BS EN 1918-5:2016

What is BS EN 1918-5 – UGS - Functional recommendations for surface facilities of storage about?  

BS EN 1918-5 covers the functional recommendations for the design, construction, testing, commissioning, operation, maintenance and abandonment of the surface facilities for underground gas storage (UGS), between the wellhead and the connection to the gas grid. 

BS EN 1918-5 specifies practices which are safe and environmentally acceptable. BS EN 1918-5 specifies common basic principles for underground gas storage facilities.  

In this context, "gas" is any hydrocarbon fuel: 

• Which is in a gaseous state at a temperature of 15 °C and under a pressure of 0,1 MPa (this includes natural gas, compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The stored product is also named fluid 
• Which meets specific quality requirements in order to maintain underground storage integrity, performance, environmental compatibility and fulfils contractual requirements. 

Note 1: Users of BS EN 1918-5 should be aware that more detailed standards and/or codes of practice exist. A non-exhaustive list of relevant standards can be found in Annex A. 

Note 2: BS EN 1918-5 is not intended to be applied retrospectively to existing facilities. 

Who is BS EN 1918-5 –  UGS - Functional recommendations for surface facilities of storage for? 

BS EN 1918-5 on UGS-functional recommendations for surface facilities of gas storage is useful for: 

• Petroleum and natural gas industry 
• UGS plants 
• Installation and operation units of surface facilities 
• Environmental safety agencies 
• Disaster management departments 

Why should you use BS EN 1918-5 – UGS - Functional recommendations for surface facilities of storage? 

Underground gas storage (UGS) is an efficient proven common technology and is in use since 1915. UGS became an essential indispensable link in the gas supply chain for adjusting supply to meet short-term and seasonal changes in demand. 

The primary function of UGS is to ensure that supply is adjusted for peak and seasonal demand. Apart from this, the storage facilities can provide standby reserves in case of interruption of the planned supply. Increasingly UGS is applied for commercial storage services. 

For the handling of gas withdrawal and gas injection, the surface facilities are the link between the subsurface facilities and the transport system, comprising facilities for gas dehydration/treatment, compression, process control and measurement. 

Surface and subsurface installations if designed in an integrated way as specified in BS EN 1918-5 allow you to achieve an environmentally, economically and technically optimized layout. 

BS EN 1918-5 helps you to minimize the risk of harm to all who may be affected directly or indirectly by activities of plants and to comply with standards on safety, occupational health and environmental protection. 

What’s changed since the last update? 

BS EN 1918-5:2016 supersedes EN 1918-5:1998. BS EN 1918-5:2016 includes some technical changes with respect to EN 1918-5:1998. These include: 

• More details on the function and technology of underground storage, including figures  
• Addition of activities and reviews related to safety 
• Addition of HSE chapter 
• Addition of Abandonment chapter