G.S.R. 627(E) - Whereas a draft of the Gas Cylinders Rules, 2003 was published as required by section 18 of the Explosives Act, 1884 (4 of 1884) in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, sub-section (i), dated the 20th October 2003, vide notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) number G.S.R. 822(E), dated the 20th October 2003, inviting objections and suggestions from all persons likely to be affected thereby, before the expiry of a period of forty five days from the date of publication of the said notification in the Official Gazette;
And whereas, the said Gazette was made available to the public on the 20th October, 2003;
And, whereas objections and suggestions received from the public on the said draft Rules have been duly considered by the Central Government;
Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 5 and 7 of the Explosives Act, 1884 (4 of 1884) and in supersession of the Gas Cylinders Rules, 1981, the Central Government hereby makes the following rules, namely: -
The Gas Cylinders Rules, 2004
CHAPTER-I PRELIMINARY
1. Short title and commencement. -
(1) These rules may be called the Gas Cylinders Rules, 2004.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. Definitions- In these rules unless the context otherwise requires, -
(i) “Act” means the Explosives Act, 1884 (4 of 1884);
(ii) “Auto LPG” means liquefied petroleum gas meant for automotive fuel conforming to specification IS:14861;
(iii) “Chief Controller” means the Chief Controller of Explosives, Government of India;
(iv) “composite cylinder” means a cylinder made of resin impregnated continuous filament wound over a metallic or a non-metallic liner. Composite cylinders using non-metallic liners are referred to as all-composite cylinders;
(v) “compressed gas” means any permanent gas, liquefiable gas or gas dissolved in liquid under pressure or gas mixture which in a closed gas cylinder exercises a pressure either exceeding 2.5 kgf/cm2 abs (1.5 kgf/ cm2 gauge) at +150 C or a pressure exceeding 3kgf/ cm2 abs (2 kgf/ cm2 gauge) at + 500 C or both;
Explanation – Hydrogen Fluoride falls within the scope of compressed gas although its vapour pressure at 500 C is 1.7 to 1.8 atmospheric gauge;
(vi) “Conservator” in relation to a port includes any person acting under the authority of the officer or body of person appointed to be Conservator of that port under Section 7 of the Indian Ports Act, 1908 (15 of 1908);
(vii) “Controller” includes the Joint Chief Controller of Explosives, the Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives, the Controller of Explosives and the Deputy Controller of Explosives;
(viii) “Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)” means mixtures of hydrocarbon gases and vapours, consisting mainly of Methane in gaseous form, which has been compressed for use as automotive fuel;
(ix) “CNG mother station” means CNG facilities connected with natural gas pipeline and having a compressor meant primarily to fill mobile cascades of daughter station. Such stations may also have stationery cascade for CNG dispensing to vehicles;
(x) “CNG online station” means CNG facilities connected with natural gas pipeline and having a compressor primarily to fill stationary cascades for dispensing CNG to vehicles;
(xi) “CNG daughter station” means CNG facilities not connected to natural gas pipeline. Such CNG dispensing station receives CNG through mobile cascade; (xii) “critical temperature” means the temperature above which gas cannot be liquefied by the application of pressure alone;
(xiii) “dissolved acetylene cylinder” means a cylinder having a valve and with or without safety devices, containing a porous mass, a solvent for the storage of dissolved acetylene and at least sufficient acetylene to saturate the solvent at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature of +150 C;
Explanation.-Acetone or any other solvent used shall not be capable of chemical reaction with the acetylene gas or with the porous mass or with the metal of the cylinder or valve;
(xiv) “dissolved gas” means a gas which under pressure is dissolved in a fluid solvent appropriate to the particular gas as for example, acetylene in acetone or ammonia in water;
(xv) “district authority” means-
(a) a Commissioner of Police or Deputy Commissioner of Police in any town having a Commissioner of Police; and
(b) in any other place, the District Magistrate;
(xvi) “District Magistrate” includes an Additional District Magistrate, and in the States of Punjab and Haryana and in the Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam areas of the Union Territory of Pondicherry, also includes a Sub-Divisional Magistrate;
(xvii) “filling pressure” means the maximum permissible gauge pressure, converted to + 150 C, at which a gas cylinder for permanent gas or gas dissolved under pressure can be filled;
(xviii) “filling ratio” means the ratio of the weight of a liquefiable gas introduced in the cylinder to the weight of the water the cylinders will hold at 150C;
(xix) “flammable gas” means any gas which, if either a mixture of 13 per cent or less (by volume) with air forms a flammable mixture or the flammability range with air is greater than 12 per cent regardless of the lower limit and these limits shall be determined at atmospheric temperature and pressure;
Explanation.-“flammability range” means the difference between the minimum and maximum percentages by volume of the gas in mixture with air that forms a flammable mixture;
(xx) “Form” means a Form set forth in Schedule V;
(xxi) “Gas Cylinder” or “Cylinder” means any closed metal container having a volume exceeding 500 ml but not exceeding 1000 litres intended for the storage and transport of compressed gas, including any liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) container/compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinder fitted to a motor vehicle as its fuel tank but not including any other such container fitted to a special transport or under-carriage and includes a composite cylinder, however, the water capacity of cylinders used for storage of CNG, nitrogen, compressed air, etc. may exceed 1000 litres up to 2500 litres provided the dia meter of such cylinder does not exceed 60 cm;
(xxii) “high pressure liquefiable gas” means a liquefiable gas having a critical temperature between - 100 C and + 700 C;
(xxiii) “hydrostatic stretch test” means subjecting the cylinder to a hydrostatic pressure equal to the test pressure of the cylinder and recording the permanent stretch undergone by the cylinder;
(xxiv) “hydrostatic test” means the test to which a cylinder is subjected to a hydrostatic pressure equal to the test pressure of the cylinder;
(xxv) “import “ means bringing into India by land, sea or air;
(xxvi) “inert gas” means a gas which is resistant to chemical action under normally encountered conditions;
(xxvii) “inspecting authority” means a person having qualifications and wide experience in the filed of design, manufacture and testing of gas cylinders and recognised by the Chief Controller as authority for inspection and certification of gas cylinder;
(xxviii) “installation” means any premises wherein any place has been specially prepared for the manufacture (filling) or storage of compressed gas cylinders; (xxix) “liquefiable gas” means a gas that may be liquefied by pressure at -100 C but will be completely vaporised when in equilibrium with normal atmospheric pressure (760 mm. Hg) at 17.5°C which value shall be increased to 30°C for toxic gases; (xxx) “liquified petroleum gas” means any material, which comprises predominantly of any of the following hydrocarbons or mixture of them with vapour pressure not exceeding 16.87 kg/cm2 (gauge) at 65º C:-
Propane (C3H8), propylene (C3H6), butane ((C4H10), (n-butane and iso-butane) and butylene (C4H8);
(xxxi) “low pressure liquefiable gas” means a liquefiable gas having critical temperature higher than +70ºC;
(xxxii) “manufacture of gas” means filling of a cylinder with any compressed gas and also includes transfer of compressed gas from one cylinder to any other cylinder; (xxxiii) “oxidizing gas” means a gas which gives up Oxygen readily or removes hydrogen from a compound or attracts negative electrons;
(xxxiv) “permanent gas” means a gas whose critical temperature is below _100C that is to say a gas which cannot be liquefied under any pressure at a temperature above _100C;
(xxxv) “poisonous (toxic) gas” a gas which has a maximum allowable concentration in air for human respiration not exceeding 100 mg/m3 at 15°C and 1 kgf/cm2 absolute pressure;
(xxxvi) “Schedule” means the Schedule annexed to these rules;
(xxxvii) “tare weight” in relation to -
(1) acetylene cylinder means the weight of the cylinder together with any fittings, permanently attached and includes the weight of valve any safety device, porous mass, requisite quantity of solvent for dissolving acetylene, and the weight of acetylene gas saturating the solvent at atmospheric pressure and temperature of 150 C;
(2) liquefiable gas cylinder means the weight of the cylinder together with any fittings permanently attached thereto and includes the weight of valve; (3) permanent gas cylinder means the weight of the cylinder together with any fittings permanently attached thereto and excludes the weight of valve;
(xxxviii)“test pressure” means the internal pressure required for the hydrostatic test or hydrostatic stretch test of the cylinder, as follows:-
(1) For permanent and high pressure liquefiable gases, it should be calculated from the following:
200. t. Re
Ph = -----------------
1.25 (Do-t)
where
Ph = Test pressure in kgf/cm2
Do= Outside diameter of the cylinder in mm.
t = Minimum calculated wall thickness of the cylinder shell in mm.
Re= Minimum specified yield strength of the material of cylinder in kgf/mm2, it is limited to 75 per cent of the minimum value of the tensile strength in the case of normalised cylinder and 85 per cent of the minimum value of the tensile strength for quenched and tempered cylinder, provided that the value of test pressure shall not exceed 80 per cent of the yield strength.
(2) For low pressure liquefiable gas - One and a half times the saturated vapour pressure of the gas at 650C or as specified in IS:8867, whichever is higher; (xxxix) “transport” means the moving of a cylinder filled with any compressed gas from one place to another;
(xxxx) “water capacity” means the volume of water in litres, a cylinder will hold at 150C.;
(xxxxi)
“working pressure for low pressure liquefiable gas” means the saturated vapour pressure at 650C;
Explanation.- The values of saturated vapour pressure of different gases are specified in IS:3710;
(xxxxii) “
working pressure for permanent gas” means the internal pressure of the gas in the cylinder at a temperature of 150C;
(xxxxiii)“yield strength” means the stress corresponding to a permanent strain of 0.2 per cent of the original gauge length in a tensile test. For practical purpose it may be taken as a stress at which elongation first occurs in the test piece without the increase of load in a tensile test.
FORM G
(See rules 50, 51 and 54)
‘Licence to dispense compressed natural gas in a CNG dispensing station as automotive fuel’
Licence No…………………………………………… Fee Rs………………..
Licence is hereby granted to …………………………….………………………….. …………………………valid only for filling compressed natural gas in On board CNG cylinders of vehicle as automotive fuel in the licensed premises described below, subject to the provisions of the Explosives Act, 1884 (4 of 1884) and the Gas Cylinders Rules, 2004 made there-under and to the conditions of this licence.
The licence shall remain in force up to 30th day of September, 20…..
The ………………. 20………………. Chief Controller of Explosives Description and Location of the Licensed Premises
The licensed premises, the layout boundaries and other particulars of which are shown in the attached approved plan No…………… dated …… are situated at………….…………….………………………………………………………………………… (Survey No/Plot number) (Name of street) (Village or town) (Police Station) (District) and consist of (i) ……… number of cascades each containing ….. No. of cylinders with total water capacity of …… KL (ii)……. number of compressors (iii) …….number of dispensers and (iv) other facilities …… ………………………………………….
Space for Endorsement of Renewals
This licence should be renewable without any concession in fee for ten years in the absence of contraventions of Explosives Act, 1884 or Gas Cylinders Rules, 2004, framed there under or of the conditions of the this licence. | Date of renewal | Date of expiry | Signature and office stamp of the licensing authority |
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This licence is liable to be cancelled if the licensed premises are not found conforming the description and conditions attached thereto and contravention of any of the rules and conditions under which this licence is granted and the holder of this licence is also punishable with imprisonment for the term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to three thousand rupees, or with both.
CONDITIONS
1. The licensed premises shall be used only for the purpose and facilities it is licensed for.
2. CNG shall be dispensed only into those cylinders of motor vehicles, which are approved by the Chief Controller and have passed the periodic statutory tests under these rules conducted by a testing station recognised by the Chief Controller.
3. The CNG cascades, dispensers, compressor, piping, and other fittings shall be of a design suitable for CNG in conformity to OISD Standard 179.
4. The storage of the cascade of cylinders should be made in a well-ventilated shed having a light roof or canopy with at least one side open. An area of at least 1 meter around the cascade shall be provided within the shed and the same shall be demarcated either by raised platform or by curb wall. In case, the cylinder cascade is mounted on LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle), the same shall be made totally immovable by suitable application of brakes and chokes.
5. No cylinder shall be filled with CNG in excess of the design working pressure.
6. Inter-distances between various equipment, storage cascades, dispensers, etc. installed in CNG dispensing station shall observe safety distances as per Table I & II.
TABLE I
INTER DISTANCES
From buildings and outer boundaries to gas storage units
Total capacity of gas storage cascade units (in liters) | Minimum distance from buildings and boundaries (in meters) |
Up to 4500 | 2.5 |
4500 to 10000 | 4.0 |
10000 to 100000 | 10.0 |
Note:- If on the side(s) towards the boundary of the installation, the clearance as above is not available, the same may be reduced to 2 meters provided a 4 H-FRR RCC wall of adequate height and length covering the cylinder cascades is constructed at the boundary and adequate clear space is available on the other side of the wall.
TABLE II
Inter distances between various facilities in the CNG fueling station
Sl. No. | Distance from (in meters) | CNG Compre -ssor | CNG dispensing Unit | Storage cascade | Outer boundary wall/ CLF* | MS/HSD Dispenser | Vent of MS/HSD u/g storage tanks | Filling point of MS/HSD |
1 | CNG compressor | - | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 6 | T-1 (Min-3) |
2 | CNG dispensing Unit | 3 | - | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | -do |
3 | Storage cascade | 2 | 2 | - | T-1 | T-1 (Min-6) | T-1 (Min-4) | -do |
4 | Outer boundary wall/CLF* | 3 | 4 | T-1 | - | 6 | 4 | -do |
5 | MS/HSD Dispenser | 6 | 6 | T-1 (Min-6) | 6 | - | 6 | -do |
6 | Vent of MS/HSD u/g storage tanks | 6 | 4 | T-1 (Min-4) | 4 | 6 | - | 6 |
7 | Filling point of MS/HSD | T-1 (Min-3) |
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*CLF - Chain Ling Fencing.
Note:-
8. The vehicle shall have approved type of CNG kit fitted in accordance with guidelines of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Govt. of India.
9. No motor vehicle shall be fueled while the engine is running and, where the vehicle is licensed for the conveyance of more than six passengers on hire, while any passenger remains in the vehicle.
10. Warning signs with the words “STOP VEHICLE”, “NO SMOKING”, “NO OPEN FLAME PERMITTED”, “FLAMMABLE GAS”, shall be displayed at dispensing station and compressor areas prominently.
11. All electrical fittings and equipment such as compressors, motors, switches, starters, etc., installed in the premises used for compressing and filling of CNG shall be of flameproof construction conforming to IS:2148 or such other specification as approved by the CCE.
12. No alterations or additions shall be carried out to the premises without prior approval of the licensing authority.
13. Smoking, naked lights, lamps, source of fire, mobile phones or any other implements capable of igniting flammable vapour or gas shall not be allowed inside the premises.
16. The operators and attendants shall be fully conversant and trained with all the facets of the dispensing activities including operations, procedures, maintenance and hazards of CNG and the risk associated with the handling of the product.
17. The emergency telephone numbers of local fire service, police and the principal marketing company and emergency instructions shall be conspicuously displayed in the licensed premises.
18. If the licensing authority calls upon the holder of a licence by a notice in writing to execute any repairs in the licensed premises which are, in the opinion of such authority, necessary for the safety of the premises, the holder of the licence shall execute the repairs within such period as may be specified in the notice.
19. Free access to the licensed premises shall be given at all reasonable time to any of the officers listed in Rule 71 and every facility shall be afforded to such officer for ascertaining that the rules and the conditions of this licence are duly observed.
20. Any accident, fire, explosion or untoward incident occurred within the licensed premises shall be immediately reported to the Chief Controller (Gram : “EXPLOSIVES’, Nagpur, E-mail- explosives@explosives.gov.in), Controller, District Magistrate and the Officer in-Charge of the nearest Police Station by quickest mode of communication.
SCHEDULE VI
(See rule 20)
TRANSPORT OF CYLINDERS
(1) Transport of cylinders by vehicles: —
(a) Cylinders filled with any compressed gas shall not be transported by a bicycle or any other two wheeled mechanically propelled vehicle.
(b) Cylinders shall be so transported as not to project in the horizontal plane beyond the sides or ends of the vehicle by which they are transported.
(c) There shall be no sharp projections on the inside of the vehicle.
(d) Cylinders shall be adequately secured to prevent their falling off the vehicle and being subjected to rough handling, excessive shocks or local stresses.
(e) Cylinders transported in vehicles shall be blocked or braced and be so secured to prevent movement, striking each other or falling down.
(f) Cylinders filled with any compressed gas shall not be transported along with any other article of a highly flammable or corrosive nature.
2. Restriction on transport: —
(a) Cylinders containing flammable gases shall not be transported along with the cylinders containing any other type of compressed gas:
(b) Cylinders containing toxic or corrosive gas shall not be transported along with food stuffs.
Notwithstanding anything contained in clause (a) above, DA cylinders not exceeding 25 in numbers may be transported along with non-toxic non-flammable gases taking due precautions.
3. Loading and unloading for transport: —
(a) No lifting magnet shall be used in loading or unloading of cylinders filled with any compressed gas.
(b) Where any such operation is carried on by means of a crane or a fork-lift truck, a proper cradle with chains or wire rope slings shall be used.
4. Protection of valves during transport: —
(a) Every cylinder containing compressed gas shall, when transported, have its valve protected against damage in the manner provided in sub-rules (b) and (c) unless it is securely packed in a box or crate.
(b) Where the design of the cylinder does not provide for the valve lying wholly below the level of the body of the cylinder, a stout metal cap, metal cover or a protective metal ring or grill of a design approved by the Chief Controller shall be provided, the design being such that the cap or cover or ring or grill is nowhere in close proximity to any part of the valve or valve body.
(c) Where metal caps or metal covers are provided, to protect valves fitted to cylinder other than those containing highly toxic gases like Hydrogen cyanide, Phosgene, Cyanogen, Cyanogen chloride, it shall be provided with a vent of such size so as to prevent any gas pressure inside the cap or covers.
(d) Cylinders containing highly toxic gases like Hydrogen cyanide, Phosgene, Cyanogen, Cyanogen chloride gases, shall have their valves protected with gas-tight metal caps or covers.
(e) Nothing in sub-rules (a), (b) and (c) shall apply to cylinders containing oxygen or nitrous oxide for medical purpose having water capacity not exceeding 5 litres.
5. Leaky cylinders: —
(a) No person shall tender or transport any leaky cylinder.
(b) Any cylinder containing a flammable or toxic gas, which develops a leak during transport shall promptly be removed to an isolated open place away from any source of ignition and the person responsible for transportation shall immediately contact the filler or the consignor as the case may be, for necessary advice.
[F. No. 3(1)2002-Expl.]
ANTHONY de SA, Jt. Secy.
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