2024.08.02 Recall: LIQAL Boil-off Gas Treatment Unit (BTU)
06 August 2024
The following notice has been issued by the Office for Product Safety and Standards.
Product
LIQAL Boil-off Gas Treatment Unit (BTU)
Type
Pressure equipment / vessels - Pressure system
Brand
LIQAL
Country of origin
Netherlands
Product description
The BTU is an autonomous system that regulates the pressure and thereby the temperature of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) within LNG storage tanks. The BTU contains a double-skinned vessel that comprises an ethylene filled inner vessel with a vacuum between inner and outer skins.
Hazard
The manufacturer identified a deviation between the design temperature and the operating temperature of the BTU vessel, which may have led to brittle fracture of the vessel. If the vessel had sustained brittle fracture, ethylene could have leaked into the BTU. This was unlikely to have created safety risks as the BTU featured integrated safeguards that would have alarmed and prevented the system from operating. A risk to safety could arise if the leaking ethylene escaped to atmosphere whilst there were naked flames present on site and in the vicinity.
Corrective action
The manufacturer is not aware of any instances in which a BTU malfunctioned in this way. As a precautionary measure, the manufacturer informed all end users of the issue and provided them with additional safety information. The manufacturer recalled all potentially affected units and replaced them free of charge.
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