Originally Posted by
Burton
Since an explosion describes a kind of uncontrolled combustion and CO2 isn`t combustable - it can`t explode.
So lets assume you mean burst due to temperature or pressure extremes. Due to its design (the end you pierce is the weakest part of the cylinder) the worst that could possibly happen is the cylinder could vent through that end. But I`ve never had or heard of that happening myself.
You don't need combustion for an explosion. An explosion is defined as a rapid increase in volume and release of energy. It can be caused by bursting due to internal pressure. Pressure vessels do indeed 'explode' without a chemical component.
The pressure in a 9 g CO2 cartridge is 850 psi at 72F. The pressure doesn't climb all that fast with temperature. It would reach 975 psi at 120 F which is high but not horribly high. The burst disc on the top of the cartridge blows out around 2200 psi which isn't reached until around 1200F...think camp fire.
If the burst disc ruptured, the difference between that and an explosion would be a matter of semantics. If you were near one, it'd make a hell of a noise and you'd probably call it an explosion.