Industry Standard Update 096 – Liquid Gas UK CoP 01 Part 3 – 2020
Industry Standard Update 096
Liquid Gas UK CoP 01 Part 3 – 2020
Date issued: 1 June 2020
This Industry Standard Update (ISU) provides an overview of the key areas of change arising from the revision of Liquid Gas UK Code of Practice 01 Part 3 – 2020 Bulk LPG Storage at Fixed Installations Examination and Inspection.
Introduction
During April 2020, Liquid Gas UK published a revised Code of Practice 01 Part 3 – 2020 Bulk LPG Storage at Fixed Installations Examination and Inspection(1). This supersedes the previous edition, which had been published in May 2012. The revision to this standard came into effect in April 2020.
This Industry Standard Update has been written and prepared with the assistance of Liquid Gas UK.
The following is a brief overview of the areas of significant change to the amended standard, Liquid Gas UK CoP 01 Part 3.
General
CoP 1 Part 3 sets out the requirements for:
- Inspection and maintenance of vessels and their associated equipment
- Items to be included in written schemes of examination
- Marking of vessels and vaporisers following examination
- Vessels installed in accordance with Liquid Gas UK Code of Practice 10 on mobile equipment.
Legislation, normative references and current standards have been updated throughout where necessary.
Suggested inspection, maintenance and requalification intervals
CoP 1 Part 3 has been adapted to reflect some industry changes to inspection, and provides extensive guidance on what should be carried out at 10 and 20-year inspection intervals. The Code also covers items to be covered in routine inspections.
Section 1
Clause 1.2.1 Regulation
Vessels and their entire functional installation (where the maximum normally expected operating pressure exceeds 0.5bar) are subject to the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR).
There are also maintenance responsibilities required to comply with DSEAR and PUWER.
Clause 1.5 Responsibilities
In all cases, the owner of the LPG vessel has responsibility for appropriate maintenance and inspection. The overall responsibility for the safe working of the LPG installation rests with the operator.
There must be procedures in place to define working arrangements between all parties on site to ensure that risks are controlled, eg, by inspection and/or maintenance. Where the duties are shared, the respective areas of responsibility must be clearly identified and recorded.
There shall be a procedure in place to ensure that any necessary remedial action identified is taken within an appropriate timescale.
Section 3
Examination and inspection principles
Additional clarity has been provided on what to include in a Written Scheme of Examination (WSE) and an example of how to write a WSE has been provided in Appendix G.
New to CoP 1 Part 3 is a user/owner decision tree to provide guidance on who has responsibility for the parts of an installation under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations.
Appendix I: Vessel surface rejection criteria
Clarity has been provided to assess and reject vessels. Criteria have been provided to assist the decision-making process.
Appendix J: Testing of underground vessel cathodic protection systems
Guidance for cathodic protection (CP) system testing for underground vessels is given in BS EN 12817(2) and BS EN 12819(3). However, expert opinion is that some of the requirements of these two standards will not provide the correct level of surety: therefore the information in this CoP 1 Part 3 does not fully align with these two standards.
Liquid Gas UK has engaged with companies that specialise in CP systems to ensure that the guidance contained in CoP 1 Part 3 is fit for purpose. More technical information is contained in CoP 1 Part 3, which makes the process easier to understand.
Appendix L: Informative schedule for the inspection of industrial process and LPG operating sites
Inspection of industrial process and LPG operating sites is new to CoP 1 Part 3 and the guidance provides items to be included in a daily check of the plant.
Appendix N: Hose and flexible maintenance
This CoP covers maintenance of hoses and flexibles operating at or above vapour pressure. The Code gives detailed guidance on routine checks as well as proof and pneumatic testing.
The guidance on hoses contained in the Code supersedes guidance contained in UKLPG Code of Practice 14 and UKLPG User Information Sheet 24, both of which are now obsolete.
Appendix P: Purging
The CoP contains comprehensive guidance on the purging of LPG bulk storage vessels and systems into and out of service and their preparation for entry.
Summary
As previously stated, this Industry Standard Update is only a brief overview of the information contained in the amended standard. Registered businesses should be aware that they have a responsibility to ensure that they are fully apprised of all the requirements of the whole published standard and its practical application.
Bibliography
- Liquid Gas UK Code of Practice 01 Part 3 – 2020 Bulk LPG Storage at Fixed Installations Examination and Inspection
- BS EN 12817 LPG Equipment and accessories. Inspection and requalification of LPG pressure vessels up to and including 13m3
- BS EN 12819 LPG Equipment and accessories. Inspection and requalification of LPG pressure vessels greater than 13m3
