petroleum rule

Petroleum Rule

Petroleum industry is so called hazardous industry; numerous regulations have been framed by various statutory/regulatory authorities in the country to safeguard the interest of its stakeholder and environment. Over the years; the regulatory agencies have played a significant contribution in the promotion of industrial safety in the petroleum industry in India. Few of them are-

Petroleum rule

a)      Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD)

b)      Chief Controller of Factories (CIF)

c)      Chief Inspector of Boilers (CIB)

d)     Chief Controller Of Explosives (CCE)

e)      Chief Electrical Inspector (CEI)

f)       Director General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA)

g)      Tariff Advisory Committee (TAC)

h)      Bhaba Atomic Energy Commission (BARC)

i)        Director General of Mines and Safety (DGMS)

j)        Regional Transport Authority (RTA)

k)      Director General Of Dock Safety (DGDS)

l)        International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Other few petroleum rules adopted by the regulatory authority of India are –

a)      Petroleum Act, 1934

b)      Calcium Carbide Rules, 1987

c)      Petroleum Act, 1934

d)     Petroleum Concession Rules, 1949

e)      Petroleum Rules, 2002

f)       Petroleum and Natural Gas Rules, 1959

Petroleum Rules of 1976 deal with the safety guidelines / regulations for:

a)      Import

b)      Transport

c)      Storage

d)     Refining

e)      Blending Testing of Petroleum/ products

Gist of rule pertaining to electrical maintenance/design/inspection are-

Part-A: Electrical Installation

a)      There shall be no fire or artificial light or smoking on board near ship or other vessel or within 30 meters of the place where the petroleum is being loaded or unloaded.

b)      The pressure of the electric circuit shall not exceed 24 volts

c)      Electric wiring shall be heavily insulated and be adequate for maximum loads to be carried;

d)     To be provided with suitable over-current protection in the form of fuses or automatic circuit breakers and installed so as to be protected from physical damage and contact with possible product spill either by location or by being encased in metal conduct or other oil resistant protective covering; and

e)      All junction boxes sealed.

f)       The generator, battery, switches, fuses and circuit brackets shall be carried in the cab of the vehicle or in the engine compartment and the battery shall be in an easily accessible position with a heavy-duty switch close by to cut-off the battery.

g)      Generators, motors and switches thereof which are not installed within the engine compartment shall be of the approved flame-proof type.

h)      All petroleum pipelines entering any tank vehicle loading or unloading area shall be electrically continuous and be efficiently earthed.

i)        An earth bus with a flexible cable having robust clamping device shall be provided adjacent to the loading point.

j)        (3) Sound and electrically continuous hoses or metal pipes shall only be used for loading or unloading of a tank vehicle where stand pipes or metallic loading arms are provided; swivel joints shall be electrically continuous.

k)      The tank, filling pipe and the chassis of the tank vehicle shall, during loading of a tank vehicle, be efficiently bonded and connected with the earth bus by means of a flexible metal wire or tape.

l)         The bonding and earthing connections shall not be disconnected until loading of the tank vehicle has been completed and the filling and dip pipes thereof have been securely closed.

m)    No mechanically propelled vehicle for the petroleum shall be loaded or unloaded until its engine has been stopped and battery is isolated from the electrical circuit.

n)      The engine shall not be restarted and the battery shall not be connected to the electrical circuit until tanks and valves have been securely closed.

o)      The pipeline shall be protected against corrosion by suitable coating, strapping and where necessary by cathodic protection.

p)      No electric wiring shall be installed and no electric apparatus shall be used in any refinery, installation, storage shed and service station or in any other place where petroleum is refined, blended, stored, loaded or unloaded.

q)      Petroleum having flash point below 650C or any inflammable gas or vapour in a concentration capable of ignitions is likely to be present; is said hazardous area.

r)       A hazardous area shall be deemed to be-

(i) A zone "0" area, if inflammable gases or vapours are expected to be continuously present in the area; or

(ii) A zone "1" area, if inflammable gases or vapours are likely to be present in the area under normal operating conditions; or

(iii) A zone "2" area, if inflammable gases or vapours are likely to be present in the area only under abnormal operating conditions or failure or rupture of equipment.

s)       If any question arises as to whether hazardous area is a zone "0" area or a zone "1" or a zone "2" area, the decisions thereon of the Chief Controller shall be final.

t)       No electric apparatus shall be allowed in a zone "0" area.

u)      A flame proof or intrinsically safe apparatus of a type or types approved in writing by the Chief Controller.

v)      An industrial-type apparatus housed in an enclosure or a room which has been made safe by pressurizing or purging with a plenum of atmosphere free from significant concentration of any inflammable gas or vapour and so arranged and inter-locked that in case of failure of the pressurizing or purging agent, the electricity supply is automatically cut off or a warning is automatically given to a person in attendance who shall take suitable measures to prevent a hazard.

w)    All electric apparatus installed or used in a zone "2" area shall be a non-sparking apparatus of a type approved by the Chief Controller.

x)      All conductors of an intrinsically safe circuit in connection with an intrinsically safe apparatus installed in any hazardous area shall be so laid as to prevent invasion of such circuit by current arising from contact or electrostatic or electromagnetic induction from any other circuit. Conductors of intrinsically safe circuits shall be effectively protected against mechanical damage.

y)      All electric wiring in a hazardous area, other than the conductors of an intrinsically safe circuit, shall be effectively sealed at all joints.

z)      Approved armoured cable with correctly designed terminations, complete with armour clamps, the armouring being carried and electrical clamps to provide mechanical support to the cable and electrical continuity.

aa)   single or multicored insulated cables accommodated in solid drawn heavy gauge screwed galvanized conduits used in conjunction with approved flame-proof fittings, the conduit being sealed at both ends and installed in such a manner as to permit internal condensation to drain to a point or points from which it may be removed; where a conduit runs from a zone "1" area to zone "2" area or an area which is not hazardous area, an adequate seal shall be provided outside the boundary of zone "1" area.

bb)   Single or multicored mineral insulated cable of approved type in conjunction with approved flame-proof type glands at all joints and terminations.

cc)   Bare conductors contained in an approved flame-proof or forming part of an intrinsically safe circuit.

dd) Insulated cables without metallic sheathing or armouring but accommodated in a conduit shall not be buried in the open ground in any hazardous area.

ee)   The electric supply circuits of each electric pump in a hazardous area shall be-

(i) Separately protected by a fuse or circuit breaker set to operate when the current in the circuit so exceeds the rated current for such a period of time as to involve danger and

(ii) Provided with an individual isolating switch at the main supply point for each electric pump including its integral lighting system, if any.

Part-B: Earthing and Boding

a)      All electrical systems, equipments, all structures, plants and other non-current-carrying metallic parts of major electric apparatus or any major metallic object in any place where petroleum is refined, blended, stored, loaded or unloaded shall be efficiently earthed.

b)      The resistance value of earthing system shall not be more than 4 ohms in the case of electrical systems and equipment or a valve.

c)      The resistance value shall be 10 ohms in the case of all non-current-carrying metallic parts of major electric apparatus.

d)     All joints in pipeline, valves, plants, storage tanks and associated facilities and equipments for petroleum shall be made electrically continuous by bonding or otherwise; the resistance value between each joint shall not exceed 1 ohm.

e)      A piping which is not in electrical contact with the associated tank or vessel shall be efficiently connected to such tank or vessel by a flexible conductor and earthed.

Part-C: Cathodic Protection  

a)      Cathodic protection system if employed; shall be designed and installed such that it does not  affect adversely metallic bodies in the zone of protection and  to eliminate the danger of sparking in a hazardous area.

b)      The metallic structures, pipelines, valves, plants and associated equipments under cathodic protection shall not be broken/disconnected for repair or maintenance unless a heavy gauge conducting cable is clamped to each side of the intended break for establishing between them an electrical bond and the cable shall remain clamped until repair or maintenance work is completed and connection restored.

Part-D: Protection against Stray Current

a)      Where high values of stray currents are likely to exist, both the rails of spur lines shall be insulated from a railway siding which is used for the loading or unloading of tank wagons.

b)      On electrified railway systems, live-contact rails and overhead electric lines shall be terminated outside the area where tank wagons are loaded or unloaded, such rails or overhead lines shall not be allowed within a refinery or an installation.

c)      No joint in a pipeline or associated equipments shall be broken

Part-E: Portable Electric Apparatus

a)      Any portable electric lamp or apparatus shall not be used unless approved by the Chief Controller’

b)      No mains operated portable lamp shall be operated at a voltage exceeding 25 volts above the earth Provided that the Chief Controller may, at his discretion, allow higher operating voltage not exceeding 55 volts above earth.

c)      All portable lamps or apparatus other than a self-contained lamp or apparatus shall be connected to the mains as the Chief Controller may specify.

Part-F: Maintenance of Apparatus and Wiring

a)      All electric apparatus and wiring shall be maintained in hazardous area all the time so as to retain the characteristic for which their approval has been granted.

Part-G: Repair and Test 

a)      No flame-proof or intrinsically safe apparatus shall be opened and no work likely to impair the safety characteristics of such apparatus or electric wiring connected thereto shall be carried out until all voltage has been cut off from the said apparatus or wiring.

b)      The voltage shall not be restored until the work has been completed and the safety characteristics provided in connection with the apparatus and wiring have been fully restored as original.

c)      Notwithstanding anything contained in this rule, use of soldering apparatus or other means involving flame, fire or heat or use of industrial type apparatus in a zone "1" area shall be permitted for the purposes of effecting repairs and testing and alterations, provided that the area in which such apparatus or wiring has been installed, has first been made safe and certified by a competent person after testing with an approved gas-testing apparatus to be safe and free from inflammable vapours, gases or liquids and is maintained in such conditions, so long as the work is in progress.

Part-H: Certificate of electric installation

a)      A certificate from competent person shall be required before engineering any electric circuit and any electric apparatus in hazardous area for the first time and after each repair, maintenance or alteration work carried out.

b)      The certificate shall be preserved by the occupier of the premises and shall be produced to the Inspector on demand:

c)      The certificate issued for each repair and maintenance work need not be preserved for a period exceeding six months.

Part-I: precaution against corrosion

a)      All electric apparatus and equipment carrying electric wiring in a hazardous area shall be regularly treated with a suitable protective paint.

b)      The certification label indicating the flame-proof or intrinsically safe nature of the apparatus or equipment shall not be painted.

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