Carbon dioxide, chemical formula of the substance CO2, is a product of organic processing and fermentation. The gas is one and a half times heavier than air. Often we have no idea how often we encounter this substance. Carbon dioxide, for example, is used to make carbonated drinks. When carbon dioxide is added from cylinders, where it is under pressure, into a drink, it becomes carbonated, saturated with carbon dioxide molecules.
The scope of application of carbon dioxide is extensive. It is impossible to do without carbon dioxide in metalworking and construction; carbon dioxide is necessary when welding and laser cutting of metals. Fire extinguishing cylinders are filled with carbon dioxide. The fire extinguishing scheme is based on the property of liquefied gas, upon sudden contact with air, to turn into flakes resembling snow - dry ice.
To enterprises, production facilities, and organizations where carbon dioxide is needed, it is brought in special containers - cylinders. Gas is stored in cylinders in liquefied form under pressure. This is the most convenient and safe way to store the substance. Despite the fact that carbon dioxide is not toxic, working with it can lead to injury or even death: you can get burned when welding, the gas is not suitable for breathing and in high concentrations causes suffocation.
Danger of gas cylinders: requirements and standards
This is especially true for old metal cylinders that have already served for 10 years or more. tank installations, including external and internal gas pipelines and technical devices of facilities using LPG as fuel, except for the gas consumption network of residential, administrative, public and household buildings; Manipulations of the ball valve included in the package are used to clarify the amount of gas flow . The flow washer with nozzle adjusts the output based on the pressure value in the working chamber. After the expiration of the five-year period, carbon dioxide cylinders must be tested. Without passing it, further use of the container is impossible. Inspection can only be carried out by an authorized organization.
Item 535
“The warehouse for storing cylinders must be divided by fireproof walls into compartments, in each of which no more than 500 cylinders (40 l) with flammable or poisonous gases and no more than 1000 cylinders (40 l) with non-flammable and non-toxic gases are allowed.”
Explanations: If you have the described volumes of cylinders, then these rules of paragraph 535 must be followed. It may get to the point where the inspectors simply start counting the vessels and, if there are too many of them, they will give you exactly this point as a violation.
compact size cylinders
Pressure in a 40 liter carbon dioxide cylinder: how many atmospheres
The date of the last inspection is indicated on the cylinder. 25. The documentation presented to the acceptance committee, including design and as-built documentation, as well as the acceptance committee’s report, must be kept for the entire life of the facility using LPG (until its liquidation). 231. At facilities using LPG, monitoring of stationary gas analyzers for the gas content in the indoor air should be provided and (or) if they fail, checking for gas contamination with portable gas analyzers every thirty minutes of the work shift.266. The activation of equipment and gas pipelines after maintenance or repairs associated with stopping them and turning off LPG must be done only with the written permission of the technical manager (chief engineer) of the facility using LPG.
Item 529
“Cylinders that do not have shoes can be stored horizontally on wooden frames or racks. When stored in open areas, it is allowed to stack cylinders with shoes in stacks with spacers made of rope, wooden beams, rubber or other non-metallic materials with shock-absorbing properties between horizontal rows.
When stacking cylinders in stacks, the height of the latter should not exceed 1.5 m, the valves of the cylinders should face the same direction.”
Explanations: Cylinders without shoes can be stored horizontally, but they have one unpleasant property - they can roll away. Therefore, if you do not want sad consequences, immediately fix them by placing them in racks or appropriate frames. If you store them in stacks, then do not forget to put spacers between the cylinders and put shoes.
That is, do everything possible to prevent the cylinders from rolling away.
At home
LPG cylinders must be protected from direct sunlight. Currently in use are portable carbon dioxide fire extinguishers with a housing capacity of 2, 3, 5, 8 liters. OU-1, OU-2, OU-3, OU-5, OU-8 Fire extinguishers differ from each other only in the volume of the body and the dimensions of the socket. 25. Documentation presented to the acceptance committee, including design and as-built documentation, as well as the acceptance committee report, must be kept for the entire life of the facility using LPG (until its liquidation). Control testing of external and internal gas pipelines of the steam and liquid phases of LPG GNS and GNP , liquid phase gas pipelines of tank installations, LPG tanks, piping gas pipelines are carried out at a pressure of 0.3 MPa for one hour. Visible drops on the pressure gauge and leaks determined using a foaming solution or instruments are not allowed.
Expert opinion
Simonova Ekaterina, consultant in the field of promotions and discounts
Certification and re-examination Helium is stored in containers under pressure for 2 years. The recommendations of VNIIPO, which determine the actions of firefighters in a situation of possible explosive destruction of cylinders with gases located in the zone of fire development, contain information explaining the seriousness of the problem: Carbon dioxide is supplied in pure form 99.8 or in mixtures with air and oxygen. If you need more advice, message me!
Item 528
“Filled cylinders with shoes mounted on them, as well as cylinders that have a special design with a concave bottom, must be stored in an upright position. To protect against falling, cylinders must be installed in specially equipped nests, cages or protected by a barrier.”
Explanations : This is not only about vertical storage, but also the need for special structures that will prevent these cylinders from falling. Leaning cylinders against a wall or against each other is unacceptable - one falling cylinder can pull the rest, and these are potential “missiles” and direct damage to your organization.
Shelf life according to GOST
Features of a CO2 cylinder In the premises of non-profit organizations, the construction of pits and underground channels is not allowed. In this case, the cylinder is filled with 60-70 gas of the total volume.
| Name of parameters | OU-2 | OU-3 | OU-5 | OU-8 |
| Cylinder capacity, l | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Working pressure in the fire extinguisher cylinder at t=20°C, MPa (kgf/cm2) | 6 (58) | 6 (58) | 6 (58) | 6 (58) |
| Duration of fire extinguishing agent supply, minimum (at t=20°C), sec. | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Minimum fire extinguishing jet length (at t=20±5 °C), m | 1,5 | 3,0 | 3,0 | 3,0 |
| Weight of fire extinguishing agent, kg | 1,4 | 2,1 | 3,5 | 5,6 |
| Fire extinguishing ability to extinguish a model fire according to class “B” | 10V | 13V | 34V | 55V |
| Fire extinguisher weight, total, kg, no more | 6,6 | 8,4 | 13,5 | 18,3 |
| Length of hose with socket, m, not less | — | — | 0,5 | 1 |
| Duration of putting the fire extinguisher into action, sec., no more | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Service life, years, not less | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
monitoring the serviceable condition and position of shut-off valves and safety valves;
Item 510
“Workers servicing cylinders must pass a test of knowledge of the instructions and have a certificate of admission to independent work, issued in the prescribed manner”
Explanations : Please note that this paragraph refers specifically to service. This category usually includes replacement of shutoff valves. Only those employees who have been trained and received the appropriate certificates have the right to carry out such work.
Simply put, a welder, driver or any other employee of your company, even if he has experience, does not have the right to service cylinders without undergoing training and obtaining special permission.
Transportation rules
testing the operation of compressors, evaporators and pumps; It is not allowed to install and store oxygen cylinders in the buildings of medical organizations if this is not provided for in the design documentation. In addition, flammable gas cylinders are prohibited from being used in shopping and entertainment establishments for refilling balloons. The inscription is applied around the circumference of the cylinder for a length of at least 1/3 of the circumference, and the stripe is applied along the entire circumference. In this case, the height of the letters on cylinders with a capacity of more than 12 liters must be 60 mm, and the width of the stripe must be 25 mm. On cylinders with a capacity of up to 12 liters, the sizes of letters and stripes must be determined depending on the size of the lateral surface of the cylinders.62. If the pressure on the discharge lines of compressors, pumps and at the outlet of evaporators is exceeded, the electric motors and the supply of coolant to the evaporators must be automatically switched off.
Expert opinion
Simonova Ekaterina, consultant in the field of promotions and discounts
General information about cylinders The shoe used for stability is significantly damaged or installed askew. To prevent this from happening, you should know and follow a set of rules for storing gas cylinders - PHGB, which are mandatory both for the heads of organizations where they are handled and used for various purposes, but also for the owners of private houses and apartments with stoves powered by a cylinder with a household fuel mixture . Only after certification can you continue working with them. If you need more advice, message me!
Item 519
“If it is impossible, due to a malfunction of the valves, to release gas from the cylinders at the point of consumption, the latter must be returned to the filling station separately from empty cylinders with the appropriate temporary inscription (marking) applied to them by any available method that does not violate the integrity of the cylinder body. The release of gas from such cylinders at the filling station must be carried out in accordance with instructions approved in the prescribed manner."
Explanations : Everything is very simple here - if there are any problems with the shut-off valves, then return the cylinder. You shouldn’t get into the structure and engage in amateur activities. When making a return, do not forget to mark that the cylinder is problematic.
Will the introduction of new rules lead to the introduction of a new European standard for cylinders?
The water supply stops when the tank is completely filled. Carbon dioxide cylinders are used in many areas of human activity. In order to use them, you need to know the safety rules, the physical and chemical properties of the substance, and the features of use. Carbon dioxide is under high pressure during storage and its use requires strict requirements that you need to be aware of. In the absence of requirements established in the design, as well as in the operational documentation of the equipment manufacturer for pneumatic devices, automatic regulation and control systems, compressed air must be used, which must meet the requirements: The inscription is applied around the circumference of the cylinder to a length of at least 1/3 of the circumference, and stripe - around the entire circumference. In this case, the height of the letters on cylinders with a capacity of more than 12 liters must be 60 mm, and the width of the stripe must be 25 mm. On cylinders with a capacity of up to 12 liters, the sizes of letters and stripes should be determined depending on the size of the lateral surface of the cylinders.
Expert opinion
Simonova Ekaterina, consultant in the field of promotions and discounts
Types and characteristics of carbon dioxide cylinders When purchasing a new cylinder, you receive a cylinder for a full service life of 40 years. To prevent this from happening, you should know and follow a set of rules for storing gas cylinders - PHGB, which are mandatory both for the heads of organizations where they are handled and used for various purposes, but also for the owners of private houses and apartments with stoves powered by a cylinder with a household fuel mixture . Permit orders must be stored for at least three months from the date of closure. If you need more advice, message me!
Paragraph 520
“Filling stations that fill cylinders with compressed, liquefied and soluble gases are required to keep a cylinder filling log, which, in particular, must indicate:
a) date of filling;
b) cylinder number;
c) date of examination;
d) mass of gas (liquefied) in the cylinder, kg;
e) signature, surname and initials of the person who filled the cylinder..."
Explanations : An extremely useful point for choosing a supplier and how to determine his integrity and level of professionalism. All the above points must be indicated on the cylinder; this is an important rule. If something is missing, it means that the company is working with violations and it is better to avoid it.
Item 538
“Transportation of cylinders filled with gases within the boundaries of hazardous production facilities, the production site of the enterprise and at other installation and repair work sites must be carried out on spring transport or on trucks in a horizontal position, always with gaskets between the cylinders. Wooden blocks with cut-out sockets for cylinders, as well as rope or rubber rings with a thickness of at least 25 mm (two rings per cylinder) or other gaskets that protect the cylinders from hitting each other can be used as gaskets. All cylinders during transportation must be stacked with valves in one direction.”
Explanations: At some enterprises, cylinders must be transported between warehouses or other buildings. Doing this without following the regulated rules for gas cylinders is unacceptable. To avoid the consequences of depressurization or carelessness of workers, carefully study and follow this point.
Item 539
“Cylinders must be transported and stored with caps screwed on, unless the design of the cylinder provides for other protection of the cylinder shut-off organ.
Storing filled cylinders until they are released to consumers is permitted without safety caps.”
Explanations: This point may seem paradoxical to many. Let's figure it out.
Cylinders can only be transported with the caps screwed on - this is not specified. However, there are nuances regarding the storage of cylinders. If we talk about long-term storage, then the caps must be installed, but if an inspector came to you and pointed out that this point was not observed, then you can refer to the second part of the point - to inform that these cylinders will be issued to consumers in the near future. And such cylinders can be stored without caps.
