The most easily overlooked aspect in tank truck explosions

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On June 13, an explosion occurred on the highway near Liangshan Village, Daxi Town, Wenling City, on the G15 Shenhai Expressway, resulting in casualties. As of 10:00 on the 14th, the accident has resulted in 19 deaths and 172 injuries, with all the injured taken to hospitals for treatment. On June 14, the Ministry of Transport issued an urgent notice titled \"On Earnestly Doing a Good Job in Work Safety in Key Areas Such as the Transportation of Hazardous Chemicals and Resolutely Curbing Severe Work Safety Accidents,\" to urge enhanced efforts in work safety within the industry. In terms of knowledge dissemination, tank truck explosions have become one of the most popular topics in the chemical industry and a focus of public attention; indeed, there are many scientific facts that people need to understand and master. Oil tank trucks are generally classified into mobile refueling trucks, oil transfer trucks, loading trucks, transporting trucks, towing trucks, and petroleum transport vehicles. It is mainly used for the transportation and storage of petroleum derivatives (such as gasoline, diesel, crude oil, lubricants, and coal tar and other petroleum products). Depending on different applications and usage environments, it offers various fuel filling or transportation functions, including oil absorption, oil pumping, as well as the ability to package and dispense different types of oil. The specialized part of the oil transport vehicle consists of components such as the tank, power take-off, drive shaft, gear oil pump, and piping system. The pipeline system consists of an oil pump, a three-way four-position ball valve, a two-way ball valve, a filter screen, and pipes. How to eliminate potential accident risks during the transportation of \"dangerous goods vehicles\"? (1) Fatigued driving of tank trucks is strictly prohibited; driving the vehicle with the windows closed results in poor air circulation, which easily leads to driver fatigue ； One often feels mentally fatigued, their vision gradually becomes blurred and their thinking slows down; driving in the afternoon or at midnight makes drowsiness very likely, and forcing oneself to drive can lead to traffic accidents. Avoid driving while fatigued to ensure road safety. (II) Be aware of static electricity accumulation: The amount of oil stored in the tank should be appropriate; if too little oil is in the tank, there is more movement during transportation, which increases the likelihood of static electricity generation ； If too much is filled, it can easily cause leakage in tanks with poor sealing at the opening; therefore, a filling level of around 85% is appropriate. Additionally, drive at a moderate speed during transportation to ensure stability of the fuel in the tank, and try to avoid emergency braking as much as possible. Make sure the static electricity conductor is properly connected and in contact with the ground. (III) When driving a fuel tank truck away from sources of fire, it is prohibited to smoke or use a mobile phone; when parking, one must also stay away from sources of fire and must not park near them to avoid explosion accidents. (IV) Prevent the engine temperature of oil tank trucks from rising too high. During summer, it is necessary to regularly check the technical condition of these vehicles, with a focus on their safety-related components; driving vehicles with defects is strictly prohibited. When driving in the hot weather of summer, one should always pay attention to the temperature gauge of the engine; it generally should not exceed 95°C. Oil tank truck equipment is under strict monitoring; for safety reasons, special safety measures are taken for oil tank trucks. Preventing explosions and fires is the most critical requirement for tank trucks; therefore, manufacturers of such vehicles have special safety standards. Safety accessories such as emergency shut-off devices, static electricity elimination devices, safety valves, level gauges, pressure gauges, thermometers, and fire-fighting equipment have been installed. There are many \"hidden dangers\" during the process of filling and transporting oil in tank trucks, and carelessness can sometimes lead to unexpected dangerous accidents. I. Ensure the integrity of other accessories on the fuel tank truck: The valves, vent valves, and sealing rings on the tank cover of the fuel tank truck must always be in good condition to prevent fuel leakage or spillage, as well as fires caused by static electricity sparks. The safety valve is the most important safety accessory installed on the tank. Its function is that when the pressure of the medium inside the tank exceeds a certain level, the safety valve will activate automatically, allowing the liquefied gas to escape rapidly and thus reducing the pressure inside the tank ； When the pressure drops below the safe level, it automatically returns to its closed position, thereby eliminating the risk posed by abnormal overpressure in the tank and ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the tank truck. Second, control the filling volume: if the oil tank of the tank truck is filled with too little oil, there is more movement during transportation, which increases the likelihood of static electricity being generated ； If too much is loaded, it can easily cause leakage in tank trucks with poorly sealed tank openings; therefore, a filling level of around 85% is appropriate. Additionally, a moderate driving speed should be maintained during transportation to ensure stability of the fuel in the tank of the fuel truck, and emergency braking should be minimized as much as possible. III. Check and ensure that the anti-static devices and fire-fighting equipment are in good condition. During loading and unloading operations, liquefied petroleum gas in high-speed motion can generate static voltages of several thousand volts or even tens of thousands of volts due to friction or as the vehicle is in motion. If not removed in time, it could cause a fire and lead to serious consequences. It must be properly grounded during parking and loading/unloading operations. The use of grounding chains is strictly prohibited. During loading and unloading operations, the cross-sectional area of the grounding wire connecting the tank to the ground connection must be no less than 5.5 mm2. In addition, it is required that a fire extinguishing device be installed at the exhaust outlet of the engine in motorized tank trucks. This accident definitely deserves reflection, analysis, and lessons learned by the entire industry involved in the transportation of hazardous materials; human life safety is always of utmost importance. As part of the chemical industry, Hongfu Chemical also needs to constantly remind itself to plan its operations carefully. Ensure compliance with the safety guidelines for transporting tank trucks, so as not to cause trouble!