[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 49, Volume 2]

[Revised as of October 1, 2005]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 49CFR180.205]



[Page 1087-1090]

 

                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION

 

   CHAPTER I--PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, 

                      DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

 

PART 180_CONTINUING QUALIFICATION AND MAINTENANCE OF PACKAGINGS

--Table of Contents

 

        Subpart C_Qualification, Maintenance and Use of Cylinders

 

Sec. 180.205  General requirements for requalification of cylinders.



    (a) General. Each cylinder used for the transportation of hazardous 

materials must be an authorized packaging. To qualify as an authorized 

packaging, each cylinder must conform to this subpart, the applicable 

requirements specified in part 173 of this subchapter, and the 

applicable requirements of subpart C of part 178 of this subchapter.

    (b) Persons performing requalification functions. No person may 

represent that a repair or requalification of a cylinder has been 

performed in accordance with the requirements in this subchapter unless 

that person holds a current approval issued under the procedural 

requirements prescribed in subpart I of part 107 of this chapter. No 

person may mark a cylinder with a RIN and a requalification date or 

otherwise represent that a DOT specification or exemption cylinder has 

been requalified unless all applicable requirements of this subpart have 

been met. A person who requalifies cylinders must maintain the records 

prescribed in Sec. 180.215 at each location at which it inspects, 

tests, or marks cylinders.

    (c) Periodic requalification of cylinders. Each cylinder bearing a 

DOT specification marking must be requalified and marked as specified in 

the Requalification Table in this subpart. Each cylinder bearing a DOT 

exemption number must be requalified and marked in conformance with this 

section and the terms of the applicable exemption. No cylinder may be 

filled with a hazardous material and offered for transportation in 

commerce unless that cylinder has been successfully requalified and 

marked in accordance with this subpart. A cylinder may be requalified at 

any time during or before the month and year that the requalification is 

due. However, a cylinder filled before the requalification becomes due 

may remain in service until it is emptied. A cylinder with a specified 

service life may not be refilled and offered for transportation after 

its authorized service life has expired.

    (1) Each cylinder that is requalified in accordance with the 

requirements



[[Page 1088]]



specified in this section must be marked in accordance with Sec. 

180.213.

    (2) Each cylinder that fails requalification must be:

    (i) Rejected and may be repaired or rebuilt in accordance with Sec. 

180.211 or Sec. 180.212, as appropriate; or

    (ii) Condemned in accordance with paragraph (i) of this section.

    (3) For DOT specification cylinders, the marked service pressure may 

be changed upon approval of the Associate Administrator and in 

accordance with written procedures specified in the approval.

    (4) For a specification 3, 3A, 3AA, 3AL, 3AX, 3AXX, 3B, 3BN, or 3T 

cylinder filled with gases in other than Division 2.2, from the first 

requalification due on or after December 31, 2003, the burst pressure of 

a CG-1, CG-4, or CG-5 pressure relief device must be at test pressure 

with a tolerance of plus zero to minus 10%. An additional 5% tolerance 

is allowed when a combined rupture disc is placed inside a holder. This 

requirement does not apply if a CG-2, CG-3 or CG-9 thermally activated 

relief device or a CG-7 reclosing pressure valve is used on the 

cylinder.

    (d) Conditions requiring test and inspection of cylinders. Without 

regard to any other periodic requalification requirements, a cylinder 

must be tested and inspected in accordance with this section prior to 

further use if--

    (1) The cylinder shows evidence of dents, corrosion, cracked or 

abraded areas, leakage, thermal damage, or any other condition that 

might render it unsafe for use in transportation;

    (2) The cylinder has been in an accident and has been damaged to an 

extent that may adversely affect its lading retention capability;

    (3) The cylinder shows evidence of or is known to have been over-

heated; or

    (4) The Associate Administrator determines that the cylinder may be 

in an unsafe condition.

    (e) Cylinders containing Class 8 (corrosive) liquids. A cylinder 

previously containing a Class 8 (corrosive) liquid may not be used to 

transport a Class 2 material in commerce unless the cylinder is--

    (1) Visually inspected, internally and externally, in accordance 

with paragraph (f) of this section and the inspection is recorded as 

prescribed in Sec. 180.215;

    (2) Requalified in accordance with this section, regardless of the 

date of the previous requalification;

    (3) Marked in accordance with Sec. 180.213; and

    (4) Decontaminated to remove all significant residue or impregnation 

of the Class 8 material.

    (f) Visual inspection. Except as otherwise provided in this subpart, 

each time a cylinder is pressure tested, it must be given an internal 

and external visual inspection.

    (1) The visual inspection must be performed in accordance with the 

following CGA Pamphlets: C-6 for steel and nickel cylinders (IBR, see 

Sec. 171.7 of this subchapter); C-6.1 for seamless aluminum cylinders 

(IBR, see Sec. 171.7 of this subchapter); C-6.2 for fiber reinforced 

composite exemption cylinders (IBR, see Sec. 171.7 of this subchapter); 

C-6.3 for low pressure aluminum cylinders (IBR, see Sec. 171.7 of this 

subchapter); C-8 for DOT 3HT cylinders (IBR, see Sec. 171.7 of this 

subchapter); and C-13 for DOT 8 series cylinders (IBR, see Sec. 171.7 

of this subchapter).

    (2) For each cylinder with a coating or attachments that would 

inhibit inspection of the cylinder, the coating or attachments must be 

removed before performing the visual inspection.

    (3) Each cylinder subject to visual inspection must be approved, 

rejected, or condemned according to the criteria in the applicable CGA 

pamphlet.

    (4) In addition to other requirements prescribed in this paragraph 

(f), a specification or exemption cylinder made of aluminum alloy 6351-

T6 must be inspected for evidence of sustained load cracking (SLC) in 

the neck and shoulder area.

    (g) Pressure test. (1) Unless otherwise provided, each cylinder 

required to be retested under this subpart must be retested by means 

suitable for measuring the expansion of the cylinder under pressure. 

Bands and other removable attachments must be loosened or removed before 

testing so that the cylinder is free to expand in all directions.

    (2) The pressure indicating device of the testing apparatus must 

permit reading of pressures to within 1% of the minimum prescribed test 

pressure



[[Page 1089]]



of each cylinder tested, except that for an analog device, interpolation 

to \1/2\ of the marked gauge divisions is acceptable. The expansion-

indicating device of the testing apparatus must also permit incremental 

reading of the cylinder expansion to 1% of the total expansion of each 

cylinder tested or 0.1 cc, whichever is larger. Midpoint visual 

interpolation is permitted.

    (3) Each day before retesting, the retester shall confirm, by using 

a calibrated cylinder or other method authorized in writing by the 

Associate Administrator, that:

    (i) The pressure-indicating device, as part of the retest apparatus, 

is accurate within 1.0% of the prescribed test 

pressure of any cylinder tested that day. The pressure indicating 

device, itself, must be certified as having an accuracy of 0.5%, or better, of its full range, and must permit 

readings of pressure from 90%-110% of the minimum prescribed test 

pressure of the cylinder to be tested. The accuracy of the pressure 

indicating device within the test system can be demonstrated at any 

point within 500 psig of the actual test pressure for test pressures at 

or above 3000 psig, or 10% of the actual test pressure for test 

pressures below 3000 psig.

    (ii) The expansion-indicating device, as part of the retest 

apparatus, gives a stable reading of expansion and is accurate to 1.0% of the total expansion of any cylinder tested or 

0.1 cc, whichever is larger. The expansion-indicating device itself must 

have an accuracy of 0.5%, or better, of its full 

scale.

    (4) The test equipment must be verified to be accurate within 1.0% of the calibrated cylinder's pressure and 

corresponding expansion values. This may be accomplished by bringing the 

pressure to a value shown on the calibration certificate for the 

calibrated cylinder used and verifying that the resulting total 

expansion is within 1.0% of the total expansion 

shown on the calibration certificate. Alternatively, calibration may be 

demonstrated by bringing the total expansion to a known value on the 

calibration certificate for the calibrated cylinder used and verifying 

that the resulting pressure is within 1.0% of the 

pressure shown on the calibration certificate. The calibrated cylinder 

must show no permanent expansion. The retester must demonstrate 

calibration in conformance with this paragraph (g) to an authorized 

inspector on any day that it retests cylinders. A retester must maintain 

calibrated cylinder certificates in conformance with Sec. 

180.215(b)(4).

    (5) Minimum test pressure must be maintained for at least 30 

seconds, and as long as necessary for complete expansion of the 

cylinder. A system check may be performed at or below 90% of test 

pressure prior to the retest. In the case of a malfunction of the test 

equipment, the test may be repeated at a pressure increased by 10% or 

100 psig, whichever is less. This paragraph (g) does not authorize 

retest of a cylinder otherwise required to be condemned under paragraph 

(i) of this section.

    (h) Cylinder rejection. A cylinder must be rejected when, after a 

visual inspection, it meets a condition for rejection under the visual 

inspection requirements of paragraph (f) of this section.

    (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (h)(3) and (h)(4) of this 

section, a cylinder that is rejected may not be marked as meeting the 

requirements of this section.

    (2) The requalifier must notify the cylinder owner, in writing, that 

the cylinder has been rejected.

    (3) Unless the cylinder is requalified in conformance with 

requirements in Sec. 180.211, it may not be filled with a hazardous 

material and offered for transportation in commerce where use of a 

specification packaging is required.

    (4) A rejected cylinder with a service pressure of less than 900 

psig may be requalified and marked if the cylinder is repaired or 

rebuilt and subsequently inspected and tested in conformance with--

    (i) The visual inspection requirements of paragraph (f) of this 

section;

    (ii) Part 178 of this subchapter and this part;

    (iii) Any exemption covering the manufacture, requalification, and/

or use of that cylinder; and

    (iv) Any approval required under Sec. 180.211.

    (i) Cylinder condemnation. (1) A cylinder must be condemned when--



[[Page 1090]]



    (i) The cylinder meets a condition for condemnation under the visual 

inspection requirements of paragraph (f) of this section.

    (ii) The cylinder leaks through its wall.

    (iii) Evidence of cracking exists to the extent that the cylinder is 

likely to be weakened appreciably.

    (iv) For a DOT specification cylinder, other than a DOT 4E aluminum 

cylinder or an exemption cylinder, permanent expansion exceeds 10 

percent of total expansion.

    (v) For a DOT 3HT cylinder--

    (A) The pressure test yields an elastic expansion exceeding the 

marked rejection elastic expansion (REE) value.

    (B) The cylinder shows evidence of denting or bulging.

    (C) The cylinder bears a manufacture or an original test date older 

than twenty-four years or after 4380 pressurizations, whichever occurs 

first. If a cylinder is refilled, on average, more than once every other 

day, an accurate record of the number of rechargings must be maintained 

by the cylinder owner or the owner's agent.

    (vi) For a DOT 4E aluminum cylinder, permanent expansion exceeds 12 

percent of total expansion.

    (vii) For a DOT exemption cylinder, permanent expansion exceeds the 

limit in the applicable exemption, or the cylinder meets another 

criterion for condemnation in the applicable exemption.

    (viii) For an aluminum or an aluminum-lined composite exemption 

cylinder, the cylinder is known to have been or shows evidence of having 

been over-heated.

    (2) When a cylinder must be condemned, the requalifier must--

    (i) Stamp a series of X's over the DOT specification number and the 

marked pressure or stamp ``CONDEMNED'' on the shoulder, top head, or 

neck using a steel stamp;

    (ii) For composite cylinders, securely affix to the cylinder a label 

with the word ``CONDEMNED'' overcoated with epoxy near, but not 

obscuring, the original cylinder manufacturer's label; or

    (iii) As an alternative to the stamping or labeling as described in 

this paragraph (i)(2), at the direction of the owner, the requalifier 

may render the cylinder incapable of holding pressure.

    (3) No person may remove or obliterate the ``CONDEMNED'' marking. In 

addition, the requalifier must notify the cylinder owner, in writing, 

that the cylinder is condemned and may not be filled with hazardous 

material and offered for transportation in commerce where use of a 

specification packaging is required.



[67 FR 51660, Aug. 8, 2002, as amended at 68 FR 24662, May 8, 2003; 68 

FR 75764, Dec. 31, 2003; 70 FR 34077, June 13, 2005]