PROHIBITED REFILLING OF DOT 39 SPECIFICATION CYLINDERS

PROHIBITED REFILLING OF DOT 39 SPECIFICATION CYLINDERS

 Mock picture of DOT 39 non-reusable cylinder being illegally filled by a DOT 4BA (20-lb propane) cylinder using an adaptor

Purpose: The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is issuing this safety alert to notify the general public about the safety hazard of refilling and transporting DOT 39 (non-reusable) specification cylinders. 

                                             MacCoupler adaptor

Background: DOT 39 cylinders, known as “non-reusable cylinders,” are manufactured for one-time use only.  Refilling and transportation in commerce of these cylinders is prohibited under federal hazardous materials regulations.  They are labelled with the following warning: “Federal Law forbids transportation if refilled - penalty up to $500,000 fine and five years’ imprisonment (49 U.S.C. 5124)” to communicate this prohibition.  Because the cylinders are designed for one-time use, they are not subject to more rigorous manufacturing standards of refillable cylinders. Thus, they may lack the durability of refillable cylinders and their performance over multiple refills is unknown, which presents a potential safety hazard due to the stresses of refilling and emptying of these cylinders. 

PHMSA has become aware of the sale of adapters designed to allow refilling of DOT 39 cylinders using larger cylinders (see attached photographs).  These adaptors are sold at various retail outlets and online. Some of the common trade names are the “MacCoupler”, “Mr. Heater” and “Shnozzle”. “MacCoupler” is manufactured by KM North America in Traverse City, MI. “Mr. Heater” and “Shnozzle” are manufactured in China and sold on Amazon.  Additionally, several websites demonstrate how to use these adaptors.

                            Standard warning label on DOT 39 cylinders

Actions: We strongly recommend that the general public refrain from refilling DOT 39 cylinders because of the one-time use design of these cylinders, and the purchase and use of any adaptor sold as a means to refill DOT 39 cylinders creates a potential risk of fire, explosion, serious injury, and property damage.  For further information contact: PHMSA’s Information Center at 1-800-467-4922 or phmsa.hm-infocenter@dot.gov.

LEAK AT PPL NUCLEAR PLANT FORCED THE SHUTDOWN OF THE SUSQUEHANNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT UNIT 1

Leak at PPL NUCLEAR plant forced the shutdown of the Susquehanna nuclear power plant Unit 1

The Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County. (FILE PHOTO, THE MORNING CALL)

By Sam Kennedy, Of The Morning Call

Water leak forces shutdown of Unit 1 at PPL nuclear plant Saturday.

Why did PPL have to shut down Susquehanna nuclear power plant Unit 1?

A water leak forced the shutdown of PPL Susquehanna nuclear power plant Unit 1 early Saturday morning.

PPL Susquehanna, a subsidiary of PPL Corp. in Allentown, described the problem in a press release as "a small water leak inside the containment structure" surrounding the reactor.

"Although the water leak is well within the plant's limits for continued safe operation, operators began shutting the unit down as a conservative measure to complete repairs and enhance the unit's reliability for the upcoming winter, when cold weather drives higher electricity use," PPL said.

PPL expects to quickly identify the source of the water leak, complete repairs and resume generating electricity.

The Susquehanna plant, in Luzerne County about seven miles north of Berwick, is owned jointly by PPL Susquehanna and Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc. and is operated by PPL Susquehanna.

In September 2013, radioactive water discovered inside a room in the plant's Unit 2 reactor building led to an "unusual event" declaration. An unusual event is the first of the four emergency classifications established by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for nuclear power plants. Unit 2 was not operating when that leak was found. It had been shut down a day earlier for an unplanned inspection of the unit's turbine blades after a sensor detected an abnormality. Soon after, the radioactive water was cleaned up and the turbines repaired.