Gas
Cylinders
The use of compressed natural gas (CNG) as a vehicle fuel is rapidly increasing worldwide both for economic reasons and to reduce air pollution. The growing market for CNG vehicles presents the high pressure gas cylinder industry with a new challenge - how to make vehicle cylinders that are lighter, cheaper and safer than industrial cylinder designs.
ISO/TC 58, Gas cylinders, has developed ISO 11439:2000, which is based on 20 years of experience during which significant advances have been made in the quality of materials and production systems, including computerized manufacturing and non-destructive testing technology. The result is a standard which ensures the safety and performance parameters of CNG cylinders for the automotive market without prescribing how manufacturers should design them. This promotes the growth of CNG as a vehicle fuel, while encouraging innovation and healthy competition between manufacturers, to the benefit of users.
Transporting gas safely
ISO 9809 and ISO 7866 deal with the design, construction and testing of steel and aluminium cylinders respectively for the safe storage and transport of high-pressure gas. A conservative estimate puts the number of such cylinders in use around the world at over 130 million. While these are mainly used in industry, there are other significant, diverse applications in fields such as medicine, fire-fighting, emergency operations, sports and drink-dispensing, all of which bring gas cylinders close to the public. In most countries, there are national regulations on gas cylinders, but consolidation within the compressed gases industry makes the advent of International Standards opportune. In addition to the technical advantages of having common standards worldwide, the ISO standards are influential in the removal of trade obstacles by providing regulatory bodies with the assurance that gas cylinders manufactured to ISO standards are safe and reliable.
Oil and gas sector
See Petroleum
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