Last year, the Nassau County Fire Service Academy (NCFSA) in Old Bethpage, New York, became aware of a new type of composite liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder being sold in our area. We acquired several sample cylinders to conduct a series of burn tests. These tests would provide a baseline of knowledge as to how these new cylinders would behave under fire conditions. The new cylinders are radically different from the steel cylinders the fire service has encountered for decades. They use a composite technology from the aerospace industry similar to that used in SCBA cylinders.
The cylinders we tested are manufactured by the Lite Cylinder Company in Franklin, Tennessee, and its manufacturing partner, Composite Scandinavia in Pitea, Sweden. Composite cylinders have been used in Europe for a decade and are now being introduced in the United States. According to the manufacturer, “The cylinders are made of fiberglass-reinforced vinylester and weigh approximately 50 percent less than a conventional steel model. The design’s hallmark feature is its translucency, which allows users to see how much fuel is inside. Designed with a two-piece casing that can be made in several colors and is stackable, the composite cylinders are also corrosion-free. Composite Scandinavia uses air instead of water for pressure testing. The composite materials will remain rust-free and low-maintenance-soap and water is [are] all that is needed to clean the outside of the cylinder.”1 The cylinders we used were considerably more expensive than their steel counterparts, but that will be less of an issue in the future as manufacturing increases and becomes more efficient.
These cylinders have received a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) exemption DOT-E 13105. An interesting note to the exemption is in section 2, “Purpose and Limitations,” paragraph b, which notes: “The safety analyses did not consider the hazards and risks associated with consumer use, use as a component of a transport vehicle or other device, or other uses not associated with transportation in commerce.” 2
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