scope:

General

This standard covers the design, construction, and location of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) installations at marine and pipeline terminals, natural gas processing plants, refineries, petrochemical plants, or tank farms. It also addresses the use of storage vessels, loading and unloading systems, piping, and related equipment.

Refrigerated Storage

Design and construction considerations specific to refrigerated storage are covered in Section 11 of this standard.

Pressurized Storage

Design and construction considerations specific to pressure vessel storage are covered in Section 4 of this standard.

Numerical Units Used

In this standard, numerical values are presented in the U.S. Customary (USC) units.

Excluded Items

This standard does not apply to the design, construction, or relocation of frozen earth pits, underground storage caverns or wells, and underground or mounded storage tanks.

This standard does not apply to the following installations.

a) Those covered by NFPA 58 and NFPA 59.

b) U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) containers.

c) Gas utility company facilities; refinery process equipment; refinery and gas plant processing equipment; and transfer systems from process equipment before upstream LPG storage.

d) Those tanks with less than 2000 gallons of storage capacity.

Retroactivity

The provisions of this standard are intended for application to new installations. This standard can be used to review and evaluate existing storage facilities. However, the feasibility of applying this standard to facilities, equipment, structures, or installations that were already in place or that were in the process of construction or installation before the date of this publication, must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis considering individual circumstances and sites.

Characteristics of LPG

LPG is customarily handled in a liquid state achieved by its liquefaction under moderate pressure or refrigeration. Upon release of the pressure or warming of the refrigerated liquid, LPG is readily converted into the gaseous phase at normal ambient temperature.

Safety

The safety of LPG storage installations is enhanced by the employment of good engineering practices, such as those recommended by this standard, during design and construction.