DME Standardization, Regulation and Safety...

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DME Standardization, Regulation and

Safety Recommendations

François Bollon International DME Association

7th Asian DME Conference

Niigata

Presentation

Topics of this presentation

o Status of the DME standardization by ISO

o IDA Regulation on DME-LPG Blends

o IDA Guidelines for Good Safety Practices

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DME Standardisation by ISO

DME standardization by ISO

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Target

– Publishing a DME standard for DME as fuel

– and the associated test-methods

in order

– to make the importation and exportation of DME easier

– to help the countries, which are looking for a DME

standard

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Organization

o In May 2007, the Working Group 13 about DME standardization for DME

as fuels has been agreed by ISO. This group, the ISO TC28/SC4/WG13,

is presently managed by Mr. Mitsuharu OGUMA - from the Japanese

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

o Since then, 13 meetings of WG13 have been held from 24 September

2007 until 28 September 2011

o A Working Group 14, the ISO TC28/SC4/WG14 has been agreed by ISO

in November 2010 for preparing the test-methods associate to WG13.

This group is presently managed by Mr. Jun YOSHIHARA of Mitsubishi

Gas Chemicals (MGC) 5


Status and forecasting of the making of the

standard

o The DME specifications have been agreed by the WG13 members and

will be kept so, unless the round-robin tests require some modifications

o These specs are worth at the end-users level

o In order to confirm the test-methods prepared by WG14, the Japanese

members of WG14 have made some pre-round-robin tests, which

confirm the methods chosen with some small improvements

o The round-robin tests will start in October 2011 to end in March 2012

with 8 laboratories from Belgium, Canada, Sweden, Korea and Japan

participating to these tests.

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Status and forecasting of the making of the

standard

o The draft of the standard made by WG13 will change from a CD

(Committee Draft) to a DIS (Draft of International Standard) in the

second quarter of 2012 and the standard will be normally

published in 2013

o The draft of the test-methods standards will change from CD to

DIS and WG14 expects the publishing of these standards in the

first half of the year 2014

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Characteristic Unit Limit DME specifications for

end-users

Purity mass % min. 98.5

Methanol mass % max. 0.050

Water mass % max. 0.030

Hydrocarbons mass % max. 1.00

CO2 mass % max. 0.10

CO mass % max. 0.010

Methyl formate mass % max. 0.050

Ethyl methyl ether mass % max. 0.20

Residue after eveporation mass % max. 0.0070

Sulfur mg/kg max. 3.0

DME Specifications (*)

(*) before addition of additives

IDA Regulation on DME-LPG Blends

IDA Regulation on DME-LPG

Blends

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o The present market for DME in China is mainly a DME-LPG

blends market.

o Since March 2008, the Chinese National Administration of

Quality and Technical Supervision (NAQTS) makes illegal the

blending and the filling of DME-LPG mixtures in China, if the

blending and filling of this mixture

• does not follow safety regulations

• is not clearly marked as DME-LPG

• is not put into appropriate cylinders

o But the NAQTS did not give any specific recommendations

for the blending and for the kind of appropriate cylinders.

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o Most Chinese LPG filling centres are still mixing DME with

LPG without following the recommendations of the NAQTS.

o The foreign LPG companies in China and some Chinese LPG

companies want to follow the NAQTS regulation and refrain

from mixing DME with LPG until clear regulation or/and

standard for this kind of mixture will be issued in China.

o These companies cannot abide the competition of their

unfair Chinese competitors which can reduce their prices by

adding DME in LPG.

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IDA Regulation on DME-LPG blends

o These companies want to solve this unfair competition and to

work in a legal environment without the risk to be fined or

closed

o They are also aware of the safety of their operation and of their

customers

o Some foreign companies distributing LPG in China suggests to

ban the mixing of DME with LPG

o In some Chinese provinces, some DME producers, aware of the

development of DME, have prepared some local regulations

for DME-LPG blends with the local authorities (for example, in

the Guangdong Province: 液化石油气二甲醚复合燃料)

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IDA Regulation on DME-LPG blends

o But their target is the issuing of a national regulation or

standard about DME-LPG blends by the national authorities

o The International DME Association (IDA), with the support of the

World LPG Association (WLPGA), decided in March 2011 to

prepare the draft of an international regulation for DME-LPG

blends

o This draft has been written by F. Bollon for IDA

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The regulation specifies for the DME-LPG blends:

• The quality:

• technical requirements

• associated test-methods

• inspection rules

• Control procedures

• The equipment requirements:

• manufacturing and filling methods,

• end-users accessories

• packaging,

• storage,

• labelling,

• transportation

• The safety and safe handling

• The pricing

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DME-LPG blends requirements

DME and LPG must be consistent with the corresponding local

or international standards

Product requirements

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Characteristics Units Limit Requirements

Mass fraction of DME in DME-LPG blends %(w/w) Less than 20

Vapour pressure at 40°C Kpa Less than 1380

Components of C5+ %(w/w) Less than 1

Ethyl Mercaptan (odorant) ppm More than 10

Evaporation Residues %(v/v) Less than 0.05

Total Sulphur ppm Less than 40

Corrosion (copper strip) Less than 1

Free water ppm Less than 60


Test methods for DME-LPG requirements

– Mass fraction of DME: Gas chromatography method

– Vapour pressure: visual inspection by pressure gauge or ISO 8973

and 3993

– Content of C5+: Gas chromatography with EN 27941 or ISO 7941

– Ethyl mercaptan: ASTM D5305

– Evaporation residues: ASTM D 2158 / EN 15470 & 15471

– Total sulphur: EN 24260

– Corrosion: EN 6251

– Water: visual inspection by sedimentation and measurement of the

volume of water extracted from the bottom of the tank

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Equipments requirements

• The filling is done by weight, LPG must be filled first

• The pressure of the regulator associated to DME cylinder must be

adjusted to 38 mbar

• Propane cylinders with DME-LPG appropriated seals can be used for

DME-LPG blends

• All the material and especially the seals must be compatible with DME-

LPG

• Labelling must be accurate and according to the gas in the cylinder

• The packaging should clearly state the kind of gas, which can be filled

inside

• Storage over-filling must be avoided

• Transportation should follow the Orange Book standard

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Equipments requirements

• The filling is done by weight, LPG must be filled first

• The pressure of the regulator associated to DME cylinder must be

adjusted to 38 mbar

• Propane cylinders with DME-LPG appropriated seals can be used for

DME-LPG blends

• All the material and especially the seals must be compatible with

DME-LPG

• Labelling must be accurate and according to the gas in the cylinder

• The packaging should clearly state the kind of gas, which can be

filled inside

• Storage over-filling must be avoided

• Transportation should follow the Orange Book standard

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Quality control and inspection

• Target of inspection: guarantee a correct product in quality and

quantity

• Type of inspection: quality, quantity, compliance of the container, labels

and warnings, sleeves or caps, fulfilment of the standard

• Rules of inspection: control every arrival of raw material, control every

batch of DME-LPG blends, control of the correct filling of cylinders

• Traceability of the product is essential: all the tests, methods and

conclusions should be recorded

• Responsibility of inspection: quality manager or supervisor under the

responsibility of the general manager

• Control procedures: the responsibility and the leading role of the

authorities at all level for preventing any breach of the regulation is

fundamental

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Safety and safe handling

The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) of DME and LPG are very similar

with regard to

• Hazards identification

• First aid measures

• Accidental release measures

• Handling and storage

• Personal protection

Pricing

DME-LPG prices must be in line with the quality of the gas

The industry and the authorities must make their prices

recommendations to allow a fair competition

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IDA Guidelines for Good Safety Practices

IDA Guidelines for Good

Safety Practices

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• Dimethyl Ether is a clean, modern fuel that brings comfort

to millions of consumers worldwide.

• Safety in operations and handling for DME is imperative for

consumers and for the industry. The effects of safety

incidents can impact people, property and the environment

outside the enterprise sometimes at considerable

distances.

• In addition to the human cost and material damage, the

reputation of the product can be significantly impaired if

safety is not managed appropriately.

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o The IDA guidelines for Good Safety Practices aim to inform

the stakeholders in the Dimethyl Ether industry of the

hazards at different stages of the distribution chain as well

as recommended good safety practices

o Effective safety promotion starts by getting things right

within the production facilities, storage depot, bottling plant

or transport system.

o The importance of having an effective emergency

management system when something does go wrong, has

been recognized for all kind of hazardous product for a long

time.

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The IDA guidelines for Good Safety Practices defines

o The key responsibilities

o The regulatory framework

o The DME safety

o The DME distribution chain

o The trans-shipment terminal

o The inland transportation

o The bulk storage and handling

o The cylinder filling and handling

o The distribution in bulk

o The consumer installation and usage

o The safety managing

o The emergency planning and response

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The IDA guidelines for Good Safety Practices gives

also

o The hazard warning and signs (UN classification)

o A glossary of terms

o A list of references and notably a list of existing

standards and material safety data sheet (MSDS)

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The IDA guidelines for Good Safety Practices is an

important step for pushing all the DME

stakeholders to be aware of DME safety.

It does not replace the MSDS, but it gives a precise

and very detailed framework for good safety

pratices for the DME industry and customers

It should be checked and improved regularly by all

the protagonists of DME

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Thank you

Thank you for your attention

and for

your present and future commitment for the safe

development of DME

www.aboutdme.org

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