanks. The fire continues to grow and creates a 1200 degree F fire which engulfs the bottles. The rupture disk on the oxygen tanks’ valve is designed to rupture at 3,000 psi and prevents the internal pressure from exceeding the maximum allowable pressure of the tank. Assume that the tanks are heated to 1200 degrees F.
Use the Ideal Gas Law, Boyles Law, etc. which is discussed in chapters 4 & 5 in the course textbook to answer the following:
- Does the pressure inside of the oxygen tanks increase or decrease? Explain why.
- What is the maximum pressure in these conditions which will be reached inside of the tanks if the rupture disks in the tanks’ valves fail to rupture?
