Gas Leak in Commercial Buildings

If the air/gas mixture from the source of ignition to the source of the leak remains somewhere between the LEL and the UEL, yes. If not, no.

And, where else could it possibly go except back to the source?????????????????

"And, where else could it possibly go except back to the source?????????????????"

Yes, I understand the ignition would flashback to the source.What I'm concerned is whether this always happen. Since you've commented: "If the air/gas mixture from the source of ignition to the source of the leak remains somewhere between the LEL and the UEL, yes. If not, no."... If the latter was the case, is it still possible to trace the source of gas leak since there would be no indications of fire damage?

Yes, just light a match.

You leave too much unspoken here. You imply that there is a fire. It is unlikely that the flame would not reach the source of the leak, but not impossible.

And, after looking at your history, I deduce that you may be asking the forum to render a legal opinion regarding liability issues.

Are you an attorney, loss prevention agent, insurance adjuster, consultant, injured party, or just a student?

Yes, I'm a skeptical type.

Your turn.

There is no need of sarcasm here. All I am seeking is to learn from others.

I am a consultant, and I post my enquiry here because there is no case study available for me to refer to, so I just hope to hear the experience from others in the field.

For your information, opinions posted in forum is never considered as credible information and not admissible in the court of law.

The (unrepaired) source of the leak can be found in many ways.

Light a match.

Use a commercial gas sniffer.

Hire an investigative consultant that is qualified to perform such tests. No wait, that's supposed to be your job, isn't it.

Good luck.

Flashback may or may not occur depending on the location of the source of ignition. One thing for sure flashback has occurred many times in the past but it is always reported as fire or explosion since flash-fires occur first followed by fire and/or explosion.

Flashback occurs due to delayed ignition and followed by a "BOOOM" if the leakage is in a confined space such as in a kitchen.

Thanks for the input. May I know your source of reference you refer to?

It depend depend if the gas is heavier than air or lighter than air. I am thinking of a situation where the gas is heavier than air, travels to a lower floor of a building, then reaches both a high enough concentration and an ignition source. I don't know that it would always flash back to the source.

Thanks for the input.

There are fire investigator associations. Try contacting the fire marshal having authority in your jurisdiction. They either know the answer, or know how to find the answer. Good luck.