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Make you think twice about Natural Gas power


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Wow! I hope no one was seriously injured. It will be interesting to know what started the fire. I am not a supporter of NG as a transportation fuel, just sayin'.

BTW Green Dash....I saw a PittOhio NG unit on I-76 the other week. New Fruitliner I think.

Ken

PRR Country and Charter member of the "Mack Pack"

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It will be interesting to know what started the fire.

Fires inside of refuse trucks are not uncommon. I can think of 3 in Ft Wayne, IN over the past 20 years that made the news & I can think of one more that I seen the driver noticed it quickly and took action. That one was a front loader in the days of vertical exhaust and some of the trash laid on top of the packer then fell down between the cab & packer onto the exhaust stack. They usually make the news because they disrupt traffic because normally the only way to fight the fire is for the driver to dump the load where ever he might be which disrupts traffic and, of course, makes a big mess. In this story the news account I seen even mentioned that a driver will normally dump the trash but he was concerned because of overhead power lines so he didn't. Which made me think, Why not just move the damned thing?

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If this is what I think it was, it was a BLEVE- "Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion" which are very violent and destructive. In the fire service we jokingly refer to them as "Blast Leveling Everything Very Effectively" or "Big Loud Explosion Very Exciting."

Basically what it is, is a vessel, with a fire surrounding it that is intense enough to heat up the liquid inside and boil it to the point where it gives off vapors- which of course pressurize the vessel if confined (no relief valve or malfunctioning valve) the vapors expand to the point where they cause the vessel to suffer a catastrophic failure, hence the big loud explosion with destructive power.

The carbon fiber tank had nothing to do with it. Gearhead I dont know about out there, but here on this side of the world we have been using carbon fiber or fiberglass wrapped aluminum SCBA tanks for well over 15 years. That tank could have been made from cast iron or 1/4" thick stainless steel, it's still going to succumb to physics under the right conditions.

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TWO STROKES ARE FOR GARDEN TOOLS

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Fortunately no was seriously injured or killed. I'm not a fan of using natural gas to power a motor vehicle either, regardless of the benefits. Accidents, mechanical failures, and human error can have devastating consequences well beyond what we already have to worry about with traditional fuels.

Wow! I hope no one was seriously injured. It will be interesting to know what started the fire. I am not a supporter of NG as a transportation fuel, just sayin'.

BTW Green Dash....I saw a PittOhio NG unit on I-76 the other week. New Fruitliner I think.

I saw them in Harmarville last time I was there. I counted 7 Cascadias but could be more. We were told they had a 300 mile range and there was one filling station in the entire Pittsburgh area that could accommodate large trucks.

Jim

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From almost a year ago....

http://www.wearegreenbay.com/1fulltext-news/d/story/update-names-released-of-victims-in-deadly-truck-e/28916/3sZEYR4R-kiOo9xq11pBlQ

If I remember correctly they were moving a forklift, not secured in the truck, and it rolled forward through the front wall of the box and the fork(s) punctured the tank.

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If this is what I think it was, it was a BLEVE- "Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion" which are very violent and destructive. In the fire service we jokingly refer to them as "Blast Leveling Everything Very Effectively" or "Big Loud Explosion Very Exciting."

Basically what it is, is a vessel, with a fire surrounding it that is intense enough to heat up the liquid inside and boil it to the point where it gives off vapors- which of course pressurize the vessel if confined (no relief valve or malfunctioning valve) the vapors expand to the point where they cause the vessel to suffer a catastrophic failure, hence the big loud explosion with destructive power.

The carbon fiber tank had nothing to do with it. Gearhead I dont know about out there, but here on this side of the world we have been using carbon fiber or fiberglass wrapped aluminum SCBA tanks for well over 15 years. That tank could have been made from cast iron or 1/4" thick stainless steel, it's still going to succumb to physics under the right conditions.

Several years ago....no, probably like 15 to 20 years ago now, there was a big dumpster about half way up Long Mountain on rt. 60. It wasn't a roll-off, it was permanent type dumpster and a trash truck with a knuckle boom loader on it would stop by about once a week or so and empty the dumpster contents onto the truck. The grapple on the knuckle boom knocked the end off of an oxygen tank that was in the dumpster. It had enough pressure in it to fly up and knock the operator off the truck, broke his leg, hurt him pretty bad as I recall. The ''how' and the ''why'' the tank was in the dumpster in the first place remains a mystery.

Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999.

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Several years ago....no, probably like 15 to 20 years ago now, there was a big dumpster about half way up Long Mountain on rt. 60. It wasn't a roll-off, it was permanent type dumpster and a trash truck with a knuckle boom loader on it would stop by about once a week or so and empty the dumpster contents onto the truck. The grapple on the knuckle boom knocked the end off of an oxygen tank that was in the dumpster. It had enough pressure in it to fly up and knock the operator off the truck, broke his leg, hurt him pretty bad as I recall. The ''how' and the ''why'' the tank was in the dumpster in the first place remains a mystery.

Ever see the episode of mythbusters where they take a "J" size oxygen tank and turn it into a torpedo? Sheared the valve off and put it right through a block wall.

'

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TWO STROKES ARE FOR GARDEN TOOLS

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Randy-my comment about the tank was regarding the possibility that debris had fallen behind the blade, and when it retracted, may have possible caused a problem with structural integrity of said tank

Success is only a stones throw away.................................................................for a Palestinian

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Not only are CNG powered trucks a rolling bomb,but also lack the lubricants found in diesel fuel. I was told by a friend, a local ready-mix outfit is getting a whopping 150,000 mile average on these "GREEN" motors and they are JUNK! But it's a feel-good motor for the tree huggers, so it must be worth it(B.S.). Think of the children...............that will be paying for all this happy horseshit for years to come!!! Al

IF YOU BOUGHT IT, A TRUCK BROUGHT IT..AND WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH IT, A TRUCK WILL HAUL IT AWAY!!! Big John Trimble,WRVA

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It looks like both of the explosions were unrelated to defects in the fuel system but human error (unsecured fork lift) and (dumpster fire).

In my opinion the CNG vehicles are a safe system if maintained and inspected. To me safety-wise they are no different than a propane set up which have been around for over 60 years on everything from John Deere tractors to Swans ice cream food trucks.

I don't debate the longevity of a CNG or propane engine but based off fuel cost alone of diesel vs NG, the added cost of early wear out and some performance loss out weighs fuel consumption. If oil prices remain low for an extended period of time there will be less of them if oil goes back up there will be more of them.

Smart business decisions will dictate saving money and making profits.

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Robert

"I reject your reality and substitute my own."

 

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my employer operates over 150 CNG buses made by NewFlyer... so far to date there has never been a serious fire related to the CNG... two fires were related to alternator and oil line issues... never had any explosions in 15 years of operation.

I once watched as a bodyman cut through a wire that he thought was a marker light... nope.. fire detector loop... the roof mounted tanks, and then the whole shop, was instantly enveloped in a halon gas fire retardent even though the fuel tanks had been purged prior to a body overhaul.

we a buying three new gazzilion ton ferry boats in BC, made in Poland, and powered by LNG.. it is a precursor to a developing LNG industry being built here to sell all our natural gas for export.

is a gas powered diesel cost effective?... not likely, but we are a government agency and as said it keeps the 'greenies' happy. :twothumbsup:

BC Mack

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Fortunately no was seriously injured or killed. I'm not a fan of using natural gas to power a motor vehicle either, regardless of the benefits. Accidents, mechanical failures, and human error can have devastating consequences well beyond what we already have to worry about with traditional fuels.

I saw them in Harmarville last time I was there. I counted 7 Cascadias but could be more. We were told they had a 300 mile range and there was one filling station in the entire Pittsburgh area that could accommodate large trucks.

I spoke to a driver of one of the Cascadias. 620 mile range but it doesn't pull well on the hills.

Jim

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