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AS 3961—2005

natural gas
Australian Standard™

The storage and handling of liquefied


AS 3961—2005
This Australian Standard was prepared by Committee ME-070, Liquefied Natural
Gas—Storage and Handling. It was approved on behalf of the Council of Standards
Australia on 14 March 2005.
This Standard was published on 13 April 2005.

The following are represented on Committee ME-070:

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry


Department of Employment, Education and Training, N.T.
The Australian Gas Association
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AS 3961—2005

Australian Standard™
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The storage and handling of liquefied


natural gas

Originated as AS 3961—1991.
Second edition 2005.

COPYRIGHT
© Standards Australia
All rights are reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without the written
permission of the publisher.
Published by Standards Australia, GPO Box 5420, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia
ISBN 0 7337 6616 1
AS 3961—2005 2

PREFACE
This Standard was prepared by the Standards Australia Committee ME-070, Liquefied
Natural Gas—Storage and Handling in response to requests from authorities and industries
to review and supersede AS 3961—1991.
The objective of this Standard is to provide requirements for the design, construction and
operation of installations for the storage and handling of liquefied natural gas (LNG),
covering installations of atmospheric-type tanks for supplying marine terminals, pipeline
peak saving, and pressure tanks.
This edition is technically equivalent to that published in 1991. However, referenced
documents have been revised and updated, and minor editorial changes have been made to
reflect the style of more recent Australian Standards for the storage and handling of
dangerous goods.
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This Standard has been modelled on two other Australian Standards. AS/NZS 1596, The
storage and handling of LP Gas, was used because of the similarities between LP Gas and
LNG. AS 1940, The storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids, was also
used, as atmospheric LNG storage has similarities with flammable liquids storage.
Expertise from the cryogenics industry has also been valuable. Liquefied natural gas has
many unique properties requiring specific safety measures. This Standard is therefore based
on an amalgamation of requirements drawn from various sources, but tailored to suit the
particular safety issues of LNG.
The Standard has been arranged to cater for the distinctions between the two basic types of
LNG storage and handling systems, being pressure tanks and road or rail tankers, and
atmospheric tanks for marine and pipeline transport systems.
The terms ‘normative’ and ‘informative’ have been used in this Standard to define the
application of the appendix to which they apply. A ‘normative’ appendix is an integral part
of a Standard, whereas an ‘informative’ appendix provides information and guidance only.
The series of Standards covering the storage and handling of dangerous goods presently
comprises the following Standards:
AS
1894 The storage and handling of non-flammable cryogenic and refrigerated liquids
1940 The storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
2507 The storage and handling of agricultural and veterinary chemicals
2714 The storage and handling of hazardous chemical materials—Class 5.2 substances
(organic peroxides)
3780 The storage and handling of corrosive substances
3846 The handling and transport of dangerous cargoes in port areas
4326 The storage and handling of oxidizing agents
4332 The storage and handling of gases in cylinders
AS/NZS
1596 The storage and handling of LP Gas
2022 Anhydrous ammonia—Storage and handling
2927 The storage and handling of liquefied chlorine gas
3 AS 3961—2005

AS/NZS
3833 The storage and handling of mixed classes of dangerous goods in packages and
intermediate bulk containers
4081 The storage and handling of liquid and liquefied polyfunctional isocyanates
4452 The storage and handling of toxic substances
4681 The storage and handling of Class 9 (miscellaneous) dangerous goods and articles
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AS 3961—2005 4

CONTENTS

Page

FOREWORD.............................................................................................................................. 6

SECTION 1 SCOPE AND GENERAL


1.1 SCOPE AND APPLICATION..................................................................................... 9
1.2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS .................................................................................. 9
1.3 DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................ 9

SECTION 2 GENERAL INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS


2.1 SCOPE OF SECTION ............................................................................................... 13
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2.2 TANKS...................................................................................................................... 13
2.3 PRESSURE AND VACUUM RELIEF ..................................................................... 13
2.4 GAUGES AND CONTROLS .................................................................................... 14
2.5 PLANT EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN SYSTEMS ................................................... 15
2.6 LOCATIONS............................................................................................................. 16
2.7 POTENTIAL FLAME IMPINGEMENT ................................................................... 20
2.8 ROAD AND RAIL TANKER TRANSFER INSTALLATIONS ............................... 20
2.9 PIPING, VALVES AND ACCESSORIES................................................................. 22
2.10 INSULATION ........................................................................................................... 24
2.11 VAPORIZER DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ..................................................... 24
2.12 VAPORIZER INSTALLATION................................................................................ 25
2.13 PUMPS AND COMPRESSORS................................................................................ 25
2.14 SECURITY AND DAMAGE PROTECTION ........................................................... 27
2.15 EARTHING AND BONDING .................................................................................. 27
2.16 PERSONNEL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT ............................................................ 27
2.17 LADDERS, STEPS, AND PLATFORMS ................................................................. 28
2.18 ODORIZERS............................................................................................................. 28
2.19 MARKINGS AND NOTICES ................................................................................... 28
2.20 LIGHTING ................................................................................................................ 28

SECTION 3 PRESSURE TANK STORAGES


3.1 SCOPE OF SECTION ............................................................................................... 29
3.2 TANK DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ................................................................ 29
3.3 CONTROLS AND GAUGES .................................................................................... 29
3.4 LOCATION AND INSTALLATION ........................................................................ 30

SECTION 4 ATMOSPHERIC TANK STORAGES


4.1 SCOPE OF SECTION ............................................................................................... 32
4.2 TANK DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ................................................................ 32
4.3 GAUGES AND CONTROLS .................................................................................... 32
4.4 LOCATION AND INSTALLATION ........................................................................ 33
4.5 SPILLAGE CONTAINMENT AND CONTROL ...................................................... 33
4.6 MARINE TRANSFER INSTALLATIONS ............................................................... 35
5 AS 3961—2005

Page

SECTION 5 AUTOMOTIVE REFUELLING STATIONS


5.1 SCOPE OF SECTION ............................................................................................... 37
5.2 CONTROL OF IGNITION SOURCES ..................................................................... 37
5.3 TANK AND PIPING ................................................................................................. 37
5.4 FILLING AREA ........................................................................................................ 37
5.5 DISPENSERS............................................................................................................ 38
5.6 NOTICES, SIGNS, AND INSTRUCTIONS.............................................................. 38

SECTION 6 OPERATIONS
6.1 SCOPE OF SECTION ............................................................................................... 40
6.2 ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCEDURES .................................................................. 40
6.3 SUPERVISION ......................................................................................................... 43
6.4 RECORDS................................................................................................................. 43
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6.5 COMPLIANCE WITH PROCEDURES .................................................................... 43


6.6 SPECIFIC OPERATING PROCEDURES................................................................. 43
6.7 MAINTENANCE, INSPECTION AND TESTING ................................................... 44
6.8 TANK TRANSPORT OR REMOVAL...................................................................... 47
6.9 ROAD TANKER OPERATION ................................................................................ 47
6.10 GENERAL PRECAUTIONS FOR BULK TRANSFER ............................................ 48
6.11 SUPERVISION OF TRANSFER............................................................................... 49
6.12 TRANSFER PROCEDURES .................................................................................... 50
6.13 MARINE TRANSFER .............................................................................................. 51
6.14 AUTOMOTIVE-REFUELLING STATION OPERATIONS..................................... 51

SECTION 7 FIRE SAFETY


7.1 SCOPE OF SECTION ............................................................................................... 52
7.2 DESIGN REQUIREMENTS ..................................................................................... 52
7.3 DETAILED REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................ 53

APPENDICES
A LIST OF REFERENCED DOCUMENTS ................................................................. 56
B METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF HOLDING TIME............................. 58
C CHARACTERISTICS OF LNG ................................................................................ 60
D TANK AND CYLINDER LOCATIONS................................................................... 62
E HAZARDOUS ZONES ............................................................................................. 63
F TRANSFER CONNECTION..................................................................................... 65
G MAXIMUM FILLING LEVEL OF PRESSURE TANKS ......................................... 66
H NOTICE OF EMERGENCY PROCEDURES FOR LNG.......................................... 67
I TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF WORK PERMIT............................................................. 68
AS 3961—2005 6

FOREWORD
FIRE SAFETY
General considerations
Fire safety is a critical aspect of any Standard that deals with the safe handling of
flammable materials, and such a Standard usually incorporates a comprehensive section that
requires the traditional firefighting implements, e.g. hoses, hydrants, extinguishers, and the
like. Habit and instinct tend to lead the thinking towards the provision of the same
equipment for LNG, on the grounds that if a fire is possible, one must provide means for
fighting it, and this is the way it is done.
However, the fire characteristics of gases, particularly LNG, differ radically from those of
solids and liquids, so that conventional firefighting methods and equipment are not often
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useful and can in some situations be counter-productive. The provision of inappropriate


equipment not only represents a misdirection of effort, but more seriously a false sense of
security can be generated, leading personnel to place themselves in danger.
Essential to the consideration of safety in a gaseous fire is that uncontrolled drifting vapour
is very mobile; unlike liquids or solids it may travel to an ignition source. Once gas has
escaped, dissipation before reaching an ignition source is the only hope of safety.
Separation distances, and the control and elimination of possible ignition sources, are aimed
at this aspect.
If escaped gas ignites, there are two problems. Water streams will not readily extinguish
such a fire, and in any case to extinguish the flame while leaving the escape flowing sets up
a very considerable risk of potential re-ignition.
The only satisfactory means of stopping a gaseous fire is to shut off the fuel supply, so the
design must incorporate sufficient isolating facilities to cope with any predictable event.
However such facilities merely represent a cure after the event, and the principal objective
must be prevention, i.e. the intent should be that escapes never happen and the escape-
control measures never have to be used.
Thus the engineering of the whole installation becomes the critical fire safety provision.
The first precautionary element in the design is the engineering of all the components to
minimize the possibility that any failure may lead to an escape. The next element is a
system of valves to control all outflow of LNG (whether liquid or vapour). These valves
should be capable of shutting off flow, preferably automatically, should an incident occur.
Catchments are provided for certain types of tank to hold any possible spillage of liquid.
Any substantial spill of liquid will form a pool, but the liquid has a fairly high evaporation
rate, so that it is desirable to keep the surface area of the pool as small as possible to
minimize the rate of vapour generation.
It is traditional to spread foam on petrol spillages to blanket the surface and inhibit
evaporation, thus reducing the vapour cloud and reducing the possibility of ignition. Foam
is not as effective on LNG, because of the interface between the warm foam and the
cryogenic LNG, increasing evaporation and breaking through the foam. Thus a further
reason for keeping the surface areas of spillage catchments as small as possible is to
optimize the thickness of the foam blanket, so that the barrier to heat radiated into the pool,
and the general insulating effect on the pool, is as effective as possible.
Should a compound catch fire, little can be done to fight it. Foam is ineffective and water
streams will increase the problem by increasing the evaporation rate. All that can be done is
protect nearby installations and property from the high level of radiated heat.
7 AS 3961—2005

Nearby fires that radiate heat are not important considerations for LNG tanks. The
separation requirements ensure that the radiation levels at the outer tank surface are
reasonable, and the insulation of the tank will be adequate protection for anything but the
most intense fire, active for a prolonged period. Accidental on-site fires can be dealt with in
the main by conventional firefighting methods, and are not likely to last long enough to
present any threat to a tank. Only tank support structures have any degree of vulnerability
to weakening by heat. Therefore, this Standard makes little provision for protection from
accidental heat from incidental nearby fires.
Engineering for fire safety
The general principles of containment of contents apply equally to both pressure and
atmospheric tanks, but there are differences in detail that require different approaches.
Pressure tanks are of small volume, but can have quite high pressures. Atmospheric tanks
have very large volumes at lower pressures.
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Pressure tanks
Pressure tanks are not considered to be a major potential for liquid loss, because of the
relative thickness of the shell, and are considered more likely to suffer an outflow of liquid
due to the downstream failure of some component, possibly due to accident. The
engineering of the containment provisions has as its objective the elimination of any such
downstream escape by the application of the following principles:
(a) An escape of liquid is more serious than an escape of vapour.
(b) Openings into a tank should not be more numerous, nor larger, than they need to be.
(c) Every opening above a stated minimum size should have double protection, the
inboard member being at least a manual shut-off valve, with either an excess flow
valve or a non-return valve mounted outboard of that.
(d) Non-return valves are used preferentially wherever they can be used and are
mandatory in every one-way liquid filling entry. The reason for this preference is that
a non-return valve will shut in any condition of backflow, whereas an excess flow
valve will shut only in specific outflow conditions.
(e) Where a non-return valve is used, the manual valve inboard of it is considered to be
adequate back-up.
(f) Where an excess flow valve is unavoidable, the inboard manual valve is not alone
adequate, and must be supported by an emergency shutdown system, or for smaller
tanks at least a remote operating control of some sort.
(g) Careful thought must be given in the design stage to ensure that any filling or
withdrawal connection, shear point, screwed or flanged connection, or other feature to
which flame could flash in the event of a fire, is located and directed to avoid flame
impingement. Pipework should be designed to minimize the number of flanges and
joints.
(h) Water sprays and sprinkler systems have little place and cannot be substituted for
protective valving.
(i) Site management has a continuing responsibility to ensure that training, operating,
and maintenance procedures are set up in the first place, are implemented, and are not
subsequently allowed to lapse or become outdated.
(j) A certain basic level of firefighting equipment is required for all but the most minor
installations, to cope with the unpredictable.
AS 3961—2005 8

Atmospheric tanks
Atmospheric tanks are considered to have a higher need for protection from possible spills,
partly because of field construction uncertainties, and thinner shells, and partly because the
very high volume stored warrants more caution. The main principles are as follows:
(a) No openings are permitted through the shell below the maximum liquid level in the
tank. Liquid is pumped over the top.
(b) Excess flow valves and check valves have little place in such arrangements, and any
downstream escape is terminated by an emergency shutdown system that controls the
pumps. Some provision is necessary to prevent siphoning after a pump shuts off.
(c) Separations are chosen on the basis of a design liquid spill of 10 min duration.
(d) The compound around the tank is designed to minimize the possible surface area of
any spill, so that compounds for LNG tanks tend to be narrow and deep, and
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commonly consist of only an outer shell.


(e) The entire design of the installation, its control systems, valves, emergency shutdown
provisions, sensing and monitoring devices, is considered to be an individual
engineering exercise for that particular plant, carried out in conjunction with a risk
assessment. It is for this reason that the Standard says little about the detail of such
installations.
Treatment of emergencies
The requirements of this Standard have been devised on the basis of a definite concept as to
the handling of a fire emergency involving LNG storages, the elements of which are as
follows:
(a) Rapid evaluation of the nature of the fire is imperative.
(b) If the fire is in adjacent buildings or materials, and is of normal intensity and
duration, then it can be taken that the tank will be unaffected and attention can be
concentrated on fighting that fire.
(c) If LNG or gas is escaping, the priority task is to prevent escalation, then to stabilize,
then to terminate. The major objective is to shut off the flow of the escaping LNG.
(d) If a gas fire is burning but the situation is stable, there is nothing wrong with letting
the gas burn if it can do no harm, even to the extent of burning off all the stored gas if
this is the safest thing to do.
(e) If the situation is obviously escalating, and the fuel flow to the fire cannot be stopped,
then the emergency teams must be evacuated.
9 AS 3961—2005

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

Australian Standard
The storage and handling of liquefied natural gas

SECT ION 1 SCOPE AND GENERA L

1.1 SCOPE AND APPLICATION


1.1.1 Scope
This Standard specifies requirements for the design, construction and operation of
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installations for the storage and handling of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
1.1.2 Application
This Standard applies to two basic types of installation, being—
(a) installations of atmospheric tanks for supplying marine tanker terminals, pipeline
peaking, and the like; and
(b) pressure tanks, which are usually a part of a distribution system for LNG by road
tanker.
1.1.3 Where this Standard does not apply
This Standard does not apply to or deal with—
(a) the functional design of liquefaction equipment;
(b) frozen-ground storage techniques;
(c) aspects of natural gas distribution and use that are covered by other Standards and
publications such as pipeline and reticulation codes, appliance and vehicle installation
codes, and the like;
(d) any transport operations that are covered by the ADG Code;
(e) the transport of LNG by ship; or
(f) any aspect of transport or piped distribution outside the perimeter of the static storage
installation.

1.2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS


A list of documents referred to in this Standard is given in Appendix A.

1.3 DEFINITIONS
For the purpose of this Standard, the definitions below apply.
1.3.1 ADG Code
The Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail.
1.3.2 Atmospheric tank
A tank which operates at a nominal vapour pressure not exceeding 100 kPa.
1.3.3 Automotive refuelling station
A place where vehicle fuel tanks are filled from dispensers while on the vehicle.

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AS 3961-2005, The storage and handling of


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