Characteristics of typical 50 liter gas cylinders: design, dimensions and weight of the cylinder

You must admit that every summer resident, resident of a country house, has at least once encountered a power outage. And when there is no electricity and a gas main, it is impossible to cook food and heat a residential building.

Therefore, in regions and towns where there is no gas pipeline or frequent power outages, gas cylinders are considered a real salvation.

For those who often use gas containers, it is important how many cubes of gas are in a 50 liter cylinder, because this characteristic allows you to calculate the time and amount of work that can be done using one cylinder. We conducted an analysis of the regulations governing the device and the rules for filling typical 50 liter gas cylinders. Therefore, after reading the information below, you will decide whether or not to use a vessel having such an impressive volume.

Steel gas bottle design

For transportation and storage of light hydrocarbons, such as propane, propane-butane or butane, can be used composite cylinders, with a capacity up to 47 liters.

However, more capacious, 50 liter vessels for liquefied hydrocarbons are made of steel. To store the remaining liquefied or compressed gases, only steel tanks of various displacement are used.

AT GOST 15860 The varieties, characteristics and allowable sizes of gas cylinders for hydrocarbons are described in detail. AT GOST 949-73 parameters of gas tanks suitable for operation are indicated, with internal pressure up to 19.6 MPa.

The wall thickness is dictated by GOSTs that govern the design of cylinders. Billets for steel 50 liter cylinders are seamless pipes made of steel grades: 45, 34CrMo4, 30ХМА and 30ХГСА

Both GOSTs indicate that for safe transportation and storage of gases, each vessel should have the following structural elements:

1. Support shoe.
2. The case, consisting of a shell, lower, upper bottom and a washer ring.
3. Information plate.
4. Neckline.
5. Valve or valve.

Modifications are possible in which there is a collar, handle / handles and cap.

In addition to the basic standards for the manufacture of gas cylinders, there are additional standards that manufacturers must follow.

Supporting documentation includes safety rules: PB 03-576-03 “Rules for the design and safe use of vessels under pressure”. They detail the requirements for valves and other auxiliary mechanisms.

Dimensions and weight of 50 liter vessels

To determine how much an empty gas cylinder weighs 50 liters, you need to know the wall thickness and tank dimensions.

Since the production of gas cylinders is possible only in compliance with certain standards, all the necessary characteristics are already contained in them. According to GOST 15860, the metal thickness for a 50 liter gas cylinder designed to store light hydrocarbons is 3 mm.

The standard diameter of a 50 liter cylinder in which propane or butane is transported is 299 mm. And the height of its body can vary from 840 to 1015 mm.

The most popular fifty liter cylinders for carbon gases measuring 299x960 mm. Vessels for transporting gases stored under higher pressure have other characteristics reflected in GOST 949-73

The regulations for the manufacture of gas cylinders indicate that the thickness of the steel can be equal to 2.5 mm. In this case, the manufacturer must reduce the diameter of the vessel to 292 mm and increase its height. The minimum height in this case starts at 876 mm.

Thus, the diameter of a standard 50 liter cylinder is 29.9 cm and the height is 93 cm. The mass of an empty, empty cylinder, taking into account typical shut-off valve equal to 22 kg. At correct refueling the necessary amount of gas, the weight will be established at around 43.2.

Gas bottle capacity

According to the operating rules, a 50 liter gas cylinder can be filled with 42.5 liters of liquefied gas. This volume of contents, for a gas cylinder of 50 l, is set by regulatory documentation, which states that for safety reasons, the container can be filled no more than 85%.

In addition, you can not spend the contents of the vessel to the end.

In practice, tankers try not to take risks and often they fill the tank only by 75%. Therefore, at the disposal of a summer resident or welder after purchasing a refilled cylinder, 37.5 liters remain, which is equal to 18-19 kg

Let's try to calculate how many cubic meters of gas will be contained in a 50 liter cylinder. It is known that under standard conditions 0.526 cubic meters of propane or 0.392 butane is obtained from 1 kg of LPG. The percentage of the gas mixture is 60:40 (60% propane and 40% butane).

We calculate the volume of the propane-butane mixture, provided that in the cylinder 21.2 kg of gas:

21.2 kg • (0.526 • 0.6 + 0.392 • 0.4) = 10.01 m³

This means that a 50 liter bottle contains approximately 10.01 cubic meters of gas.

How long is the gas bottle?

In order to determine for what period a filled 50 liter cylinder with propane will last, it will be necessary to calculate how much gas this or that device will consume.

For example, your 4-burner stove has a gas flow rate of 0.45 kg / hr (this information can be found in the technical documentation for the appliance). Next, divide the amount of gas in the cylinder by flow: 21.5 / 0.45 = 47.7. So, if you turn on all 4 rings, then the cylinder will last about 47 hours.

Of course, all four rings will not work all the time, which means that the bottle will last for a longer period.

If bottled gas is planned to be used for heating, then its consumption can be calculated in the same way as for gas stoves. For example, let's calculate how many days a 50 liter filled cylinder will last for heating a private house, if it is known that the maximum gas consumption of a gas boiler is 1.5 kg / h.

Before making calculations, it is worth considering that boilers operate on average for 10 hours. But, if the boiler is also supposed to be used for heating hot water, the gas consumption increases by almost 20%.

When designing an autonomous gas supply with the simultaneous connection of several cylinders, a gas train is required. With it, you can connect up to 12 cylinders to the gearbox

Divide the mass of gas in the cylinder (21.5 kg) by its flow rate (1.5 kg / h) and get 14.3 hours. If we take into account that the gas boiler does not work round the clock, then the LPG cylinder may last for a maximum of 2-3 days.

In addition, one should not forget that fuel consumption also depends on the degree of warming your country house and the average daily temperature in the street. So, the less the house is insulated and the lower the ambient temperature, the more the boiler will need to burn fuel to warm the room to a comfortable temperature.

The calculations made indicate that a 50 liter cylinder is not enough for a comfortable stay in a country house, especially if the boiler and stove consume gas. Therefore, many owners of private cottages design a gas supply system on the basis of 3-4 50-liter gas tanks at once, which requires compliance with the special conditions of their operation and storage.

What kind of load does the capacity withstand?

Standard cylinders can withstand pressure up to 19.6 MPa. Moreover, the wall thickness can reach up to 8.9 mm. However, such a powerful pressure will not stand any gas distribution or consuming device.

The standard pressure in a 50-liter tank is always 1.6 MPa. This pressure indicator is optimal for all household gearboxesto which stoves, heaters, ovens and boilers are attached.

If you follow simple operating rules, which include vertical storage, installing vessels in an iron box, located on the north side, as well as remoteness from wells, windows, doors and the presence of gearboxes, then gas cylinders do not pose any danger to others

Manufacturers of standard containers are guided by a pressure of 2.5 MPa, because the vessel must withstand it during the test once every five years. If the seams fail, the flask is immediately discarded.

The locking unit must also withstand a pressure of 2.5 MPa. Although its device allows you to contain pressure up to 19.6 units. Cylinders are subjected to such a test in exceptional cases, mainly they are filled with gas with a pressure of 1.6 MPa.

Color of gas bottle

In the rules of PB 03-576-03, it is indicated that the outer surface of the vessels intended for the transportation of gases should be painted with the appropriate color. It depends on the type of gas that will be filled.

Red bottles are provided for butane and other combustible gases. Moreover, for some gases, not only color is provided, but also the corresponding color strip.

Inscriptions and strips are applied with resistant paints and if they are erased during operation, then re-application occurs at filling stations or test points. Therefore, gas cylinders always give out their content

In addition, the regulations set a definitive inscription, which should be applied to the vessel. The word "Bhutan" should be applied on the butane cylinder; on the propane cylinder, the word "Propane" The text on the hydrocarbon gas vessel is white. Read more about types of gas cylinders Further.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

How to make a box for storing gas containers from improvised materials in a country house:

So at filling stations fill 50 liter propane cylinders:

Subject to simple but mandatory safety measures, a gas cylinder in the construction, metallurgy, private home or cottage will become the most useful and irreplaceable thing.

For those who decide to use an individual gas supply system, at the beginning of the design they will have to solve many problems: what sizes of gas cylinders will be optimal 27 or 50 liters, how many containers will be required for the system to operate continuously, as well as where and how to store them. And, if you calculate the input parameters correctly, then the output will be the most advanced, uninterrupted household appliance.

If you had to use 50 liter containers with gas, share: are they convenient for transportation and operation in a summer cottage? To add comments, use the form below. Ask experts questions, share experiences and relevant photos.