Approvals & certifications

Our line of composite LPG cylinders are certified in accordance with the requirements in ADR/RID and the Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive (TPED). All cylinders are marked with π 0035 -40C. This means that our products can be filled, transported and used in all EC countries as well as other countries who have adopted the ADR/RID. The original approval was based on the German/ADR requirements, granted in February 2000.

TÜV München, which is accredited by ZLS as the inspection body issuing type approvals in Germany for this type of equipment, carried out all approval work. It also acted as our notified body - the third-party inspector that approves the production line and products.

Today, certification is kept up to date by TÜV Rheinland. Design, approval testing and production testing are based on the requirements of EN 12245 "Transportable Gas Cylinders - Fully Wrapped Composite Cylinders" and EN 14427 "Transportable Refillable Composite Cylinders for LPG - Design and Construction". Both standards are included in the ADR/RID (TPED) and equally valid. Our products are approved to both standards and a type approval certificate for both standards is available. Inspection requirements at the time of filling and periodic inspections and testing are described in ADR/RID with reference to European or international standards.

For countries outside ADR/RID, local or national authorities issue type approvals for our cylinders. As existing TPED-approval is used as a basis for the application, experience has shown that local or national approval is usually just a formality, which also means that the approval process has a limited impact in terms of the time and cost of a launch in a new market. TPED refers to ADR in relation to the carriage of dangerous goods. Consequently, a TPED product may be transported within the whole of the EU and EFTA, as well as any other country that has transposed ADR/RID into its national regulations on the carriage of dangerous goods.

Our cylinders also comply with ISO 11119-3, which is very similar to European standards except for the fact that it is approved by member countries around the world. In combination with the requirements in the United Nations (UN) Model regulations, as applied in national law or regulations, it is possible to use the ISO 11119-3 standard to obtain approval for a UN/ISO cylinder.

The approval process and the marking requirements for such cylinders are slightly different. Hexagon Ragasco has, for example, UN/ISO approval in New Zealand. Both pi-marked and locally approved valves are available for these cylinders, depending on the market/country. Valve design must always be approved by Hexagon Ragasco. Several standards have been developed to establish filling inspection and retesting procedures and criteria, which are referenced in ADR/RID:

• EN 1439 – Procedures for checking LPG cylinders before, during and after filling
• EN 16728 – Transportable refillable LPG cylinders other than traditional welded and brazed steel cylinders – Periodic inspection
• ISO 24431 – Cylinders for compressed and liquefied gases (excluding acetylene) – Inspection at time of filling
• ISO 11623 – Periodic inspection and testing of composite gas cylinders

Hexagon Ragasco also has a product-specific document that provides detailed instructions on how to fill and retest its composite LPG cylinders.

Outside Europe, the interval between periodic inspections is often stipulated in the approval, or subsequently in the approval issued by the local/national authority.

We continuously perform tests to document the limited deterioration that normal use of the cylinders causes over time (no corrosion, no permanent deformation) and thus prove to the competent authorities that the retesting interval should be at least 10 years. Each site that is approved to carry out periodic inspections and testing also has to have its procedures and facilities approved by the competent authority in each country.

In the USA, the cylinders are approved by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) in accordance with Special Permit DOT-SP-12706, which is based on ISO11119-3, CFR49, FRP 1 and DOT specific requirements.

The Authorized Testing Institute is the third-party approval organization for the manufacturing line and product.

In Canada, the cylinders are approved in accordance with TC-SU-5931, which is based on ISO11119-3 and BS3.3.9, TC 3FCM, CAN/CSA B339 and further Transport Canada requirements. The Authorized Testing Institute is the third-party approval organization for the manufacturing line and product.

Through national approvals our line of composite LPG cylinders is approved in a number of countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Iraq, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Vietnam and Uruguay.

Local approvals are normally based on an acceptance of TPED, EN12245 and/or ISO 11119-3 requirements. Hexagon Ragasco is dedicated to the task of achieving local and national approvals and providing support to local competent authorities.