Prevention of Brittle Fracture in Cryogenic Vaporisation Systems
- Publisher
- European Industrial Gases Association
- Document
- Doc 133/22
- Edition
- Revision of Doc 133/06 (2022)
- Document language
- English
EIGA Doc 133/22 covers a hazard that sits immediately downstream of the vaporiser: cold liquid or cold gas reaching piping and equipment that was never rated for that temperature, with brittle fracture as the result.
It applies to cryogenic liquid supply systems on either a customer site or a production site, where liquid is vaporised and supplied as the primary or the secondary source of gaseous product. Secondary supply covers back-up when a production plant trips, peak shaving when demand exceeds plant capacity, and back-up at a customer site such as a healthcare facility.
What the document covers
- Limited to prevention of brittle fracture in piping and associated equipment downstream of the vaporisation system.
- Applies on both customer sites and production sites.
- Covers primary supply and secondary supply, including plant back-up, peak shaving and site back-up.
- The safeguard principles apply to any supply system where the cryogenic source temperature is below the minimum temperature rating of the downstream piping or equipment.
- Revises the 2006 edition, which also exists in a French translation by AFGC.
What it means for equipment
An ambient air vaporiser is specified by flow and pressure, but it is protected by what happens when it underperforms. Frost build up, a duty cycle longer than the design assumed or an unexpectedly high draw can all let cold through to the downstream line.
This is why the vaporiser conversation should include the outlet temperature requirement and the downstream pipe material, not only the flow rate. If you tell us the duty cycle and the ambient conditions, the selection can account for it.