On June 21, a villager's house collapsed in Wangbao Village, Sizhuang Town, Gaoping City, Shanxi Province, trapping five people. Three of them were slightly injured and the other two were seriously injured and are being treated. The cause of the accident was preliminarily determined to be the explosion of a dimethyl ether gas tank.
What is Dimethyl Ether?
1. Dimethyl ether, also known as methyl ether, is a colorless and odorless gas at room temperature and pressure, and a liquid at the corresponding pressure, with similar performance to liquefied petroleum gas.
2. The performance indicators of dimethyl ether such as storage and transportation, combustion safety, and theoretical combustion temperature are better than those of liquefied petroleum gas. However, if it is used as a domestic gas, it must use special cylinders and stoves. The filling of liquefied dimethyl ether should be "dedicated to gas, special bottle, special valve, and special".
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulates that it is forbidden to mix civil liquefied gas with dimethyl ether.
Liquefied gas is incorporated into dimethyl ether
1. Cause gas leakage. Dimethyl ether is colloidally soluble, which can corrode cylinder seals, gas hoses, etc., resulting in gas leakage, resulting in fire, explosion and other accidents.
2. Corroded cylinders produce toxic substances. The mixture of dimethyl ether and liquefied petroleum gas produces toxic waste, which can cause dizziness, nausea and chest tightness if inhaled excessively.
3. Cause the fire to be unstable. Dimethyl ether itself contains oxygen, and the need for air during combustion is relatively reduced. After the incorporation of dimethyl ether into LPG, if the stove remains unchanged, there is an excess of air required for combustion, which can lead to the instability of the flame or the breakdown.
Teaches you to recognize "fake" gas
Since the market price of dimethyl ether is lower than that of liquefied petroleum gas, some unscrupulous merchants will blend dimethyl ether with liquefied petroleum gas for sale. However, the calorific value of dimethyl ether is 63% of that of liquefied petroleum gas, and the "liquefied gas" mixed with dimethyl ether will cause the problem of intolerance to burning. This kind of adulterated liquefied gas not only deceives consumers, but also has serious safety risks, so you must keep your eyes open when buying.
1. Scan the code when purchasing. According to the "Liquefied Petroleum Gas Cylinder" (GB 5842-2023), the traceable and unique bottle number of the gas cylinder should be engraved on the shield, and a permanent electronic label or QR code electronic reading mark should be welded on the shield.
2. Check when using. If the following situations occur, it is very likely that dimethyl ether has been adulterated in the LPG cylinder, and you should quickly seek professional treatment.
●A large amount of gas leakage from the valve of the LPG cylinder
●I feel that "LPG" is not resistant to burning
●When ignition, it is easy to break the fire and make a "cannon" sound of "whirring".
3. Be cautious when changing bottles. When the user changes the gas, he should contact the gas business enterprise through the unified distribution telephone or go to the regular gas supply point with complete licenses for gas exchange, and do not go to the unlicensed vendor for gas exchange.
What to do if a gas tank catches fire?
1. When the valve of the cylinder is in good condition, you can cover the valve with a wet towel and close it;
2. If the valve of the gas cylinder has been damaged, or in the case of unpredictable and uncontrollable disposal, you should quickly evacuate to an outdoor safe area and call 119 for help;
3. Do not let the LPG cylinder burn to the ground.