High-pressure industrial gases (such as oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, etc.) are stored and transported in portable cylinders. ISO TC58 SC3 has developed a draft specification 9809 for design and fabrication of high-pressure cylinders with maximum tensile strength limitation of 1100 N/mm2. In order to extend the ISO 9809 rules for higher than 1100 N/mm2 strength level cylinders, a working group WG14 was formed in 1989 to develop new rules to assure adequate fracture resistance. In 1994, WG14 recommended a simple, but unique flawed cylinder test method for design qualification of the cylinder and acceptance criteria to assure adequate fracture resistance. WG14 also recommended Charpy-V-notch impact tests to control the required fracture resistance on production cylinders. This paper presents the technical basis that was employed in developing the flawed cylinder test method and acceptance criteria. The specification was developed for seamless steel cylinders having actual strength in the range of 1100 to 1400 N/mm2 and cylindrical section wall thickness in the range of 3 to 10 mm. Flawed cylinder tests were conducted on several hundred cylinders of varying sizes and strength levels. The specification requires to demonstrate LEAK-BEFORE-BREAK performance of the cylinder having flaw length equal to 1.6 (o.d. × tdesign)0.5 at failure pressure = (tdesign/tactual) × Design Pressure.

Issue Section:
Research Papers
Topics:
Cylinder tests (Concrete), Cylinders, Fracture (Materials), Fracture (Process), High strength steel, Design, Acceptance criteria, High pressure (Physics), Pressure, Failure, Hydrogen, Impact testing, Industrial gases, Leak-before-break, Manufacturing, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Steel, Tensile strength, Wall thickness
1.
ISO/DIS 9809, 1991, Draft International “Standard for Refillable Seamless Steel Gas Cylinders for Worldwide Usage,” ISO Central Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland.
2.
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M. D.
, and
Selines
 
R. J.
,
1988
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Structural Integrity Assurance of High-Strength Steel Gas Cylinders Using Fracture Mechanics
,”
Engineering Fracture Mechanics
, Vol.
30
, No.
6
, pp
877
–
894
, Pergammon Press, U.K.
3.
Duffy, A. R., McClure, G. M., Eiber, R. J., and Maxey, W. A., 1969, “Fracture Design Practices for Pressure Piping,” Fracture, An Advanced Treatise, ed., H. Liebowitz, Vol. V, Academic Press, New York, NY, pp. 160–231.
4.
DOT E-9421, 1987, U.S. Department of Transportation, Exemption to 3AA Cylinders, Office of Hazardous Materials Transportation, Washington, DC.
5.
DOT Exemption Application No. 9421-N, 1985, “Further Comments of Union Carbide Corporation and Taylor Wharton Division of Harsco Corporation,” submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Materials Transportation Bureau, July 26, 1985, Fig. 1.
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