CYLINDER SAFETY

Cylinder Maintenance
Correct cylinder maintenance is vital. If grit, dirt, oil or water get into the cylinder valve then
safety and/or quality may be compromised.
Valve maintenance
If grit, dirt, oil or water enters the cylinder valve then safety and/or quality may be compromised
and gas leakage may occur.
Before assembling regulators and fittings, it is extremely important to ensure there are no
particles of dirt in the cylinder outlet.
If a supply of clean compressed air or nitrogen is available this should be used to blow out any
loose particles of dirt from the valve sockets.
lease note! eye protection must be worn during this operation.
"here clean compressed air or nitrogen is not available, particles of dirt and residual moisture
can be removed by #cracking# open and immediately closing the valve $otherwise known as
#snifting#%.
lease note! when #snifting# you must take the following safety precautions!
always wear eye protection
ensure there is no possible source of ignition within the vicinity
stand clear of the gas stream
on no account deflect the gas stream with the hand or the face
be aware of the potential noise ha&ard and take precautions if necessary
in the case of high purity gases such as argon, it is recommended that you dry the outlet
of the cylinder valve with a clean cloth before snifting
never snift hydrogen as it may ignite spontaneously
never snift toxic gases! instead, carefully inspect the outlet and if there are any signs of
dirt, blow it out with a 'et of clean compressed air or nitrogen
If the valve outlet contains oil then do not attempt to use the cylinder( it must be returned to
B)C.
Avoiding cylinder contamination bac!lo"
Backflow occurs when air enters a cylinder by flowing through an open valve or an empty
cylinder.
*afety ha&ards can be created if contaminants are allowed to pass back into the cylinder.
recautions must be taken to ensure that backflow of liquid or gas does not occur either when the
cylinder is in use or when it is in store after being emptied.
#reventative mea$%re$
+o avoid moisture and other contaminants entering the cylinder, the valve must be closed
immediately after the gas has been used.
"hen cylinders are connected to a process in which the process pressure can exceed the cylinder
supply pressure, it is extremely important to ensure adequate precautions are taken to avoid
backflow in the cylinder.
T&e !ollo"ing $&o%ld be ob$erved'
always close the supply cylinder valve when not in use
never leave an empty cylinder connected to a process
never use a cylinder as a receiver for waste gas, liquid or other material
fit preventative equipment
Fit a non(ret%rn valve or c&ec valve
+his is the simplest and cheapest method of preventing backflow, but it must be considered as
the minimum requirement.
+hese valves require regular maintenance as particulate matter or corrosive conditions can
prevent resealing.
Fit an a%tomatic $&%t(o!!)i$olation(valve
+his is activated by a low pressure signal when the supply gas cylinder pressure reaches a level
which requires the cylinder to be replaced.
,n alarm should normally be incorporated into the system to alert the operator.
*&at to do i! yo%r cylinder become$ contaminated
If you suspect a cylinder has become contaminated, by whatever means or whatever the
contamination, you must inform B)C immediately.
Before the cylinder is returned, please ensure that you label the cylinder and provide any relevant
information about the known or suspected contamination.
+his information is required even if the contaminant, such as water, has been emptied out of the
cylinder before return.
#lea$e note'
never let oil or grease touch a cylinder or fittings. -ubrication of cylinder valves and
fittings is highly dangerous as well as unnecessary. .igh pressure oxygen will react
violently with grease( it may explode or ignite violently
never use 'ointing compounds. /o not apply white or red lead, 'ointing compounds or
'ointing tape to any cylinders, valves or fittings
oxygen equipment is at most risk from oil and grease! greasy hands, rags and gloves must
not come into contact with any part of the cylinder or fittings
normal body oils do not usually cause contamination, but it is a sensible precaution never
to touch any surface which is sub'ect to oxygen under pressure
Storing +a$ Cylinder$
0as cylinders are large, heavy and relatively unstable due to the small base1diameter to height
ratio.
+a$ cylinder $torage r%le$
It is important to adhere to a few simple rules when storing your gas cylinders. *pecific details
regarding storage of -0 cylinders can be found in the -iquid etroleum 0as ,ssociation Code
of ractice 2 document.
Al"ay$ $tore cylinder$ a,,ro,riately
1 store cylinders in a well1ventilated, covered area, preferably outside on a level, well1drained
surface
1 store cylinders vertically and securely to prevent them from toppling
1 store full and empty cylinders separately, rotating your cylinder stock holdings so the oldest
cylinders are used first
1 segregate cylinders by the properties of the gas $flammable, inert, oxidant, and so on%
1 ensure appropriate signage is use
Comprehensive details are given in the British Compressed 0as ,ssociation $BC0,% guidance
note 034, #0uidance for the storage of gas cylinders in the workplace#.
-e a"are o! t&e ,ro,ertie$ o! t&e ga$
+here are specific storage requirements for certain products. *torage of cryogenic, liquefied and
heavier1than1air compressed gases should be made with due regard to the dangers of gas
collecting in low1lying areas such as drains, basements and ducts.
Never ( $tore L#+ cylinder$ "it& ot&er ga$ cylinder$
store other products in a cylinder store, particularly flammable materials such as fuel, oil,
paint or corrosive liquids( this may result in a ha&ardous situation
store -0 cylinders within three metres of other gas cylinders. +he use of a firewall can
reduce the distances.
Tran$,orting Cylinder$
Information on moving and transporting cylinders.
Carriage o! cylinder$ by road
"hen you collect cylinders from a B)C +rade )utlet, you will be provided with the information
you need to establish your obligations under the Carriage of /angerous 0oods and 5se of
+ransportable ressure 6eceptacles 6egulations.
7veryone carrying gas cylinders in a vehicle should follow basic safety requirements. /rivers,
should be trained in!
the associated ha&ards and dangers of the goods
safe handling of gas cylinders
emergency procedures and the use of fire1fighting appliances
,ll training should be recorded and kept by both the employee and employer.
+he training should be periodically supplemented with refresher training to take account of
regulation changes and should be verified upon commencing a new employment.
8ehicles used for the transportation of gas cylinders should be open. If this cannot be achieved
the vehicle should be well ventilated. +oxic gases must not be carried in a closed vehicle unless
the vehicle has been specifically designed for the purpose.
, 4kg fire extinguisher is required on all vehicles carrying gas cylinders to fight engine and cab
fires.
Cylinder valves must be closed whilst in transit and any equipment disconnected.
Cylinders should be secured properly and should not pro'ect beyond the sides or ends of the
vehicle.
Cylinder labels are attached to all B)C cylinders. +he label is produced in accordance with the
current legislation. +hese labels must never be removed or defaced.
In addition to these general requirements you may need to make specific provision if your load is
above a certain threshold.
It is each driver#s responsibility to know whether the load they are carrying is above the
threshold.
If a leak is suspected 9 park the vehicle in a safe place and contact B)C immediately.
lease see the B)C publication #0uidance for Carriage of 0as Cylinders )n 8ehicles#
$*:+/;;<;=<% for more information.
Carriage o! cylinder$ in t&e "or$
>ovement of cylinders within the works boundaries should be carried out with the same care as
when moving them on the general highway.
Cylinders must be properly secured when being moved and, if transported in a van, precautions
must be taken to avoid a build1up of gas which might affect the driver.
.andling Cylinder$
:urther Information on this topic can be found in +he British Compressed 0as ,ssociation
+echnical Information *heet +I* ?4 regarding handling gas cylinders safely.
De$ign and con$tr%ction o! ga$ cylinder$
B)C gas cylinders are designed and constructed in accordance with standards and specifications
approved by the .ealth @ *afety 7xecutive.
+hese standards define the material of which the cylinder is made, the method of construction, its
test pressure, the maximum permissible filled pressure and the method of regular testing.
Maintenance and te$ting o! cylinder$
If you own your cylinders you must be aware of your statutory obligations with regard to
maintenance and periodic testing.
If you rent cylinders from B)C then B)C, as the owner of the cylinders, ensures that the
requirements of +he Carriage of /angerous 0oods $Classification, ackaging and -abelling% and
5se of +ransportable ressure 6eceptacles 6egulations ?AAB, *I 3o.4;A4, in respect of
construction and periodic examination and testing, are met.
Because the owner regularly inspects and tests gas cylinders, there is no need to include
cylinders in any "ritten *cheme of 7xamination prepared for a pressure system which comes
within the scope of the ressure *ystems *afety regulations, 4;;;, *I 3o ?4C.
Cylinder valve$ and $ec%rity ca,$
Security caps
,ll B)C cylinders containing gas at high pressure are fitted with a cylinder valve which must
not be removed or tampered with at any time except to tighten the gland nut when necessary.
*ome cylinders have a security cap over the cylinder valve indicating that they have been filled
and checked. +his cap is removed by rotating the hexagon nut in either direction using the
regulator spanner. +his will cause the cap to split for easy removal.
If you have difficulty removing the security cap, please contact us and ask for assistance.
#re$$%re reg%lator$
7ach valve outlet is specially threaded to receive standard pressure regulators which are
obtainable from all B)C +rade )utlets.
6egulators should be screwed in by hand and then tightened using the regulator spanner.
+o open the cylinder valve, rotate the spindle anti1clockwise using the special spindle key D<,
which is obtainable from B)C +rade )utlets.
*ome cylinders are fitted with handwheels which replace the need to use a spindle key.
Valve g%ard$ and ,rotection ca,$
Cylinders fitted with handwheels $and some others fitted with valves% are normally fitted with
valve guards or valve protection caps.
8alve guards should not be removed. 8alve protection caps should always be replaced after use.
,lways return your cylinder with the valve in the closed position and the valve guard or cap
$where fitted% in place.
Valve o%tlet t&read$
8alve outlets for flammable gases are screwed anti1clockwise to tighten. 8alve outlets for non1
flammable gases are screwed right1hand $clockwise% to tighten.
+o prevent the interchange of fittings between cylinders containing flammable gases and non1
flammable gases, the cylinder valve outlets are threaded to opposite hands.
non-fammable gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, argon and air all have
conventional right-hand threads
fammable gases such as acetylene, hydrogen, propane and mixtures
containing fuel gas all have left-hand threads
+he only exceptions are special cylinders of dissolved acetylene, specified for purposes other
than welding and cutting and some propane cylinders used on fork lift trucks! these cylinders
have right1hand thread valve outlets.
+hese precautions mean that oxygen and fuel gas pressure regulators are not interchangeable.
*pindle keys are interchangeable.
Im,ortant
+he cylinder valves on all gas cylinders, whether they contain flammable or non1flammable gas,
are opened by turning the spindle anti1clockwise and closed by turning the spindle clockwise.
NEVER o,en an acetylene cylinder valve com,letely' /01 t%rn$ i$ $%!!icient
B)C permanent gas cylinders are all fitted with cylinder valves in which the spindles have
collars to prevent them being completely unscrewed. +here may, however, still be a few
acetylene cylinders which have not yet been returned for this modification. ,s a general rule for
acetylene cylinders, never turn the spindle more than three revolutions.
NEVER leave t&e o,ened $,indle o! any cylinder valve again$t t&e bac$to,
,n opened spindle should 37876 be left against the backstop, but should be turned back at
least half a turn to avoid sei&ure in an open position.
NEVER tam,er "it& cylinder$ in any "ay2 i! in do%bt3 a$ yo%r ga$ $%,,lier
3ever repaint, change markings or identification, or interfere with valve threads. In most cases
the cylinders are owned by the gas supplier, but there are some privately owned cylinders. If you
possess some of these, please be aware that it is dangerous to change the contents or the external
colour without consulting your gas supplier.
NEVER attem,t to re,air a damaged cylinder
If a cylinder is involved in an incident, withdraw it from service and set it aside, clearly marked.
Contact the supplier.
NEVER di$g%i$e damage to cylinder$
If a cylinder has been involved in a fire 37876 paint over the scorch marks. It is highly
dangerous to disguise damaged cylinders before returning them to the gas supplier.
NEVER mi4 ga$e$ in a cylinder
37876 mix gases in a cylinder( this must only be undertaken by authorised specialist personnel,
under controlled conditions.
NEVER tran$!er ga$ to anot&er cylinder
3ever transfer gas from one cylinder to another. +his can result in serious accidents.
NEVER $cra, a cylinder yo% do not o"n
)nly the owner of a cylinder can authorise its scrapping.
Before scrapping, a cylinder must first be destroyed as a pressure vessel. *crap merchants and
cutters should never buy gas cylinders as scrap metal unless this has been done.
If intact cylinders are discovered amongst scrap they should be set aside and the particulars of
colour, service, number and markings given to the gas supplier.
#re$$%re relie! device$
ressure relief devices are fitted to certain cylinders in the 5D. "here fitted they are either!
relief valves (which re-seal when pressure falls to normal)
bursting discs (which discharge complete contents)
B)C propane cylinders are fitted with pressure relief valves which operate at approximately 4B
bar. Carbon dioxide $C)4% cylinders are fitted with a bursting disc which operates at
approximately ?C; bar. +his disc is fitted on the cylinder valve.
Mani!old cylinder ,allet$ 5MC#$6
Cylinders are normally used individually or connected to a manifold by the customer.
>Cs are available for customers who require larger quantities of gas and have adequate
handling facilities for off1loading >Cs from the delivery vehicle and transporting them to and
from the place of work.
3ever remove individual cylinders from >Cs( they are designed and supplied as units and
unauthorised removal of individual cylinders could give rise to a dangerous situation
Tan Sa!ety
To' All o%r C%$tomer$ %$ing Vac%%m In$%lated Storage tan$ on t&eir $ite$
+o maintain safe operation of on1site bulk liquid gas storage vessels $ 8I7/8I+s% our customers
are required to complete a few simple checks to ensure the system remains in good operational
condition. +he link on the right will open up a powerpoint presentation which details how to
manage your installation on a daily basis.
#lea$e en$%re t&at t&i$ comm%nication i$ received by t&e a,,ro,riate ,eo,le in yo%r
organi$ation re$,on$ibility !or .ealt& 7 Sa!ety and 8tilitie$)Engineering0
:ollowing an incident involving a liquid nitrogen storage tank, both the British Compressed 0as
,ssociation $BC0,% and the 5D .ealth and *afety 7xecutive $.*7% have issued guidance in the
form of leaflets and safety alerts.
"hilst the .*7 safety alert focuses specifically on the actions to be taken for operators of similar
tanks to that which failed, the BC0, -?? leaflet expands the advice to cover the safe operation
of all cryogenic storage tanks.
+he design of tank that failed incorporated a EhotF piped economiser facility and it was this
specific design feature that was central to the incident in question. +he vast ma'ority of B)C
tanks do not have this particular design feature and are outside of the scope of the specific
actions included in the .*7 alert. .owever it is good practice, as a user of Cryogenic storage
tanks, to be aware of the overall safe practices that should form part of the daily routine when
operating such equipment.
+he *pecialist department within the .*7 that investigated the incident have circulated their
findings to the local inspectors who will be vigilant to ensure that the guidance is being followed.
B)C has posted a presentation onto the B)C Industrial internet site which covers the issues
raised within the alerts and provides some basic design and operational information on the tanks.
+his presentation can be used to refresh the training of those operators involved in the use of
cryogenic storage tanks and supplements the original handover documentation.
+he presentation covers!
Basic tank design
+he economiser circuit operation
Indications that would highlight an internal leak
0ood housekeeping and operational practice
.yperlinks to the BC0, and .*7 documents.
B)C has, in line with the recommendations, highlighted this incident to all its delivery staff,
maintenance engineers and installation teams to allow those staff, when on customerGs sites, to
be alert to any indications of potential problems with the storage tank.
+he limited numbers of tanks operated by B)C of a similar design to that which was the sub'ect
of the incident have had the necessary inspections and where applicable the economiser has been
decommissioned and locked in the closed position to prevent any further thermal
expansion/contraction.
No !%rt&er action regarding t&i$ i$$%e i$ re9%ired by yo% o%r c%$tomer0
#lea$e tae a !e" moment$ to revie" t&e ,re$entation and "&ere a,,licable ca$cade to
relevant o,erational $ta!! "it&in yo%r organi$ation