Unknown Problem Causes Containers to Explode

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Last year Greyhounds suggested that I might want to track and join one of the on-line groups he monitored. Yahoo’s (modelintermodal). It has be an interesting resource to monitor and reference.

The point being, recenly one of the group’s members posted an article referencing the subject, title of this Thread. http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/california-dockers-fear-exploding-reefers/20017915700.htm

“California dockers fear exploding reefers”

Kizzi Nkwocha | Wed, 2 Nov 2011

Port workers at Oakland refuse to handle boxes that may have been repaired in Vietnam

With all the recent kerfuffles in the Oakland,Ca. area. This story almost seemed to be a “piling on” type of situation(?). The sad part of this tale is that there have been deaths related to the reefers mentioned as having been ‘serviced’ in Vietnam.

The article states that to units exploded in Vietnam and one in Brazil, resulting in the death of three workers (2 in Vietnam, 1 in Brazil). The apparent culprit mentioned is “Contaminated gas” installed in Vietnam.

Over the years I’ve had some dealings with reefer equipment (OTR), but not nearly the experience as some of the other Posters aroud here have had. The point is I do not think or ever remember hearing of the refrigerant gas causing an explosion.

The one incident I do remember of "gas’ causing a problem. Was back in Chicago, many years back. I worked for a truckline located at about Archer& Halstead. One of their shop’s mechanics was on task to install a side door in a very recently built Trailmobile trailer. He started to cut, and the foamed-inplace insulation in that trailer was so recently done

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I did a little poking around they are using the Wrong Refrigant Gas in the units and when exposed to a spark with a leak in the units they are going UP in flames. Or the Cans have been patched in Nam and when they get exposed to sparks they are also going up. What is causign more than likely somehting they use in the COmpressed gasses they use to expand the foam or are using forREfriganat gasses over there. See over here and thru most of the World we use HFC R-134 or R-22 They for all we know are using Propane or something stupid like that see they are crazy enough to so it for all we know.

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I was going to mention propane earlier. There was a story a number of years ago on the PBS program Motorweek about North American body shops refilling auto AC systems with propane. At one point, in the early 2000’s, it was becoming disturbingly common. There are still many cars and trucks on the road with this problem.

Bruce