ITCO August 2018 Technical Report covers five key areas of discussion

ITCO August 2018 Technical Report covers five key areas of discussion


The latest ITCO technical report covers five key areas of discussion: Fibre reinforced plastic for portable tanks, relief device annual inspection, shell corrosion allowance, shell thickness design calculation, and RID-ADR tank container/portable operator definition.

The following points have been published in the organisation’s latest monthly newsletter.

1. Fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) for portable tanks
• The FRP work group (including ITCO) met at the UN meeting in continuation of the task to regulate the construction and the use of FRP for UN portable tanks.
• The regulation format was agreed to concentrate initially on liquid substances, before moving onto class 2 liquefied gases.
• The prime benefits of FRP are low tare weight and compatibility with corrosive substances. The work is currently scheduled for completion by June 2020.

2. Relief device annual inspection
• It was proposed that 4.2.1.17.1 requirement for inspection of relief devices to UN portable tanks transporting corrosive substances, be expanded to describe the detailed inspection process.
• The proposal describes the process from 6.7.2.19.8 which includes an internal inspection of the device, necessitating cleaning, dismantling and a leak check on reinstatement.
• Following comment from ITCO the plenary, it was agreed that consultation will take place prior to re-assessing the requirement and present a revised paper at the next meeting.
• A joint CEFIC-ITCO proposal has been prepared as part of the consultation process.

3. Shell corrosion allowance
• Certain liquefied gases require a corrosion allowance in accordance with TP19, TP 22.
• A paper was proposed concerning whether the minimum corrosion allowance should be interpreted to read present at all times – in which case the shell thickness would need to be increased to allow for degradation.
• It was agreed that the corrosion allowance was expendable but the minimum shell thickness should be maintained.

4. Shell thickness design calculation
• A paper submitted recommended amending the current construction regulation 6.7.3 gas design calculation from the use of maximum gross mass to maximum payload.
• It was agreed to re-assess the paper at the next meeting.

5. RID-ADR Tank-container/portable operator definition
• A paper has been prepared by ITCO to amend the existing definition to differentiate between the registered owner and tank operator.
• Currently, the paper is in the process of consultation with the Netherlands authorities and will be submitted at the next available session.

The next Members Meeting will take place in Antwerp on September 24-25.

For more information, visit: https://international-tank-container.org

3rd September 2018