The new generation of gas cylinder cabinets provide maximum safety in the event of a fire.
Each cabinet model has successfully passed the fire chamber test of an independent material testing institute.
Each cabinet model is classified, either G30 or G90 (30 or 90 minutes) in accordance with EN 14470-2, as maintaining a temperature increase of less than 50 K on the cylinder.
Please see separate pages for Type G30 and Type G90
The EN 14470-2 for gas cylinder cabinets covers the storage, provision and withdrawal of gas cylinders in indoor areas
Due to the positive pressure and the contents (corrosive, toxic, inflammable, fire accelerating), gas cylinders represent a hazard potential. It is therefore usually recommended to store gas cylinders in outdoor areas. In practice this is often not possible or is associated with very high costs. With the publishing of the new European standard for gas cylinder cabinets, EN 14470-2, an economical and flexible option for the installation of gas cylinders in indoor areas is now available that offers a level of safety comparable to that of outdoor storage.
Fire resistance is classified into 4 classes from G15 up to G90 (fire resistance of 15 up to 90 minutes).
Each type of cabinet and each cabinet size has to be type tested in a furnace. In case dimensional variation exceeds the tolerance, the cabinet has to be retested again. Tests can only be executed by an authorised material testing institute. Cabinets must be tested in a furnace as free-standing single cabinets. In the new EN 14470-2 it is mandatory to deliver a declaration of conformity or certificates of conformity with the cabinet.
Complete approval documentation by asecos is included for each safety storage cabinet:
- A test report of an authorised material testing institute stating/proving the successfully passed fire test.
- (Important: only the test report of an approved material testing institute is evidence for a successfully passed fire test!)
- Test certificate by independent testing organisation
- Declaration of CE conformity by the manufacturer
- Use in accordance with regulations
- Safety for the user
- Clear identification of approval documents with the model of safety storage cabinet
Why type G90?
The classification type 90 for safety cabinets for the storage of flammable liquids has been established for many years in Germany as the state of the art. This did not change even after the publication of DIN EN 14470-1.
Due to the consistent pursuit of a 4-class strategy, also in the standardisation work for EN 14470-2, the operator now has the possibility to select the same safety level for the storage and installation of gas cylinders as he has selected for the storage of flammable liquids.
What makes the new G90 cabinets so safe ?
The most critical part of a gas cylinder is its valve. It is therefore protected against damage during cylinder transport by a special screw cap. However, this protection no longer exists when cylinders are connected for drawing off compressed gases. In order to be able to ensure that the valve is not damaged or heated up too strongly in the case of fire (existing seals can be damaged and gas could leak out uncontrolled and ignite or even lead to a dangerous explosion), particular importance was placed on this in the new European standard for gas cylinder cabinets.
EN 14470-2 therefore specifies that additional temperature measuring points are to be attached to the cylinder valve holder during the tests. The measured rises in temperature may not exceed 50 °K over the entire testing period (90 minutes), whilst temperatures of over 1000° C already prevail in the inspection room. This extreme tightening of the regulations guarantees that gas cylinders stored in safety cabinets of type G90 do not represent a hazard to employees and rescue services for more than 1,5 hours, even in the case of a full blaze.
