Bsi bs en 12863 2002 (2006)

www bzfxw com BRITISH STANDARD BS EN 12863 2002 Incorporating Amendment No 1 Transportable gas cylinders — Periodic inspection and maintenance of dissolved acetylene cylinders The European Standard EN[.]

The European Standard EN 12863:2002, with the incorporation of

amendment A1:2005, has the status of a British Standard

ICS 23.020.30

This British Standard, having

been prepared under the

direction of the Engineering

Sector Policy and Strategy

Committee, was published

under the authority of the

Standards Policy and Strategy

Committee on 9 August 2002

© BSI August 2006

ISBN 0 580 40140 5

National foreword

This British Standard is the official English language version of

EN 12863:2002, including amendment A1:2005 It supersedes

BS 6071:1981 which is withdrawn

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted by Technical Committee PVE/3, Gas containers, to Subcommittee PVE/3/7, Gas cylinder (receptacle) operations, which has the responsibility to:

A list of organizations represented on this subcommittee can be obtained on request to its secretary

Cross-references

The British Standards which implement international or European

publications referred to in this document may be found in the BSI Catalogue

under the section entitled “International Standards Correspondence Index”, or

by using the “Search” facility of the BSI Electronic Catalogue or of British

— aid enquirers to understand the text;

— present to the responsible international/European committee any enquiries on the interpretation, or proposals for change, and keep the

Amendments issued since publication

16330 August 2006 Replacement of text in 6.2.3 and addition of

new Annex F

EUROPÄISCHE NORM +A1November 2005

ICS 23.020.30

English versionTransportable gas cylinders - Periodic inspection and maintenance of dissolved acetylene cylinders

Bouteilles à gaz transportables - Contrôle et entretien

périodiques des bouteilles d'acétylène dissous

Ortsbewegliche Gasflaschen - Wiederkehrende Prüfung und Instandhaltung von Gasflaschen für gelöstes Acetylen

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 6 March 2002.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the Management Centre or to any CEN member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German) A version in any other language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36 B-1050 BRUSSELS

© 2002 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved

worldwide for CEN national Members.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION

C O M I T É E U R O P É E N D E N O R M A L I S AT I O N EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

Ref No EN 12863:2002 E

Contents

page

Foreword 3

Introduction 4

1 Scope 5

2 Normative references 5

3 Terms and definitions 5

4 General 6

5 Preparation of gas cylinder 7

6 Inspection and maintenance 8

7 Identification of content 11

8 Markings 11

9 Records 11

10 Disposal of unserviceable cylinders 12

Annex A (informative) Acetylene cylinders manufactured according to National Regulations 13

Annex B (informative) Procedure to be adopted when a cylinder valve is suspected to be obstructed 15

Annex C (normative) Description, evaluation of defects and conditions for rejection of acetylene gas cylinders at time of visual inspection 18

Annex D (informative) Tools and clearance gauges and diagrammatic illustration of the top of (monolithic and non-monolithic) acetylene cylinders 22

Annex E (informative) Inspection and maintenance of valves and their connections 24

Annex F (normatuve) Cracks on porous masses 25

Bibliography 26

Foreword

This document EN 12863:2002 has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 23 "Transportable gas

cylinders", the secretariat of which is held by BSI

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical

text or by endorsement, at the latest by December 2002, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn

at the latest by December 2002

This European Standard has been submitted for reference into the RID and/or in the technical annexes of the

ADR Therefore in this context the standards listed in the normative references and covering basic requirements

of the RID/ADR not addressed within the present standard are normative only when the standards themselves

are referred to in the RID and/or in the technical annexes of the ADR

In this standard the annexes A, B, D and E are informative Annex C is normative

According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following

countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark,

Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal,

Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom

Foreword to amendment A1

This European Standard (EN 12863:2002/A1:2005) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 23

"Transportable gas cylinders", the secretariat of which is held by BSI

This Amendment to the European Standard EN 12863:2002 shall be given the status of a national standard,

either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by May 2006 and conflicting national

standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by May 2006

According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following

countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuvania,

Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

and the United Kingdom

4

Introduction

Acetylene cylinders differ from all other cylinders transporting compressed or liquefied gases because they

contain a porous mass and normally a solvent in which the acetylene stored is dissolved However, for special

applications there exist some acetylene cylinders containing a porous mass and no solvent For the periodic

inspection cycle, due regard should be given to the different types of construction of cylinders and porous

masses The remainder of this document should be read considering these differences

The primary objective of the presence of the porous mass is to limit an acetylene decomposition, should it be

initiated, and thus prevent a cylinder incident If some porous mass is missing, or if a defect (e.g a cavity, crack

or void of significant size) exists as a result of breakdown or subsidence of the porous mass, then the

decomposition could progress at a rate which can cause a violent failure of the cylinder

This European Standard specifies seamless and welded steel or seamless aluminium alloy cylinders intended

for the transport of acetylene in cylinders of water capacity up to 150 l and specifies the requirements for the

periodic inspection and maintenance of acetylene cylinders, regardless of the method of manufacture of the

shell

This European Standard also applies to solvent free acetylene cylinders

This European Standard also specifies a procedure to qualify existing gas cylinders for free movement between

member states of the European Union (see annex A)

2 Normative references

This European Standard incorporates by dated or undated reference provisions from other publications These

normative references are cited at the appropriate places in the text, and the publications are listed hereafter

For dated references, subsequent amendments to or revisions of any of these publications apply to this

European Standard only when incorporated in it by amendment or revision For undated references the latest

edition of the publication referred to applies (including amendments)

EN 1800:1998, Transportable gas cylinders — Acetylene cylinders — Basic requirements and definitions

EN 1089-1, Transportable gas cylinders — Gas cylinder identification (excluding LPG) — Part 1:

Stampmarking

EN 1089-2, Transportable gas cylinders — Gas cylinder identification (excluding LPG) — Part 2: Precautionary

labels

EN 1089-3, Transportable gas cylinders — Cylinder identification — Part 3: Colour coding system

EN ISO 13341, Transportable gas cylinders — Fitting of valves to gas cylinders (ISO 13341:1997)

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this European Standard, the following terms and definitions apply

3.1

cylinder shell

pressure vessel manufactured for storage and transport and suitable for containing a porous mass, a solvent,

where relevant, and acetylene

3.2

complete cylinder

cylinder shell ready to be charged with acetylene gas, which is complete with porous mass, solvent where relevant,

saturation gas, valve, and any valve protection permanently fixed to the cylinder shell

3.3

porous mass

single or multi-component substance introduced into, or formed in the cylinder shell, in order to fill it and due to its

porosity allow the absorption of the solvent and acetylene gas The porous mass can be of two types

a) a non-monolithic porous substance consisting of granular, fibrous or similar substances without the addition

of any binding materials;

6

b) a monolithic porous substance consisting of materials having reacted to form a compact product or of

materials connected together through a binding compound(s) This type of porous substance may be

manufactured with a controlled clearance between the shell and the substance (see annex D)

3.4

porosity

ratio expressed in percentage of the volume of the solvent, which can be filled in the cylinder equipped with the

porous mass, to the water capacity of this cylinder without porous mass (determined according to annex B of

sum of the empty weight of the cylinder shell, the porous mass, the specified mass of solvent, the valve and the

mass of all other parts which are permanently attached (e.g by clamping or bolting) to the cylinder when it is

for solvent free acetylene cylinders the tare weight is expressed by indicating a TARE F, where TARE F of an

acetylene cylinder is TARE A minus the weight of solvent

4 General

4.1 Requirements for inspection

The periodic inspection of acetylene cylinders shall be carried out only by competent and trained persons who

shall ensure that the cylinders are fit for continued safe use

NOTE A competent person is a person who has the necessary technical knowledge, experience and authority to

assess and approve materials for use with gases and to define any special conditions of use that are necessary Such a

person will also normally be formally qualified in an appropriate technical discipline

Due to the presence of a porous mass in the cylinder neither a pressure test (hydraulic or pneumatic) nor a

visual inspection of the internal surface of the shell, is required by this standard

Where cylinders are manufactured according to National Regulations and are intended to be qualified under the

Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive (TPED) for free movement and use between member states of the

European Union, additional requirements are specified in annex A

4.2 Intervals between periodic inspections

A cylinder shall fall due for a periodic inspection on its first receipt by a filler after the expiry of the interval of

5 years in the case of non-monolithic massed cylinders, or 10 years in the case of monolithic massed cylinders

NOTE These intervals conform to the current RID/ADR regulations

However additional initial inspection requirements for newly massed cylinders are required as follows:

a) Non-monolithic mass

For all newly massed cylinders an initial inspection according to this standard shall be either before 2 years in

service or before the first fill after the 2 years have elapsed

b) Monolithic masses

For all newly massed cylinders an initial inspection according to this standard shall be either before 3 years in service

or before the first fill after the 3 years have elapsed

After the initial inspection according to either a) or b), the normal period as stated above shall apply

Provided the cylinder has been subjected to normal conditions of use and has not been subjected to abusive or

abnormal conditions rendering the cylinder unsafe, there is no general requirement for the user to return a gas

cylinder before the content has been used, even though the test interval may have lapsed

5 Preparation of gas cylinder

5.1 Removal of gas

Before proceeding with the inspection, cylinders shall be depressurised of gas Cylinders shall be checked for

pressure both before and after depressurisation Depressurization shall be carried out in a safe manner having

due regard to the characteristics of acetylene Depressurisation shall be carried out over a period long enough

to ensure a removal of all acetylene, except saturation gas (see clause 3.6) Precautions shall be taken

because variations in temperature influence the quantity of acetylene in the form of saturation gas

NOTE The absence of a positive pressure reading does not clearly indicate the absence of excess gas due to the

possibility of a blocked valve (see annex B)

In case of any doubts regarding the efficiency of the depressurisation cycle, the cylinder shall be weighed

A cylinder weighing greater than the tare weight (see 3.7) stamped on the cylinder is not always a clear

indication of the presence of excess gas Consideration should be given to the possibility of contamination, such

as an excess of solvent or the ingress of water

A cylinder weighing less than or equal to the stamped tare weight is not always a clear indication of the absence

of gas under pressure Consideration should be given to factors such as a possible solvent shortage or external

corrosion causing a loss of shell weight

5.2 Preparation for external visual inspection

Each cylinder shall be cleaned and have all loose coatings, corrosion products, tar, oil or other foreign matter

removed from its external surface by a suitable method, e g by brushing, shot blasting (under closely

controlled conditions to ensure that there is no leakage of acetylene into the brushing or shot blasting cabinet)

water jet abrasive cleaning, chemical cleaning or other methods Care shall be taken at all times to avoid

damaging the cylinder and pressure relief devices where fitted

NOTE The external visual inspection, in accordance with 6.1, can be carried out at this stage

8

5.3 Valve removal

Before removing the valve from an acetylene cylinder it shall be determined that the cylinder has been

completely depressurised as described in 5.1 If there is any reason to believe that a valve is blocked (e.g the

lack of an audible release of gas when opening the valve) and that the cylinder may still contain residual gas

under pressure, checks shall be made e.g by introducing an inert gas at a pressure lower than 5 bar and

observing its discharge

If it is found that the valve is obstructed, then a suitable method shall be employed to remove the gas or the

valve, taking into consideration the design of the valve and ensuring that all necessary precautions are taken

having due regard to the hazards that can result from an uncontrolled operation (see annex B) Devalving shall

take place in the open or in a ventilated area The temperature of the cylinder when removing the valve should

be close to the ambient temperature within the inspection area, so as to avoid either excess venting of residual

gas or ingress of air

NOTE The cylinders should not be left open or without valves longer than necessary for the inspection

5.4 Removal of neck/core hole filters

Acetylene cylinders usually contain neck filters/core hole packing, consisting of filter (or metallic gauze) and

felts Neck filters and packing materials, placed between the top of the porous mass and the base of the valve

stem, shall be removed, as appropriate, to enable an inspection of the porous mass in accordance with the

inspection requirements of the porous mass manufacturer or the inspection body

Some porous mass manufacturers equip monolithic mass acetylene cylinders with a wooden plug, which forms

an integral part of the porous mass This plug, which is situated below the neck filter (or metallic gauze), shall

be left intact and not removed for the purpose of the visual examination, provided that the wooden plug is in the

right position, permitting the measurement of the gap in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions If on a

previous inspection the wooden plug has been tampered with or removed by mistake or is not in the right

position this plug shall be replaced with a new one in line with the porous mass manufacturer's

approval/specification

Special care shall always be taken when removing filters or packing material in view of the possibility of some

restrictions at the neck with residual pressure underneath, which, if suddenly released, can blow the filter out

with some of the porous substance and can cause injury

NOTE The presence of fine carbon powder or other contaminants on the filters or packing material is indicative of a

flashback having occurred

6 Inspection and maintenance

6.1 Inspection procedure

The external surface of each cylinder shall be inspected for:

a) dents, cuts, gouges, bulges, cracks, laminations (as defined in Table C.1) or excessive base wear;

b) heat damage, torch or electric arc burns (as defined in Table C.1);

c) corrosion (as defined in Table C.2);

d) other defects such as illegible or unauthorised stamp markings, unauthorised additions or modifications

(see Table C.1);

e) integrity of all permanent attachments

Damaged valve guards, threaded neck rings and foot rings may be repaired or replaced as appropriate No

welding or any heat shall be directly applied to the pressure containing part of the cylinder If welding is

performed on a non-pressure-containing part of the cylinder, due care shall be taken with regard to the presence

of acetylene and solvent

For rejection criteria, see annex C Cylinders no longer suitable for future service shall be rendered able (as defined in clause 10)

unservice-6.2 Examination of the porous mass

6.2.1 General

Following 5.4, the porous mass shall be examined for the presence of visible contamination or other defectswhich could affect the suppression of an acetylene decomposition The examination shall be performed, wherenecessary, by the appropriate use of special spark-resistant tools such as metal wire probes, rods, feeler orclearance gauges (see annex D) to check the firmness and the presence of voids or other defects in the mass.6.2.2 to 6.2.4 give the rejection criteria Care shall be taken to ensure that the porous mass is not damaged bythe inspection tools

6.2.2 Contamination

The porous mass shall be checked visually for contamination such as the presence of significant fine carbonpowder and water, or oil deposits or if there has been a discolouration of the porous mass Depending on thelevel of such contamination, the competent person shall decide if the porous mass is to be rejected

6.2.3 Monolithic masses - Cracking, crumbling or cavitation

The visual inspection shall verify that the porous mass shows:

a) no excessive top clearance (gap between the top of the cylinder and the monolithic porous mass);

— The maximum gap between the top of the cylinder and the monolithic porous mass shall not exceed that

in the type approval, if specified, for that cylinder Those gaps up to the maximum used in the typeapproval tests shall apply If at a later stage, cylinders with other gap sizes pass the requirements of thebackfire test as in EN 1800, and are approved, then these gap sizes may also apply If top clearancespecification or guidance is not available for a given cylinder, the gap size shall not exceed 2 mm for anasbestos free porous mass and 5 mm for all other monolithic masses

b) no excessive cracking;

— Only small cracks without visible flanks are acceptable for all masses, provided that they do notincorporate break outs and do not allow the mass to dislodge This can be checked by applying a gentlelateral load with a gloved finger Porous masses with cracks with visible flanks are not acceptable andshall be rejected (for examples see Annex F)

c) no excessive crumbling;

— Crumbling of the porous mass is acceptable if it is arising from the collar of the porous mass only and if

it is so little that the maximum allowed gap is not exceeded at any point Small break outs in the top ofthe cylinder neck/shoulder area are acceptable and may be repaired by a method validated andapproved by the mass manufacturer, e.g by backfire test Cylinders with masses that show crumbling

in excess of the allowable shall be rejected

d) no void or cavities

— The porous mass shall be checked to ensure that there are no voids or cavities between the porousmass and the cylinder wall by verifying there is no lateral movement A cylinder that demonstrateslateral movement of porous mass shall be rejected

If the cylinder is equipped with a wooden plug (see 5.4) it shall be checked, by applying a gentle load toensure that the plug is firmly fixed in its position and there is no lateral movement of the wooden plug Theremay be a tolerance of 1 mm between the porous mass and the wooden plug

6.2.4 Non-monolithic masses – Compaction

Non-monolithic porous masses which have been subjected to compaction, or exhibit a loss of compaction shall

be rejected, or repaired in accordance with 6.6

6.3 Pressure relief devices including fusible plugs

Where fusible plugs or other pressure relief devices are used they shall be examined for damage Where age is found the device shall be replaced and checked for gas tightness If it is decided to replace relief deviceswith solid plugs, this shall be performed in accordance with a written procedure, approved by the inspectionbody

dam-6.4 Inspection of valves

Before being refitted to a cylinder, the valve shall be cleaned and inspected Any damaged or defective partsshall be replaced (see annex E) Attention shall be paid to the condition of threads, and gauges shall be used

as appropriate

6.5 Inspection of cylinder threads

The internal neck threads of the cylinder and other threaded openings shall be examined to ensure that they are

of full form and clean They shall be checked for burrs, cracks and other imperfections

Where necessary, and where the design permits, damaged threads may be rectified by a suitable method andshall be checked with the appropriate gauge

6.6 Repair of non-monolithic porous mass

A non-monolithic mass that has been rejected due to compaction shall only be repaired if the repair does notimpair the safety of the cylinder in operation

The repair of a non-monolithic mass shall be performed according to the instructions of the porous mass ufacturer or, if these cannot be obtained, to instructions of the competent person and the method to be usedshall be verified by testing in accordance with EN 1800 The quantity of material added shall be recorded, thetare weight of the cylinder adjusted as appropriate, and the stamp marking adjusted accordingly

man-A cylinder, which contains a rejected porous mass which is not suitable for repair in accordance with this clause,shall be rendered unserviceable or may be considered for use with the porous mass replaced according to 6.7

6.7 Replacement of porous mass

If the porous mass is no longer acceptable but the external condition of the cylinder shell is satisfactory, theneither the existing porous mass shall be replaced, and the cylinder shell reused, or the complete cylinder shall

If a different porous mass is employed the original porous mass manufacturer's identification mark shall be moved and the identity of the new porous mass, manufacturer and all other characteristics necessary to ensuresafe operation, as defined on the approval certificate, shall be stamped onto the cylinder In addition the newtare weight shall be stamped onto the cylinder having obliterated the old tare weight marking.

re-6.8 Reassembling

Cylinders meeting the requirements of this standard shall be reassembled by replacing, as specified by the rous mass manufacturer, any packing materials in the neck end and fitting new filters in such a way as to ensurethat when the valve is fitted contact is made between the base of the valve stem and the filters/packings

po-New or reconditioned valves shall be fitted to the cylinder using a suitable jointing material and the torque essary to ensure a seal between the valve and the cylinder, in accordance with EN ISO 13341

nec-If required, a test date ring indicating the next test date may be fitted over the stem of the valve, prior to the valvebeing fitted

The next test date shall be shown by an appropriate method such as a disc fitted between the valve and thecylinder indicating the date (year) of the next periodic inspection

- manufacturer's or owner's serial number;

- type and weight of porous mass added, if any;

- attachment replacement, if any;

- cylinder tare weight change if appropriate;

- result of test (pass or fail);

- present test date;

- Identification symbol of inspection body or test station;

- Identification of inspector

10 Disposal of unserviceable cylinders

Methods used for disposing of non-acetylene cylinders are inappropriate for acetylene cylinders, on account ofthe nature of the contents of an acetylene cylinder

When disposing of acetylene cylinders very careful consideration shall be given to the fact that the cylinderscontain residual acetylene, solvent (DMF or acetone) and porous mass (which can contain asbestos)

The annex does not apply to acetylene cylinders manufactured according to EU Directives 84/525/EEC,84/526/EEC or 84/527/EEC, or to European Standards for gas cylinder construction.

A.2 Definitions and symbols

: Official stampmark required by the TPED to certify existing gas cylinders conforming to RID/ADR for usethroughout the European Union

A.3 General recommendations

A.3.1 The owner of the gas cylinders should indicate to the inspection body the types and the number of gascylinders presented for qualification

For each of the cylinders the following information should be made available for documentation and subsequentcalculation:

- manufacturer;

- serial number;

- date of manufacture (cylinder shell and porous mass;

- regulation or specification to which the cylinder was manufactured;

- working pressure;

- test pressure;

- external diameter;

- minimum wall thickness;

- minimum yield stress;