Bitumen gas heating systems installed on vehicles

Gas systems installed on vehicles (tankers and sprayers) to heat bitumen product must comply with the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 (the Act).

A gas system is defined as a system of installed gas devices/burners, LP gas cylinder/tanks, pressure control, gas-hose assemblies, gas fittings, pipework and flueing provisions.

Approvals and licences to install bitumen gas systems

Devices that use fuel gas (LP gas) to heat bitumen product are a type B gas device (see s.724 of the Act). All gas devices must be approved before installation and use. Find out more about installing and using type B gas devices.

You must hold an appropriate gas work licence or authorisation before you undertake any gas work on a type B gas device on a bitumen vehicle (see s.727 of the Act). This includes installing, removing, altering, repairing, servicing, testing or certifying a gas system on a bitumen vehicle.

Safety requirements and standards for bitumen gas systems

You must follow safety requirements (standards) prescribed by the Petroleum and Gas Safety Regulation 2018 (the Regulation) for particular activities or things when working on gas systems and devices on bitumen vehicles. These include:

• AS/NZS5601 for the installation and alteration of gas systems
• AS3814 for the design and certification of type B gas devices.

If the design and installation of a gas system and gas device is outside the scope of these standards, conduct a risk assessment to show how you comply with the safety requirement and the safety outcome for the device (see s.15 and s.138E(2) of the Regulation).

You must also consider the elements from AS2809.5 Road tank vehicles for dangerous goods, Part 5: Road tank vehicles for bitumen-based products.

These elements include, but are not limited to:

• conducting a HAZOP (hazard and operability study) and risk assessment in relation to the appliance and its installation
• limiting the maximum temperature of the product to 200°C
• ensuring the minimum safe heating level of the product is not less than 150mm above the burner
• interlocking the gas heating system to ensure heating by LP gas cannot occur when the tanker is in transit
• ensuring:
  • burner systems are designed and constructed to comply with AS3814 (vapour phase LP gas) and AS375 (liquid phase LP gas)
  • gas storage vessels comply with AS1210 or AS/NZS3509
  • gas storage vessel mountings comply with AS1425
  • pipework and components comply with AS1596, AS4041 and AS1869 as appropriate
  • burner flame is visible
• purging of the burner and combustion system complies with AS3814 or AS1375 as appropriate
• markings comply with AS3814 or AS1375 as appropriate.

Contact us

For more information, email GasSafe@rshq.qld.gov.au and include the subject Bitumen gas systems.

Also consider...

• Read about petroleum and gas legislative requirements, standards and codes.
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