PRODUCTS ABOUT MARKETS Hexagon group home Careers US Site DOWNLOADS CONTACT US EVENTS & NEWS HomeAboutFrequently asked questions FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS The following FAQs provide indicative answers to the most frequent questions about our products. Are Hexagon Ragasco cylinders safe? How do Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinders behave in case of fire? What is the three-piece Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinder concept? Why is the cylinder translucent? What about corrosion and chemical resistance? What maintenance or refurbishing is necessary? What kind of information is printed on the cylinder? How do Hexagon Ragasco cylinders perform in colder climates? How do Hexagon Ragasco cylinders perform in desert climates? How do Hexagon Ragasco cylinders perform in coastal or tropical climates? Are the cylinders from Hexagon Ragasco UV resistant? What about re-testing? What are the standard colours of the cylinders? Are Hexagon Ragasco cylinders approved for use in my area? Are Hexagon Ragasco cylinders safe? Safety has been and will continue to be the most important design factor in our development projects. The safety of Hexagon Ragasco composites is equivalent to or higher than steel cylinders. For the European Union, Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinders have been approved according to ADR/RID and are marked with the Pi-mark according to the TPED Directive. Hexagon Ragasco works with the German organization TÜV as approval partner. The European approval is based on the requirements of EN 12245 and EN14427 (equally valid - see the paragraph "Approval). Hexagon Ragasco cylinders are approved according to DOT Special Permit 12706 for the USA and by TC Permit For Equivalent Level Of Safety SU 5931 for Canada. Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinders are also approved in several other countries. For more information, see the section "Approvals and Certifications". We have achieved outstanding results on the market, where around 9 million units have been manufactured and in use over 15 years. Customers and users are extremely pleased with the performance and handling of our products. How do Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinders behave in case of fire? Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinders can be burned in a fire without any concern for explosion. After a few minutes in a fire, the resin will be burned off and the plastic liner and casing melted. The LPG will then "breathe" through the cylinder wall and burn off in a controlled manner. What is the three-piece Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinder concept? Layer 1: The blow-moulded liner (HDPE) is the seamless gas barrier layer with a boss for mounting the valve onto the cylinder. The boss is made of injection-moulded HDPE with a brass insert. Layer 2: This composite load-carrying material is filament-wound fibre-glass and resin which has a tremendous capacity to withstand pressure. An advanced curing process ensures the see-through feature. Layer 3: The distinctively designed, injection-moulded outer casing protects the pressure vessel and valve. The ergonomic handles allow easy lifting and are built for stacking. For more information see Technical Specifications. Why is the cylinder translucent? The HDPE liner and composite pressure vessel have sufficient translucency for the user to see the liquid level of LPG inside the cylinder. The translucency feature enables the user to see the gas level through the wall of the cylinder, therefore eliminating the risk of running out of gas at an inopportune time. It also makes it possible for the consumer to verify that the cylinder has actually been filled with the right amount of LPG. What about corrosion and chemical resistance? Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinders do not corrode. All applied materials are non-corrosive and have been carefully selected to ensure maximum chemical stability and resistance to concentrations of acids or solvents that may appear in the LPG or in the environment where the LPG cylinders may be stored or used. Additionally the pressure vessel is protected by a coating on the outside. What maintenance or refurbishing is necessary? For aesthetic purposes,Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinders can be easily and inexpensively cleaned by power-washing with a soap and water solution. Therefore, shot-blasting or painting of the cylinders is not necessary. For mandatory reconditioning, please see the paragraph Retesting below. What kind of information is printed on the cylinder? Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinders are marked according to the guidelines stipulated in the applied approval and in accordance with the approval authority having jurisdiction. As a minimum the cylinders are marked with serial number, approval marking/ number, approval authority ID, country of origin, manufacturer ID and volume. As an option, the cylinders can be marked with a corporate logo or other customer-specific markings. The cylinders may also be fitted with RFID/transponder chips. Hexagon Ragasco will supply the customer with a database file corresponding to each cylinder lot. How do Hexagon Ragasco cylinders perform in colder climates? As part of the approval testing programe, Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinders are tested and approved down to -40C. The use of LPG in low temperatures is, of course, limited by the vaporization capability of the specific LPG mix. Normally the casing will have no damage at low temperature if handled correctly, but it is less resistant to significant impact if handled severely. How do Hexagon Ragasco cylinders perform in desert climates? The composite LPG cylinders from Hexagon Ragasco are designed to withstand temperatures well above 65°C. Long-term use in hot climate shows that the cylinder is not affected and remains safe to use in these extreme climates. Our cylinders have already been in use several years in countries consisting mainly of desert and where temperatures can easily reach above 50°C in the shade on a regular basis. How do Hexagon Ragasco cylinders perform in coastal or tropical climates? The materials in the cylinders from Hexagon Ragasco have been carefully chosen. One of the great benefits of the selected materials is that they are unaffected by salt and humidity. Corrosion does not occur and therefore the cylinders are well adapted for use in hot, humid and saline environments. Are the cylinders from Hexagon Ragasco UV resistant? As stated above, the applied materials have been chosen for different considerations. One of them is to ensure maximum UV stability. In addition, UV additives are applied to the casing material depending on the geographic zone where the cylinders are to be used. What about re-testing? We recommend following the stipulations in EN1440 or depending on the jurisdiction, the applicable retesting requirement. The ADR/RID (TPED) type approval specifies a retesting interval of 10 years. Hexagon Ragasco continuously brings back cylinders that have been in the market and subjected to various conditions to our manufacturing plant, where our technical teams perform thorough testing for deterioration, corrosion or deformation. This testing, and the positive results, has been very successful in extending the retesting interval from 5 to 10 years with most of the jurisdictions where the cylinders are in service. This process is ongoing with each new market. Furthermore, Hexagon Ragasco is the only composite cylinder manufacturer to have achieved a 15-year interval for the first inspection of cylinders in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. What are the standard colours of the cylinders? The outer casing of Hexagon Ragasco composite LPG cylinders allows for certain colour variations. The standard for the lower part is light grey. The upper part and the top ring can be supplied in a wide variety of colours. The current standard colours are: Dark grey Green Red Yellow Blue Orange Specific colours can be applied based on a RAL or Pantone definition. Are Hexagon Ragasco cylinders approved for use in my area? Hexagon Ragasco composite cylinders are approved for use in over 40 counties. This includes and is not limited to the following: all EC countries, USA, Canada, among others. For more information, see the section Approvals and Certifications. Back to top CONTACT US Hexagon Ragasco AS Raufoss Industrial Park, B306 P.O. Box 50, 2831 Raufoss NORWAY Phone: +47 61 15 16 00 Contact emails Organisation number: NO878 612 752 SHORT CUTS Our company Composite LPG Cylinders Careers SERVICE Sitemap