“Comdyne cylinders exposed to acid in a collision or other mishap should be depressurized as soon as possible to prevent rupture”. (CVEF)
The US Clean Vehicle Education Foundation (CVEF) has recently completed an investigation into the cause of a cylinder failure in a 1996 OEM Dodge Ram van B250 that occurred on August 11, 2009. The privately owned vehicle had just been refueled and had been driven approximately 1 mile when the Comdyne Type 3 cylinder mounted longitudinally on the right side of the vehicle ruptured. Upon inspection of the cylinder debris evidence of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of the glass epoxy composite wrapping was noted.
A report carried by NGVAmerica refers to multiple instances of this type of failure with this particular tank design. Upon further inspection it was also determined that in the normal course of his business the owner had carried numerous lead acid batteries and chemical cleaners that contained a highly alkalai compound. Exposure to these types of materials has been shown to cause this type of SCC failure in these tanks.
Current operators of vehicles utilizing Comdyne Type 3 tanks are strongly encouraged to immediately inspect their cylinders for any evidence of chemical exposure, particularly those used in a cargo application where exposure to chemicals may be higher. If any evidence is suspected the cylinders should be removed from service immediately. A technical release from CVEF is available here. For more information, contact CVEF’s John Lapetz at jlapetz@cleanvehicle.org.
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