Pakistan

Man arrested for illegal LPG handling

Umer Nangiana June 11, 2010

ISLAMABAD: A man was illegally operating a shop that filled Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for domestic use and has been arrested by secretariat police in Bari Imam. He was caught red-handed on Thursday filling gas from cylinder-to-cylinder, an illegal method of filing gas.

Locals of the area report that many such filling stations operate in the area. The reason this method of filling is illegal, is that LPG is an extremely dangerous environmental hazard. If a container bursts, the LPG first spreads out as a supercooled liquid. This freezes anything within range. Then it boils into the atmosphere and become an oxygen-displacing gas, which asphyxiates any creatures in the affected radius. This gas spreads out to cover several hundred times more area than the liquid from which it comes. A single, large container of LPG can cause oxygen displacement of many square miles. Eventually, this gas is diluted by the atmosphere, becoming a flammable mixture. If a source of ignition is encountered, a fireball of many square miles may consume everything in the area. It is for this reason that LPG management is carefully monitored.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (1)

Abbas Bilgrami | 14 years ago | Reply Dear Sir/ Madam, Mr. Nangiana's article is inaccurate in its discussion of one LPG cylinder leading to the potential death of an entire community either through asphyxiation or through a massive fire ball. I understand that the knowledge of LPG and its useage is somewhat restricted. I would therefore wish to assure your readers that: a- Asphyxiation is only possible if the evacuation of LPG occurs in a restricted space. The last known case of LPG asphyxiation internationally was in 1996 in Japan. The reason simply is that as soon as LPG is discharged from a faulty valve or in the process of illegal decanting the liquid boils off into air. Specially in open areas this normally gets dispersed in a matter of seconds. Doubly so because in Pakistan and specifically the Bari Imam area temperatures rarely go below freezing therefore LPG will boil of into air as its boiling temperature is very low. b- Even if a full commercial cylinder with 45.4 Kgs of LPG is fully discharged into the air in the Bari Imam area it is unlikely that this can lead to any serious damage to the environment as propane and butane which comprise Liquified Petroleum Gases will disperse through boil off. That means there would not be enough concentration of LPG to displace enough air to asphyxiate anyone and secondly because the gas would have "spread out to cover several hundred times more area than the liquid from which it comes" there wouldn't be enough material to create a flammable mixture. c- A single, large container of LPG CANNOT cause oxygen displacement of many square miles. Eventually, this gas is diluted by the air in the atmosphere, therefore the likelihood of this 'boil off' becoming a fire hazard is very remote. We disagree with the authors view that "a fireball of many square miles may consume everything in the area" through the discharge of a single cylinder. Compliance with HSE standards is critical. We agree that decanting is a menace which must be stopped since this is the requirement of the local laws. However Mr. Nangiana maybe somewhat surprised that in the USA and many other countries cylinders are decanted in most hardware stores. Each store has its own bulk LPG tank from which individual cylinders can be filled. Our own decanters know this and though illegal they play an important role in breaking bulk and bringing LPG within the grasp of the poorest in society by provision of small quantities of LPG to consumers. Decanting has been done for decades and does not require a great deal of technical skills or equipment. In Pakistan our laws and policy structures require a major shake up to benefit from the experience of many other developing countries viz; Turkey, Malaysia and India. LPG is a safe, clean and convenient fuel. But like any other fuel viz; Natural Gas, Diesel or Motor Gasoline spirits must be treated with respect otherwise it can hurt people. LPG is the only fuel which can successfully replace the use of Natural Gas which is in such short supply in Pakistan. Should Mr. Nangiana wish to be educated further on the safe use of LPG and its myriad of applications I would be pleased to engage with him. We believe the quality of presentation and journalism is excellent in The Express Tribune and specially Mr. Nangiana's pieces are always worth reading. However spreading unnecessary fear amongst readers is not sensible. Regards. Abbas Bilgrami Managing Director Progas Pakistan Limited

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