The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions > Steam

Boiler/Gas Tank Testing

(1/12) > >>

Steve Dean:
Some you may be aware that the Model Engineering Liason Group (MELG) comprising representatives from the Southern Fed, Northern Fed, 16mm Garden Railway Association and I believe someone from the MPBA have been meeting for many months to agree the separation of the 'Green Book' into 3 parts. One of the reasons for this is to cope with very small boilers, i.e. below 3 Bar/Litre that typically only have one means of putting water in the boiler. Out of these discussions has come the requirements for hydraulic testing of gas tanks.
I am told that the test pressure for gas tanks in garden rail size locomotives will be mandated at 600 PSI.
What about steam boats ?
The gas tank in a typical small scale locomotive does get very hot and can reach very elevated pressure, therefore, I can understand the 600 PSI test requirement in this application.
However in a typical steam launch (as an example) the gas tank if often a reasonable distance from the boiler. Therefore, I would like to ask the question; Does anyone know what the requirement will be for gas tanks in this application?
I called three manufacturers of gas tanks for model boats today and they each test to different pressures, i.e. 275, 330 and 375 PSI.
I would be interested to hear input in this respect, as I have a number of members in my local Club who are very concerned because they attend events and are worried they will be asked to show gas tank certificates for 600 PSI.
If you are knowledgeable about the changes to the Code please reply asap.
Many thanks.

pendlesteam:
Nice to speak to you today Steve. The requirement quoted of 600 psi = 41 bar will still (according to current regulations) allow a gas tank of up to 1 litre volume before it moves from SEP to the next grade of validation, so from a purely legal perspective nothing will have changed. My gas tanks are made entirely from brass and during R&D I did test them to 500 psi with no problem, but they are not nor never were designed to withstand such high pressures, and are certified to 300 psi at the moment. If this regulation were to be retrospectively imposed it would render almost every gas tank made within europe for the steam community as scrap, not least because the thin gauge copper which most tanks are made of will simply distort out of all reccognition if exposed to such high pressures. Let us hope this is not the case.

Steve Dean:
Hi Nigel ....... thank you for contributing to this thread.
By now it was hoped that the MELG would have published the new 3 part Code but so far nothing has been put out.
I started this thread in an attempt to provoke (in a nice way) some input from someone with factual knowledge as to what is going to be the requirement re gas tanks where model boats are concerned. I'm hoping someone from MELG or the MPBA will add to this thread.
As you correctly state, if the requirement for gas tanks to be tested to 600 PSI is applied retrospectively then everyone has a problem.

At the time of writing this, 76 people have read this thread already, so there will chatter going on and hopefully someone with factual knowledge will make a statement soon.

Klunk:
as a matter of interest what are the cans of butane pressure tested at? my biat runs off a can and as i understand it does not need a certificate for this.  my boiler does of course!

Klunk:
ps steam boat phil might have some input on this

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page