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Gas cylinder accessories must be strengthened if composition changed

02 Dec 2021

  • Experts urge accessories such as regulator be sufficiently strengthened
  • Alagiyawanna says gas quality will be tested before hitting market
BY Pamodi Waravita and Buddhika Samaraweera Amidst a spate of gas cylinder-based explosions around the country over the past few weeks, energy experts have requested the Government and the relevant authorities to ensure that the durability of all accessories attached to a gas cylinder are strengthened relative to any change in gas composition, in order to prevent such explosions. “Experts and all others have stated that the gas cylinders do not explode, but the durability of other accessories, including the regulator, must be enhanced in proportion to the change in gas composition. Therefore, such explosions occur only when the gas composition has been changed, but the durability of other accessories have not been enhanced. Therefore, the quality of the gas, especially the odorous chemicals, will be tested from tomorrow (today, 2 December) and they will only be released to the market following such a verification,” Co-operative Services, Marketing Development, and Consumer Protection State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said yesterday (1). He made these comments following the conclusion of the Trade Consultative Committee emergency meeting held yesterday on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder-based explosions. The emergency meeting took place following allegations against the gas industry, claiming that a 50:50 butane-to-propane gas composition is dangerous to be used in a country with temperatures such as those in Sri Lanka, and that this composition deviates from the usual 30% propane and 70% butane gas composition. Yesterday and on Tuesday (30 November) alone there were 22 such incidents reported, resulting in one man and one woman being hospitalised. Speaking to The Morning yesterday, Laugfs Gas PLC Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chaminda Ediriwickrama said that it had also been proposed that the testing of gas samples should take place at the ports. “Noteworthy proposals were that there should be a proper standard on all accessories attached to a gas cylinder such as the valve, regulator, and hose and that they should be implemented properly. The other was that the testing of gas samples should take place at the ports – at the point of import during its liquefied form as that is the standard.” Meanwhile, Samagi Jana Balawegeya (SJB) Parliamentarian J.C. Alawathuwala said that the Opposition had proposed that gas cylinders be recalled as a cautionary measure. Last Saturday (27 November), the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) had taken two samples, of which one report had already been sent to the University of Moratuwa for review. However, both Laugfs Gas PLC and Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. said that they would not accept the CPC lab reports as the CPC lab facilities are not up to the required standard. Litro Gas further said that the CPC is a competitor as the CPC is due to introduce their own product to the market soon, which leads to a conflict of interest. Both companies have further stated that their gas composition falls within the 30% (propane) and 70% (butane) range, as per test results they have conducted. Representatives from the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (SLAB) were in the CPC lab last Sunday (28 November), where 12 new gas samples were collected from the Ratnapura, Colombo, Galle, Kalutara, Kurunegala, and Gampaha Districts for testing. Minister Alagiyawanna has stated that once a proper decision is taken by the University of Moratuwa, he will present these reports to the Parliament.


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