On Wed, 25 Oct 2000, Michael Lorrey wrote:
>
> I would be worried about the safety of the tank in a
> collision, I think Ralph Nader would either have a field day suing anyone making
> or importing these into the country, or else expose him for his hypocrisy. A
> ruptured tank would likely go off like a bomb.
This would not be a problem. Every high pressure (4500+ psi)
nitrogen tank I've ever used was wrapped in a thin Kevlar cloth shroud.
Upon explosive decompression (due to overpressure, for example), the
aramid fiber shroud catches all the tank fragments while allowing the gas
to escape through the fine weave of the shroud. In practice it works very
well.
I don't know why they would do it any differently in a car, particularly
since a cheap and proven solution already exists. I've never seen a
lightweight (ceramic composite) tank that didn't have one of these
shrouds.
-James Rogers
jamesr@best.com
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