ISO 3170:2004 PDF

Overview

ISO 3170:2004 - Petroleum liquids - Manual sampling is the international standard that defines accepted manual sampling methods for liquid and semi-liquid hydrocarbons. It covers sampling from fixed tanks, railcars, road vehicles, ships and barges, drums and cans, and from liquids being pumped in pipelines. ISO 3170:2004 applies to petroleum products, crude oils and intermediate products handled as liquids at or near atmospheric pressure and at temperatures from near ambient up to 200 °C. The standard aims to ensure sample integrity, minimize loss of light ends, and provide representative samples for quality, water and contaminant determinations.

Key Topics and Requirements

• Scope and exclusions: Applies to bulk petroleum liquids; excludes special products covered by other standards (e.g., IEC 60475, ISO 4257, ISO 8943, ISO 10715).
• Principles: Definitions of representative, spot, running and all-level samples; guidance on sampling strategy for homogeneous vs non‑homogeneous liquids.
• Apparatus: Requirements for tank samplers, drum/can samplers, pipeline samplers, sample receivers, container closures, sample coolers and portable sampling devices (PSD).
• Sampling procedures:
  • Tank sampling: open, restricted and closed-system methods (including inerted tanks and vapour emission control systems).
  • Pipeline sampling: procedures for manual spot samples and for high vapour pressure liquids.
  • Procedures for homogeneous and non-homogeneous products, including residues and deposits.
• Sample handling: Conditioning, homogenization, transfer, subsampling and verification of mixing efficiency to preserve sample integrity.
• Safety: Safety precautions and guidance for safe manual sampling operations.
• Statistical and package sampling: Guidance on sampling packages and sampling plans referenced to ISO 2859‑1.

Applications

• Ensuring quality control and product specification testing for petroleum products and crude oil.
• Taking custody transfer or analytical samples at terminals, storage tanks, pipelines, ships, railcars and road tankers.
• Assessing water content, sediments, and contaminants in bulk hydrocarbon shipments.
• Generating legally defensible samples where manual sampling is required or automatic sampling (ISO 3171) is unavailable.

Who uses this standard

• Terminal and tank farm operators
• Pipeline and marine oil transfer personnel
• Refinery laboratories and QC/QA teams
• Petroleum assay and testing laboratories
• Regulators and inspectors responsible for custody transfer and compliance

Related standards

• ISO 3171 - Automatic pipeline sampling
• ISO 1998 - Petroleum industry terminology
• ISO 2859‑1 - Sampling plans (AQL)
• IEC 60475, ISO 4257, ISO 8943, ISO 10715 - standards for special petroleum products excluded from ISO 3170

Keywords: ISO 3170:2004, petroleum liquids manual sampling, tank sampling, pipeline sampling, sampling procedures, crude oils, petroleum products, sample integrity.