Hydraulic Punch

A Question about How to Destroy gas Cylinders?

We have been offered a contract to destroy thousands of gas cylinders so that they don't enter the grey market again. The destruction has to be on site and absolute, in other words they have to be rendered permanently unusable before they go off to a foundry. We aren't quite sure how they are made, any ideas would be welcome plus we are looking to punch a hole in the side of the bottles using a hydraulic bench press with a 50 tonnes pressure bearing down on a sharpened tip. We are assuming this should be sufficient to push a hole through the side. Any thoughts would be welcome or alternative (and quickish) solutions.

Thanks

Your best bet would be a simple bandsaw. Just saw them in half. One man could probably operate 10 bandsaws at once, you are not looking for precision here. Obviously you need steel cutting bandsaws lubricated with soluble oil. The lubricant would also tend to suppress sparks that might otherwise ignite any residual gas that is floating around. The process is best done outdoors, or perhaps in a tent if it is raining.

Acetylene bottles contain a flammable paste of acetone and keiselghur, so this should be washed out using a water jet before cutting the cylinder in half. Unscrew the valve and use a length of pipe fastened to a garden hose.

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