(a) Unless prohibited in part 173 of this subchapter, tanks shall be equipped with one or more relief devices of approved type, made of metal not subject to rapid deterioration by the lading and screwed directly into tank heads or attached to tank heads by other approved methods. The total discharge capacity shall be sufficient to prevent building up pressure in tank in excess of 82.5 percent of the tank test pressure. When relief devices of the fusible plug type are used, the required discharge capacity shall be available in each head. See AAR Specifications for Tank Cars, appendix A (IBR, see §171.7 of this subchapter), for the formula for calculating discharge capacity.

(b) Threads for openings shall be National Gas Taper Threads (NGT) tapped to gage, clean cut, even and without checks.

(c) Pressure relief devices shall be set for start-to-discharge and rupture discs shall burst at a pressure not exceeding that specified in §179.301.

(d) Fusible plugs shall function at a temperature not exceeding 175 °F. and shall be vapor-tight at a temperature of not less than 130 °F.

[29 FR 18995, Dec. 29, 1964, as amended at 64 FR 51920, Sept. 27, 1999; 66 FR 45390, Aug. 28, 2001; 68 FR 75763, Dec. 31, 2003]