Laugfs Gas stresses change in composition not causing leakages and explosions

• Identifies substandard related equipment and bad practices as main reasons
• Says change in butane and propane composition was not carried out to make additional profits 

The cause for increasing incidents of gas cylinder leakages and explosions reported across the country in the recent weeks is not due to the change in the composition of LP gas in the cylinders, but due to the incorrect usage, said Laugfs Gas PLC, the only private sector LPG operator in the country’s duopoly cooking gas market. 

The company stressed that the majority of incidents relating to gas leaks are due to incorrect LP gas usage and inferior equipment, and it is a rare occurrence that incidents reported are caused by leaks from the cylinder valve or canister.

“We can assure you that the recently reported incidents did not occur due to the composition of the LP Gas in the cylinders.

Companies that import LP gas to the country assure that all imported LP Gas and cylinders are aligned and adhered to the standards imposed by the Sri Lanka Standard Institute SLS 712-1998 for LP Gas and SLS 1178-2013 for LP Gas cylinders,” Laufgs Gas said in a statement to the media yesterday.

It pointed out that the reports shared on traditional and social media that the leakages are caused by the composition of the LP gas filled in cylinders is misleading.

“Most of the accidents reported in the recent past were mainly due to the customers’ incorrect LP gas habits and also substandard equipment usage,” the company said.

From 27 to 30 November alone, over 27 incidents of LP gas related explosions were reported across the country.

Drawing attention to media reports that the change in the composition of the LP gas in cylinders was to allow the entities to yield additional profits, Laugfs Gas clarified that higher earnings cannot be fetched by increasing the propane composition in the mix as it is expensive compared to butane.

“Last year, propane and butane prices were equal for only two months, but in the past, propane prices were much higher than butane,” it said.

Laugfs Gas also dismissed the notion of the cylinder and valves currently available in the county are unable to withstand the high pressure created by the additional propane since the cylinders and valves are built to hold 30 bars of inside pressure with quality material. It shared that the additional safety valve connected to the main cylinder valve releases the inside pressure of the cylinder at the level of 26 bars. Laugfs also clarified on the pressures created the cylinders due to the different mixes in compositions, affirming that the current ratio is within the withstanding threshold of the cylinder.

According to the statement, with a propane composition of 30-40 percent, the pressure inside the cylinder is around 5 -6 bars; with a 45-50 percent composition, the pressure inside the cylinder is around 6-7.5 bars, and when the propane composition remains at 100 percent, the pressure inside the cylinder remains between 12-14 bars.

Laugfs asserted that it follows the specifications related to LP gas and metal cylinders and rechecks them against the given standards and specifications to ensure the safety of its customers.

 “Laugfs Gas will never compromise customers’ safety for any financial gain, and all operations and product sourcing are done by adhering to local and international standards and specifications,” the statement concluded.