CSA Group Publishes Best Practices for Handling CNG Fuel Containers

CSA Group recently published a new best practice for handling end-of-life CNG vehicle fuel containers that provides guidance on defueling, decommissioning, and disposal to improve safety in the marketplace.

CSA EXP 2.1, Defueling, decommissioning, and disposal of compressed natural gas vehicle fuel containers is CSA Group’s best practices document published for the North American natural gas industry. CSA EXP 2.1 complements CSA Group’s “Cradle-to- Grave” engagement with industry on CNG container issues including: research and development support, standards development (NGV 2, Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle Fuel Containers standard and B109, Natural Gas for Vehicles Installation Code), certification and testing, container inspection, and end of life. The document addresses how to defuel and decommission containers, handle condemned containers at their end of life (EOL) including purging and destroying containers, as well as providing recommended container tracking and recording devices to ensure that containers are taken out of commission and destroyed either at the end of their life cycle or after being condemned.

This development creates the opportunity for regulators, vehicle owners, and service industries—such as tow truck operators, first responders—to now reference a published industry best practices document.

“The release of EXP 2.1 is a material demonstration of the maturity and durability of the CNG market,” said John Eihusen, Principal Engineer of Hexagon Composites and Co-chair of CSA Group’s Cylinder Defueling, Decommissioning and Disposal Technical Subcommittee. “To be in a position of addressing this end of the product development cycle in a growing market is an excellent indicator of the continued viability and vitality of the entire industry.”

Future editions of the document will focus on LNG tanks and hydrogen containers. In addition, content from this document will be considered for incorporation in learning products to assist in dissemination of the information and implementation of the best practices.

The document is currently available for purchase in English in PDF format. For more information on CSA EXP 2.1, Defueling, decommissioning, and disposal of compressed natural gas vehicle fuel containers, visit CSA Group’s website.

As a matter of additional information, the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Program has published a video that covers the steps involved in CNG fuel tank defueling, decommissioning, and disposal.