It is said that a key to gaining knowledge is learning the right words. Working with cryogenic tanks has proven a challenge mostly due to the English language and the use of multiple words for a single item as well as the use of a single word for many items.For example, a client might call asking for “a Safety.” Seems easy, right?
So, you sent them a “Safety.” Did you send them a relief, a burst disk, a rupture disk, a head safety, or a vacuum rupture disk? Was it an in-line device or open to atmosphere? What pressure was it set at and how did you know the right pressure? Did you simply look at the pressure of the device being replaced and put on the same thing?
I ask because a client called one day and somewhat urgently wanted to know if we could replace one of the safeties on their truck mounted liquid oxygen delivery vessel right away. Their safety was apparently “broken” and the vessel wasn’t holding pressure so they couldn’t do their medical oxygen deliveries. It was close to closing time and they were several hours away so we gave them an after-hours number to call when they got to the shop so we could meet them. Paraphrasing Jimmy Buffet, the phone never rang so we knew it was them.
Several days later the wayward van arrived with the driver all calm and composed. When asked how they survived without the safety being repaired the driver responded:
“Oh, we’ve been OK. It turns out that one of the guys in the shop has a lot of cryogenics experience and he ‘fixed’ it.” This gave rise to that little sick feeling that the wrong words can generate. Predictably, the “experienced” guy in the shop had removed a blown burst disk safety and installed plug in its place to “fix” it.
See the post dated 1/19/09 if you’d like a better idea of what this “fix” might have meant to the driver. http://cryonews.blogspot.com/2009/01/improperly-decommissioned-liquid.html
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