MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY | THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM |
No. 14/2019/TT-BKHCN | Hanoi, November 15, 2019 |
CIRCULAR
PROMULGATING “NATIONAL TECHNICAL REGULATION ON LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS (LPG)”
Pursuant to Law on Standards and Technical Regulations dated June 29, 2006;
Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 127/2007/ND-CP dated August 01, 2007 on elaboration of some Articles of the Law on Technical Regulations and Standards and Government’s Decree No. 78/2018/ND-CP dated May 16, 2018 on amendments to some Articles of the Government's Decree No. 127/2007/ND-CP dated August 01, 2007 on elaboration of some Articles of the Law on Technical Regulations and Standards;
Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 95/2017/ND-CP dated August 16, 2017 defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Science and Technology;
At the request of the Director General of the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality and the Director General of the Department of Legal Affairs;
The Minister of Science and Technology hereby promulgates a Circular on “National technical regulation on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)”.
Article 1. Promulgated together with this Circular is the National technical regulation on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (QCVN 08:2019/BKHCN).
Article 2. Effect
1. This Circular comes into force from January 01, 2020.
2. The following regulations shall cease to have effect from the effective date of this Circular:
a) Circular No. 10/2012/TT-BKHCN dated April 12, 2012 of the Minister of Science and Technology.
b) Article 2 of the Circular No. 13/2013/TT-BKHCN dated April 12, 2013 of the Minister of Science and Technology.
Article 3. Transitional clauses
LPG imported, produced, processed and prepared before January 01, 2022 shall continue to be circulated until December 31, 2021 and covered by the legislative documents prescribed in Points a and b Clause 2 Article 2 of this Circular.
Article 4. Roadmap for application of QCVN
1. As of January 01, 2021, LPG imported, produced, processed and prepared shall satisfy the requirements set forth in QCVN 08:2019/BKHCN before being circulated in the market.
2. As of January 01, 2021, enterprises, organizations and individuals importing, producing, processing and preparing LPG shall apply the requirements prescribed in QCVN 08:2019/BKHCN from the effective date of this Circular.
Article 5. Implementation
1. The Director General of the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality shall organize and provide guidelines for implementation of this Circular.
2. Ministers, heads of ministerial agencies, heads of Governmental agencies, Chairmen/Chairwomen of People’s Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities and relevant organizations and individuals are responsible for the implementation of this Circular.
3. Difficulties that arise during the implementation of this Circular should be promptly reported in writing to the Ministry of Science and Technology for instructions./.
| PP. THE MINISTER |
QCVN 8:2019/BKHCN
NATIONAL TECHNICAL REGULATION ON LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GASES (LPG)
Foreword
QCVN 8:2019/BKHCN supersedes QCVN 8:2012/BKHCN.
QCVN 8:2019/BKHCN is developed by the Drafting Committee for National technical regulation on liquefied petroleum gas, submitted by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality for approval and promulgated together with the Circular No. 14/2019/TT-BKHCN dated November 15, 2019 of the Minister of Science and Technology.
NATIONAL TECHNICAL REGULATION ON LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GASES (LPG)
1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
1.1. Scope
This Regulation provides for limits of technical specifications related to safety, health and environment and requirements for quality management of LPG used as:
- Gas for civil use (hereinafter referred to as “civil gas”),
- Industrial gas,
- Fuels for vehicles;
Types of LPG specified in this Regulation are assigned HS codes specified in the nomenclature of exports and imports promulgated by the Ministry of Finance (see Annex A).
1.2. Regulated entities
The present document applies to organizations and individuals involved in import, production, processing, preparation and trading of LPG in Vietnam.
1.3. Definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms below shall be construed as follows:
1.3.1. “LPG”means petroleum-derived hydrocarbons comprising primarily propane (C3H8), propene (C3H6) or butane (C4H10), butene (C4H8) or a mixture of these gases. These hydrocarbons are in the gaseous state at normal temperature and pressure and put into a liquid state when compressed at a certain pressure or cooled at a suitable temperature.
1.3.2. “commercial propane” means hydrocarbons primarily composed of propane, propene and the remainder including C2 - C4 alkanes and alkenes (including isomers).
1.3.3. “commercial butane” means hydrocarbons primarily composed of butane, butene and the remainder including C3 - C5 alkanes and alkenes (including isomers).
1.3.4. “commercial butane and propane mixture” means a mixture primarily composed of commercial butane and commercial propane.
2. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
2.1. LPG used as civil gas and industrial gas
Basic technical specifications and test methods for LPG used as civil gas and industrial gas must conform to Table 1.
Table 1. Basic technical specifications and test methods for LPG used as civil gas and industrial gas
Specification | Commercial propane | Commercial butane | Commercial butane and propane mixture | Test method | ||
1. Vapor pressure at 37.8oC, kPa, not exceeding | 1430 | 485 | 1430 | TCVN 8356:2010 | ||
2. Residues after evaporation 100 ml, ml, not exceeding | 0,05 | 0,05 | 0,05 | TCVN 3165:2008 | ||
3. Copper strip corrosion, not exceeding | Class 1 | Class 1 | Class 1 | TCVN 8359:2010 | ||
4. Total sulfur content, mg/kg, not exceeding | 140 | 140 | 140 | TCVN 10143:2013 (ASTM D 6228-10); ASTM D 6667-14 | ||
5. Butadiene content, % volume, not exceeding | 0,5 | 0,5 | 0,5 | TCVN 8360:2010 | ||
6. Pentane and heavier components, % volume, not exceeding | - | 2,0 | 2,0 | TCVN 8360:2010 | ||
7. Butane and heavier components, % volume, not exceeding | 4,0 | - | - | TCVN 8360:2010 | ||
8. Olefin, % volume, not exceeding |
|
|
| TCVN 8360:2010 | ||
- Civil gas | As announced by the producer or distributor | As announced by the producer or distributor | As announced by the producer or distributor |
| ||
- Industrial gas | As agreed upon by relevant parties to the commercial sale contract | As agreed upon by relevant parties to the commercial sale contract | As agreed upon by relevant parties to the commercial sale contract |
| ||
9. Free water | No water at 0°C and at saturated vapor pressure | No water at 0°C and at saturated vapor pressure | No water at 0°C and at saturated vapor pressure | EN 15469:2007 | ||
2.2. LPG used as fuel for vehicles
Basic technical specifications and test methods for LPG used as fuel for vehicles gas must conform to Table 2.
Table 2. Basic technical specifications and test methods for LPG used as fuel for vehicles
Specification | Commercial propane | Commercial butane and propane mixture | Test method |
1. Motor octane number (MON), min. | 89,0 | 89,0 | TCVN 8362:2010 (ASTM D 2598-07) |
2. Vapor pressure at 37.8oC, kPa, not exceeding | 1430 | 1430 | TCVN 8356:2010 |
3. Residues after evaporation 100 ml, ml, not exceeding | 0,05 | 0,05 | TCVN 3165:2008 |
4. Copper strip corrosion, not exceeding | Class 1 | Class 1 | TCVN 8359:2010 |
5. Total sulfur content, mg/kg, not exceeding | 50 | 50 | TCVN 10143:2013 (ASTM D 6228-10); |
6. Butadiene content, % volume, not exceeding | 0,5 | 0,5 | TCVN 8360:2010 |
7. Pentane and heavier components, % volume, not exceeding | _ | 2,0 | TCVN 8360:2010 |
8. Butane and heavier components, % volume, not exceeding | 4,0 | _ | TCVN 8360:2010 |
9. Olefin, % volume, not exceeding | 10,0 | 10,0 | TCVN 8360:2010 |
10. Free water | No water at 0°C and at saturated vapor pressure | No water at 0°C and at saturated vapor pressure | EN 15469:2007 |
3. TEST METHODS
3.1. Sampling
Samples used to determine the specifications specified in this document shall be collected under TCVN 8355:2010 (ASTM D 1265-05) Standard practice for sampling liquefied petroleum (LP) gases, manual method
3.2. Test methods
Specifications for LPG specified in Table 2 of this document shall be determined using the following methods:
- TCVN 8362:2010 (ASTM D 2598-07) Standard practice for calculation of certain physical properties of liquefied petroleum (LP) gases from compositional analysis.
- TCVN 8356:2010 (ASTM D 1267-02) Standard test method for gage vapor pressure of liquefied petroleum (LP) gases (LP-gas method).
- TCVN 3165:2008 (ASTM D 2158-05) Liquefied petroleum (LP) gases - Test method for residues.
- TCVN 8359:2010 (ASTM D 1838-07) Standard test method for copper strip corrosion by liquefied petroleum (LP) gases.
- TCVN 10143:2013 (ASTM D 6228-10) Standard test method for determination of sulfur compounds in natural gas and gaseous fuels by gas chromatography and flame photometric detection.
- ASTM D 6667-14 Standard test method for determination of total volatile sulfur in gaseous hydrocarbons and liquefied petroleum gases by ultraviolet fluorescence.
- TCVN 8360:2010 (ASTM D 2163-07) Standard test method for determination of hydrocarbons in liquefied petroleum (LP) gases and propane/propene mixtures by gas chromatography.
- EN 15469:2007 Petroleum products - Test method for free water in liquefied petroleum gas by visual inspection.
- TCVN 3165:2008 (ASTM D 2158-05) Liquefied petroleum gases - Requirements and test methods.
- TCVN 6702:2013 (ASTM D 3244-07a) Standard Practice for Utilization of Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications
4. MANGEMENT REQUIREMENTS
4.1. Conformity of LPG produced, processed and prepared shall be declared in accordance with Section 2 of this document before being circulated in the market.
Conformity of LPG produced, processed and prepared in accordance with the technical requirements specified in Section 2 of this document shall be declared according to the conformity certification result given by a certification body designated as prescribed by law (in case of applying Method 5); according to the certification and assessment result given by the certification body and assessment body designated as prescribed by law (in case of applying Method 7). The declaration of conformity shall be subject to the regulations laid down in the Circular No. 28/2012/TT-BKHCN dated December 12, 2012 and Circular No. 02/2017/TT-BKHCN dated March 31, 2017 of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The testing in support of conformity declaration shall be carried out by a testing body designated by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality as prescribed by law.
4.2. Imported LPG shall undergo state inspection of quality in accordance with Section 2 of this document before being circulated in the market.
The inspection of quality of imported LPG shall be subject to the regulations set out in Clause 2c Article 7 added to the Decree No. 132/2008/ND-CP (specified in Clause 3 Article 1 of the Government’s Decree No. 74/2018/ND-CP dated May 15, 2018).
The testing in support of assessment of conformity of imported LPG shall be carried out by a testing body designated by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality as prescribed by law.
4.3. Conformity assessment methods and rules for application thereof are prescribed in Article 5 and Annex II of the Regulation on declaration of standard conformity and technical-regulation conformity promulgated together with the Circular No. 28/2012/TT-BKHCN dated December 12, 2012 of the Ministry of Science and Technology. To be specific:
4.3.1. Conformity of LPG domestically produced, processed and prepared shall be certified using Method 5(Testing a representative sample and assessment of the manufacturing process; carrying out supervision by testing samples collected from the place of manufacturing or in the market in association with assessment of the manufacturing process)at the production, processing and preparation facility. In case the production, processing and preparation facility fails to satisfy quality assurance requirements according to Method 5, Method 7 “Testing and assessment of a shipment of products/goods” shall be adopted;
4.3.2. Regarding imported LPG, each shipment of such imported LPG shall have its conformitycertified using the Method 7 “Testing and assessment of a shipment of products/goods”. In case conformity is certified at the production and preparation facility at its request, Method 5 specified in 4.3.1 shall be adopted.
4.3.3. The certificate of conformity or certificate of quality assessment for Method 7 shall be only valid for each shipment of imported LPG or batch of products sampled for conformity assessment; for Method 5; the certificate shall be valid for a period of no more than 3 years.
4.4. Rules for recognition of conformity assessment results and use of testing results
4.4.1. The conformity assessment body (certification body or assessment body) may consider using the testing result given by a testing body in the exporting country to serve its certification or assessment if such testing body is sufficiently competent and satisfies all regulations laid down in ISO/IEC 17025 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.
4.4.2. Prior to use of the testing result given by a conformity assessment body in the exporting country, the certification body and assessment body must send a notification thereof to the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality for monitoring and management purposes. Where necessary, the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality shall carry out an inspection (post-inspection) of the use of testing results by the certification body and assessment body.
4.4.3. When using the testing result given by a conformity assessment body in the exporting country, the certification body and assessment body must assume responsibility for their certification and assessment results.
4.5. When circulated in the market, LPG produced, processed, prepared and imported must satisfy quality requirements specified in this documents and standards announced by the supplier (which imports, produces, processes or prepares LPG) and undergo state inspection of quality as prescribed by law.
An odorant must be added, for leak detection purposes, to LPG used as civil gas, industrial gas and fuel for vehicles when circulated in the market in order to ensure safety during the transport and use.
When tested in accordance with Annex A to TCVN 6548:2019, the odor of the gas shall be characteristic (i.e. distinctive and unpleasant), detectable at a concentration in air of 20% of its lower flammability limit (LFL).
5. RESPONSIBILITIES OF ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS
5.1. Every organization or individual that imports, produces, processes or prepares LPG shall announce applied standards in accordance with this document and ensure fulfillment of quality requirements laid down in this document and applied standards.
5.2.Every organization or individual that produces, processes or prepares LPG shall submit certify and declare conformity as prescribed in this document.
LPG importers shall certify conformity and apply for state inspection of quality as prescribed in this document.
5.3. LPG traders shall ensure quality of LPG in conformity with the regulations set out in this document.
5.4. LPG distributors must provide purchasers with at least the following information:
- Main components of LPG (ratio of components including C3, C4 expressed in % volume);
- Proof of conformity with quality requirements specified in technical regulation;
+ For domestically produced LPG: a confirmation of submission of conformity declaration issued by the Department of Standard, Metrology and Quality of the province or city;
+ For imported LPG: a notification of result of state inspection of quality issued by the inspecting authority.
- Proof of conformity with quality requirements specified in the standard announced by the LPG supplier.
6. IMPLEMENTATION
6.1. The Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality shall provide guidance on, inspect and cooperate with relevant authorities in organizing the implementation of this document.
According to management requirements, the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality shall recommend the Ministry of Science and Technology to make appropriate amendments to this document.
6.2. In the cases where any of the legislative documents referred to in this document is amended or replaced, the newest one shall apply.
In the cases where any of the normative references or guidelines prescribed in this document is amended or replaced, the guidelines laid down by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality shall be adhered to.
Annex A
List of HS codes for LPG
Name | HS code |
1. Propane | 2711.12.00 |
2. Butane | 2711.13.00 |
3. Other | 2711.19.00 |
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