Gas Cylinder Expiry or Test Date

Are we aware that there is an expiry date for LPG cylinders that supply gas used in our household for cooking?

In a typical LPG cylinder, look in the inside surface of one of the three stems at the top for an alpha-numeric inscription. The alphabet code signifies the quarter of the year (A - first quarter ending in March; B - second quarter ending June; C - third quarter ending Sept; D - fourth quarter ending Dec) and the number following it represents the year.

For instance, in the example shown above with the number D06, the LPG cylinder life expires by Dec of 2006.

The second example with D13 allows the cylinder to be in use until Dec 2013.

Hence the codes ABCD followed by the year only indicates the period before which the vessel or the cylinder has to be tested & inspected to ensure safety. It means if a customer gets a cylinder in June 2006 with marking as B06, it does not indicate that the physical life of the cylinder has expired. It only means that this cylinder is due for Statutory Testing by end June 2006.

The LPG inside will never misbehave in its physical or chemical properties (as in the case of a pill or a dairy product).

It is further clarified that, during service, every empty LPG cylinder when it comes from the Distributor to the Bottling Plant for filling, is checked for its condition including the marked date for Statutory Testing due. Cylinders due for testing are segregated and sent for testing.

Every cylinder after its filling with LPG is checked for correctness of its weight and soundness, before dispatch to the Distributors. Every care is taken to ensure that cylinders which are safe for use are only sent to our Distributors for further distribution.

LPG is a flammable gas which has the potential to create a hazard. Therefore it is important that the properties and safe handling of LPG are understood and applied in the domestic and commercial/industrial situations.

LPG is stored under pressure. The gas will leak from any joint or connection which is not sealed properly.

LPG is heavier than air. Any significant leak will move downwards and stay on the ground. It will accumulate in any low-lying area such as depressions in the ground, drains or pits.

Since LPG is stored in two phases, liquid and gaseous, there is potential for either a liquid leak or a gas leak.

If the leak is a gas leak it may not be seen (because LPG is colourless), except where the leak is of sufficient size to be seen shimmering in the air.

When a liquid leak occurs, the gas release will be seen as a patch of ice around the area of the leak, or as a jet of white liquid. This white appearance is due to the cooling effect created by the rapid expansion of the LPG liquid into a gas. The condensing atmospheric moisture makes the leak visible.

In concentrated amounts and in uncontrolled conditions, LPG has the potential to create a fire or an explosion.