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Chesterfield Special Cylinders’ Integrity Management team operates globally to deliver faster, safer and more economic inspection and testing of high-pressure cylinders. It delivers specialist acoustic emission testing services and operates to the BS 8562 and EN 16753 standards.
High-pressure gas cylinders typically degrade from the inside as well as outside. However, cylinders that cannot be removed or easily reached have historically undergone safety tests far less rigorous than those for transportable tubes.
This has resulted in significant safety, cost and downtime issues for owners and end-users, because of the susceptibility of these cylinders to damage and erosion.
EN 16753 is the new standard for the inspection and testing of hard to reach/impossible to remove, gas tubes and forms the core of Chesterfield Special Cylinders’ Integrity Management service. As part of this standard, CSC IM specialises in delivering acoustic emission (AE) testing which is seen as the future of testing for seamless cylinders.
Chesterfield Special Cylinders is the only company capable of delivering this strict new testing regime worldwide, with bespoke facilities and equipment, operating globally.
Integrity Management – through-life services
This service is proving invaluable to the hydrogen sector.
Thanks to CSC IM, the company is uniquely placed to deliver a genuinely design-to-operation gas storage solution and service.
EN 16753 is the new standard for the inspection and testing of hard to reach/impossible to remove gas tubes. It is the core of Chesterfield Special Cylinders’ Integrity Management service and includes the standard for delivering acoustic emission (AE) testing which is seen as the future of testing for seamless cylinders.
EN 16753 and BS 8562 are non-destructive ‘In Situ’ testing standards applicable to HP tubes in locations where their removal would be hazardous or impossible (e.g. offshore oil installations) or where the downtime required to remove the vessel would hinder the safe operation of a plant or service (e.g. power generation, hospitals, advanced research applications and marine installations such as heave compensation systems on semi-submersible drilling rigs).
Leading authorities such as DNV-GL have adopted AE as the most progressive process for testing cylinders while they remain in situ. AE is seen by experts as offering a faster, safer and more economic approach to testing.
EN 16753 is based on the British Standards Institution’s BS 8562 which was co-developed with the CSC IM team.
BS 8562 set the new standard for the inspection and testing of high pressure gas tubes that cannot be removed once they have been installed. The standard was created in response to industry concerns over safety, since previous guidance was far less specific than for re-test methods on transportable tubes.
The new standard employs non-destructive capabilities, including acoustic emission testing, and provides an equivalent level of re-qualification to accepted and proven national and international standards including BS EN 1968: 2002 and ISO 6406: 2005. These standards are set to save industry the huge cost of the tubes’ removal and related downtime
as they will now be fully tested in situ.
For further information and advice:
Stephen Butler
Sales Director
T. +44 (0)1142 427 500
stephen.butler@chesterfieldcylinders.co.uk
Icebreaking Emergency Evacuation Vessels (IBEEV)
Location:
Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan
Operator:
AGIP (Offshore EP)
Cylinder application:
Bulk breathing gas storage and supply system in totally enclosed escape craft
System tested:
Four rescue ships each housing webs, comprised of sixteen 1700 litre breathing air cylinders operating at 350 bar.
Summary of conditions:
The compact design of the evacuation ships totally precluded the removal of the cylinders for re-testing, other than by cutting into the hull.
The classification body had requested the tests and Chesterfield Special Cylinders liaised with them on the Written Scheme of Examination.
Pre-test visits helped gauge the scope of testing and work to be performed.
BS 8562 requires all surfaces to be inspected and evaluated even though the cylinders are stacked with minimal space in between. Although space was very restricted all of the required equipment – lighting, thread cleaning, video scopes, etc. – was deployed in the cramped conditions.
Findings:
Quantities of sealing tape and weld spatter was discovered. This could have resulted in a major operational problem if the contaminants had gone into the valves and control mechanisms.
Such occurrences highlight the need for engineers and contractors to be aware of the factors which can compromise cylinder performance and safety.
Outcome:
Cylinders were re-qualified as re-tested to BS 8562 and certification issued.
Chesterfield Special Cylinders is a Pressure Technologies Group company.
Leading UK designers and manufacturers of high-integrity, safety-critical components and systems serving global supply chains in oil and gas, defence, industrial gases and hydrogen energy markets.
