[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 46, Volume 1] [Revised as of Octobery 1, 2004] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 46CFR38.10-1] [Page 492-494] TITLE 46--SHIPPING CHAPTER I--COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PART 38_LIQUEFIED FLAMMABLE GASES--Table of Contents Subpart 38.10_Piping, Valves, Fittings, and Accessory Equipment Sec. 38.10-1 Valves, fittings, and accessories--TB/ALL. (a) All valves, flanges, fittings, and accessory equipment shall be of a type suitable for use with liquefied flammable gases, and shall be made of steel or grade A malleable iron, acceptable for the service temperature and pressure according to the requirements of part 56 of subchapter F (Marine Engineering) of this chapter. Other materials may be specially considered and approved by the Commandant. (b) All valves, flanges, fittings, and accessory equipment shall have a pressure rating at operating temperatures not less than the maximum allowable pressure to which they may be subjected. Piping which is not protected by a relief valve or which can be isolated from its relief valve by other valves shall be designed for the greatest of the cargo vapor pressure at 115[deg] F., or the maximum allowable pressure of the cargo tank, or the requirements of Sec. 38.10-10(a). Cargo liquid piping which may be subject to liquid full conditions shall be fitted with relief valves. The escape from piping systems relief valves shall be piped to a venting system or to a suitable vapor recovery system. Provision shall be made for the proper venting of all valves, fittings, etc., in which pressure buildup may occur, especially in refrigerated systems, because of an increase in product temperature. (c) Welded connections shall be used wherever possible with the number of flanged joints kept to the minimum necessary for assembly and cleaning. Sockets in sizes 3 inches and smaller and slipon flanges in sizes 4 inches and smaller may be used. Threaded joints may be used in sizes of 1 inch and smaller. Where threaded joints are used, they shall be visible and accessible for inspection under all service conditions, and limited to instrument and control lines properly valved from the main lines. Where threaded joints are sealed by brazing or welding, they need not be exposed. (d) Valve seat material, packing, gaskets, etc., shall be resistant to the action of the liquefied flammable gas. All flange and manhole cover gaskets shall be compressed asbestos, spiral-wound metal asbestos, metal jacketed asbestos, solid aluminum, corrugated steel, solid steel, or iron, or other materials with equal or better resistance to fire exposure. (e) Provisions shall be made by the use of offsets, loops, bands, expansion joints, etc., to protect the piping and tank from excessive stress due to thermal movement and/or movements of the tank and hull structure. Expansion joints shall be held to a minimum and where used shall be of the bellows type and subject to special approval by the Commandant. (f) Low temperature piping shall be thermally isolated from the hull structure. Arrangements should provide for the protection of the hull structure from leaks in way of pumps, flanges, joints, etc. (g) Each tank shall be provided with the necessary fill and discharge liquid and vapor shutoff valves, safety relief valve connections, refrigeration connections where necessary, liquid level gaging devices, thermometer well and [[Page 493]] pressure gage, and shall be provided with suitable access for convenient operation. Piping shall enter the cargo tanks above weather deck and as close to the top of the tank or dome as possible, except as otherwise permitted in this section. Connections to the tanks shall be protected against mechanical damage and tampering. No underdeck cargo piping shall be installed between the outboard side of the cargo containment system and the shell of the vessel, unless provision is made to maintain the minimum inspection and collision protection clearances of Sec. 38.05- 10(e) between the piping and the shell. Other openings in the tanks, except as specifically permitted by the Commandant, are prohibited. (h) Cargo loading and discharge piping may be connected to the tanks below the weather deck or below the liquid level subject to approval by the Commandant, provided: (1) A remotely controlled quick-closing shutoff valve is flanged to the tank outlet connection. The control mechanism for this valve shall meet the requirements of Sec. 38.10-5. (2) The piping which is below the weather deck or liquid level shall be joined by welding except for a flanged connection to the quick- closing shutoff valve and a flanged connection to the cargo pump. (3) The design and arrangement of this piping, including the flange bolting shall be such that excessive stresses will not be transmitted to the cargo tank outlet connection or the quick-closing valve, even in the event of abnormal displacement of the piping. (4) Except for those vessels, the design of which permits the exclusion of a weathertight deck over the tanks, the space in which such piping is located shall be accessible only from the weather deck and shall be vented to a safe location above the weather deck. (i) All connections to tanks, except safety relief valves and liquid level gaging devices, shall have manually operated shutoff valves located as close to the tank as possible. In addition, all liquid and vapor connections on pressure vessel type tanks except safety relief valves, liquid level gaging devices, and filling and discharge lines, shall be equipped with either an automatic excess flow valve or a remotely controlled quick-closing shutoff valve of the fail closed type. These valves, except when necessary for the operation of the system, shall remain closed. For pressure vessel type tanks operating at low pressure and with service temperature near the cargo atmospheric boiling point, the Commandant may approve individual installations where the liquid and vapor connections normally requiring automatic excess flow valves or remotely controlled quick-closing shutoff valves are fitted with manually operated shutoff valves only. (j) The control system for quick-closing shutoff valves shall be provided with a remote control in at least two locations and be of a type acceptable to the Commandant. The control system shall also be provided with a fusible element designed to melt between 208[deg] F. and 220[deg] F., which will cause the quick-closing shutoff valves to close in case of fire. The quick-closing shutoff valves shall be capable of local manual operation. (k) Excess flow valves, where required by this subchapter, shall close automatically at the rated flow of vapor or liquid as specified by the manufacturer. The piping, including valves, fittings, and appurtenances protected by an excess flow valve, shall have a greater capacity than the rated flow of the excess flow valve. (l) Liquid level gaging devices which are so constructed that outward flow of tank contents shall not exceed that passed by a No. 54 drill size (0.055-inch diameter) opening, need not be equipped with excess flow valves. (m) Pressure gage connections need not be equipped with excess flow valves if the openings are not larger than No. 54 drill size (0.055-inch diameter). (n) Excess flow valves may be designed with a bypass not to exceed a No. 60 drill size (0.040-inch diameter) opening to allow equalization of pressure. (o) Suitable valves shall be installed on the cargo headers to relieve the pressure on the liquid and vapor lines to a safe location prior to disconnecting shore lines. (p) A pressure gage shall be located at the highest practicable point. A [[Page 494]] thermometer well where installed on the tank proper shall be attached to the tank by welding. (q) For nonpressure vessel type tanks, the following additional fittings are required: (1) A liquid level gaging device shall be provided to determine the level of the liquid cargo without opening the tank. The gage shall be readable from the open deck, or from a control room or station when the loading or discharging is controlled from such a room or station. Tables shall be readily available for direct determination of volume of liquid in the tanks, with necessary corrections for trim, temperature, and density. (2) An independent high level alarm shall be provided for each tank. The alarm indication shall register at the station where loading is controlled. (3) Each tank shall be provided with remote reading temperature sensors located near both the cargo liquid level and the bottom of the tank. The temperature shall be read at the control station for loading and unloading cargo, if provided, otherwise near the cargo control valves. (4) Each tank shall be fitted with a pressure and a vacuum gage which shall be read at the control station for loading and unloading cargo, is provided, otherwise near the cargo control valves. In addition, the liquid loading and discharge headers at the ship's shore connection station shall be fitted with pressure gages. (r) Spaces surrounding cargo tanks shall be provided with suitable means for pumping out. (1) Where pressure vessel type tanks are installed or in other cases where no secondary containment is required, this may consist of a bilge system independent of the bilge system for the rest of the vessel, and having no pipe connections between the cargo tank spaces and the engineroom or boilerroom, except that eductors may be supplied from engineroom pumps. (2) Secondary containment spaces of structurally self-supporting tanks shall be provided with suitable means for pumping out leaked cargo. These should be arranged so as to provide the following alternatives: (i) Return of the cargo to the same primary tank or other tank. (ii) Pumping the cargo off the ship either in port through a regular shore unloading connection or at sea overboard in a safe manner. [CGFR 66-33, 31 FR 15269, Dec. 6, 1966, as amended by CGFR 68-82, 33 FR 18807, Dec. 18, 1968]