At times droplets of water or an icy coating is seen on cylinders. This is mainly faced by the hotel industry.
“Why does this happen?” is a common question that arises. As there is no source of water present inside the cylinders, where does it come from?
The forming of water droplets or an icy coating on the cylinder is termed as “cylinder sweating”.
Why does a cylinder sweat?
LPG stored in the cylinder is in liquid state. In a VOT installation, the liquid inside the cylinder evaporates naturally due to the natural vaporization phenomenon. The rate of natural vaporization is low and thus, it works well for small installations. However, when the usage of LPG increases the natural method of vaporization is not sufficient in comparison to the rate of conversion (liquid to gas). This is when the liquid LPG in the cylinder is forced to convert into vapor by attracting heat from the ambient environment, causing a drop in the temperature. This is when water droplets or an icy coating is seen on the cylinder.
What to do if a cylinder sweats?
- Plug unconnected pigtails
- Use cylinders intermittently
- Blow dry air at bottom level
- Lay separate high pressure line
- Increase air circulation in cylinder cabin
- Increase the number of cylinders in manifold
What NOT to do if a cylinder sweats?
- Heat it using flames
- Submerge it in hot water
- Keep it enclosed in a cabinet
