ISO/TR 19811:2017

Gas cylinders - Service life testing for cylinders and tubes of composite construction

ISO/TR 19811:2017 covers composite cylinders and tubes to be used under the International Regulation for Transport of dangerous Goods by sea, air and land: - with a water capacity up to 3000 l; - with a design life greater than 15 years. ISO/TR 19811:2017 provides: - information on existing service life test programmes from ISO/TC 58/SC 3 member countries; - comments (initially for internal committee use only) on similarities and differences; - recommendations on the feasibility of harmonization and whether it would be appropriate to develop an ISO deliverable.

Bouteilles à gaz — Durée de vie des bouteilles et tubes composites

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 22-May-2017
• ICS: 23.020.35 - Gas cylinders
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 58/SC 3 - Cylinder design
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 58/SC 3 - Cylinder design
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 23-May-2017
• Due Date: 23-May-2017
• Completion Date: 23-May-2017

Relations

• Consolidated By: ISO/TR 20416:2020 - Medical devices - Post-market surveillance for manufacturers
• Effective Date: 06-Jun-2022

Overview

ISO/TR 19811:2017 - Gas cylinders - Service life testing for cylinders and tubes of composite construction - is a technical report from ISO/TC 58/SC 3 that documents existing service life test programmes for composite cylinders and tubes used in the transport of dangerous goods (sea, air, land). The report applies to composite designs with a water capacity up to 3000 L and a design life greater than 15 years. Its purpose is to summarize national practices, compare approaches, and assess the feasibility of harmonizing service life testing or developing an ISO deliverable.

Key topics

• Scope and definitions: Clarifies terms such as design life (approved maximum years) and service life (years permitted in service).
• Two principal testing approaches:
  • Approach 1: Repetition of selected destructive tests from type approval on a prescribed sample of representative cylinders; may also include non‑destructive inspections on each cylinder.
  • Approach 2 (statistical): Test samples (Annex A: typically at least five cylinders) using slow burst and/or load cycle (fatigue) tests, with statistical extrapolation of degradation and defined acceptance criteria to estimate residual service life.
• Sampling and testing practices: National authorities provided varied sampling sizes, sampling intervals (e.g., tests before or after 15 years), and test types (hydraulic burst, flaw/drop tests, cyclic loading).
• Statistical criteria: Annex A outlines statistical methods - degradation curve extrapolation, minimum survival-rate targets and confidence intervals (including a unilateral 95% confidence level) - to justify extension of service life up to the design life.
• Regulatory context: Linked to the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, which require service life programmes for composite cylinders exceeding 15 years.

Applications and users

ISO/TR 19811:2017 is practical for:

• Cylinder and composite tube manufacturers designing type-approval test programmes and production surveillance.
• Competent authorities and type-approval bodies evaluating service life evidence for composite cylinder approvals.
• Testing laboratories conducting destructive and non‑destructive tests (burst, fatigue, leak testing).
• Fleet operators, gas suppliers and safety engineers assessing lifecycle safety, inspection intervals and end‑of‑life criteria for composite pressure vessels.
• Standards committees and regulators considering harmonization of service life requirements for transportable composite cylinders.

Related standards

• ISO 10286 (terminology)
• ISO 11119 series (composite cylinder design standards)
• ISO 11623 (periodic inspection and testing)
• EN 12245 and applicable national regulations referenced by member countries

ISO/TR 19811:2017 is a practical reference for understanding current national service life testing practices and the technical basis for extending composite cylinder service beyond 15 years under transport regulations.

Standards Content (Sample)

TECHNICAL ISO/TR
REPORT 19811
First edition
2017-05
Gas cylinders — Service life testing
for cylinders and tubes of composite
construction
Bouteilles à gaz — Durée de vie des bouteilles et tubes composites
Reference number
©
ISO 2017
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
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Tel. [phone]
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www.iso.org
ii © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Information on existing service life test programmes . 2
4.1 General . 2
4.2 Information requested . 2
4.3 Information received . 2
4.4 Service life test programmes . 2
5 Commentary on similarities and differences . 2
5.1 General . 2
5.2 Requirements: Approach 1 . 2
5.3 Requirements: Approach 2 . 3
5.4 Other overviews . 3
6 Concluding remarks on feasibility of harmonization . 4
Annex A (informative) Approach 2: Details of test procedure, criteria and definitions .5
Annex B (informative) Information request form . 7
Bibliography . 9
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
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on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
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World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following
URL: w w w . i s o .org/ iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 58, Gas cylinders, Subcommittee SC 3,
Cylinder design.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Introduction
The concept of a service life test programme originated from the United Nation Recommendation on
the Transport of dangerous Goods (The Orange Book 19th Revision). The Orange Book requirement for
a service life test programme for composite cylinders of more than 15 years will be incorporated into
the International Regulation for Transport of Dangerous Goods by sea, air and land.
In the 19th Revision of United Nation Recommendation on the Transport of dangerous Goods (The
Orange Book) Note 2 of Section 6.2.2.1.1 is as follows:
“NOTE 2: Composite cylinders with a design life longer than 15 years shall not be filled after 15 years
from the date of manufacture, unless the design has successfully passed a service life test programme.
The programme shall be part of the initial design type approval and shall specify inspections and tests to
demonstrate that cylinders manufactured accordingly remain safe to the end of their design life. The service
life test programme and the results shall be approved by the competent authority of the country of approval
that is responsible for the initial approval of the cylinder design. The service life of a composite cylinder shall
not be extended beyond its initial approved design life.”
To understand what testing programmes are in use by ISO P member countries, competent authorities
were asked to provide information regarding the composite cylinder approvals that are accepted in
their country and any service life test programmes currently practised.
The information received from the competent authorities has been used to determine the similarities
and differences in the service life test programmes in use.
TECHNICAL REPORT ISO/TR 19811:2017(E)
Gas cylinders — Service life testing for cylinders and tubes
of composite construction
1 Scope
This document covers composite cylinders and tubes to be used under the International Regulation for
Transport of dangerous Goods by sea, air and land:
— with a water capacity up to 3000 l;
— with a design life greater than 15 years.
This document provides:
— information on existing service life test programmes from ISO/TC 58/SC 3 member countries;
— comments (initially for internal committee use only) on similarities and differences;
— recommendations on the feasibility of harmonization and whether it would be appropriate to
develop an ISO deliverable.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 10286, Gas cylinders — Terminology
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 10286 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http:// www .iso .org/ obp
3.1
design life
maximum life (in years) for which the composite cylinder is designed and approved in accordance with
the applicable standard
3.2
service life
number of years the cylinder is permitted to be in service
Note 1 to entry: In this document for “cylinder/tube” only the term “cylinder” will be used.
4 Information on existing service life test programmes
4.1 General
The concept of a service life test programme is to ensure that an approved cylinder design, with a
design life in excess of 15 years, is safe for use beyond 15 years of life. The service life cannot exceed the
design life.
According to of United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, the overall
programme shall be part of the initial design type approval.
4.2 Information requested
To gather information, a request form and covering letter (see Annex B) were sent to the heads of
governmental delegations to the sub-committee of experts on the transport of dangerous goods of the
25 countries who are P Members of ISO TC 58 /SC 3.
4.3 Information received
Information has been received from 11 countries. This information has been collated in Tables 1, 2 and
3 (see Clause 5).
Service life testing on cylinders already in service has been practised in a limited number of countries
with different checks, tests and requirements.
4.4 Service life test programmes
Two countries have confirmed that they have service life test programmes (including one response for
UN cylinders) in place. One other country has indicated additional requirements to permit the use of
the cylinders beyond their 15 years’ service and up to the design life (not exceeding 30 years).
5 Commentary on similarities and differences
5.1 General
From the information obtained, the service life test programmes are based on two different approaches:
— Approach 1: Some of the destructive tests performed at the time of the type approvals, as required
by the design standard, are carried out on a prescribed number of representative cylinders (see 5.2).
— Approach 2: Some destructive tests are carried out on a number of representative cylinders and
using a statistical assessment of the findings is done (see 5.3).
Both approaches can also include non-destructive tests/inspections on each cylinder.
Additional information received from the authorities that is of interest has also been collated (see 5.4).
5.2 Requirements: Approach 1
The requirements of the tests to be performed for the service
...