Failure analysis of LNG cylinder burst

Abstract The LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) cylinder is a container designed for storing and transporting liquefied natural gas. This paper investigates the failure of a burst LNG cylinder through an integrated approach. The methodology includes visual inspection, chemical composition analysis, mechanical property testing, metallographic examination, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The study makes an innovative contribution by revealing how material deficiencies, welding defects, and operational conditions interact synergistically in the failure mechanism. These findings provide a comprehensive framework for LNG cylinder safety assessment. The analysis reveals that the cylinder failure was caused by insufficient mechanical properties of the inner liner material and the presence of cracks and other defects. As the liquefied natural gas absorbed heat from the cylinder’s vacuum insulation layer, it vaporized, increasing the internal pressure. Eventually, the inner liner could not withstand the pressure and burst at the weak point near the top (0° position). Finally, effective preventive measures for such incidents are proposed.