Pollution sources fugitive emissions

Provide a list of all air pollution control devices and identify point and fugitive emission air pollution sources. 

Hydrocarbon emissions is an environmental problem which is prominent in some areas of the country. In these areas, pollutant levels occasionally exceed the national ambient air quality standard. One source of these pollutants involves emissions from refineries where about 85 percent of the hydrocarbons emitted to the atmosphere are from fugitive emissions. The principal contributors generally are valves, flanges, pumps, and compressors. Since 1981, valves and flanges must be repaired if they have emission concentrations greater than 10,000 ppm, when measured at the source with a hydrocarbon analyzer. They must be inspected every six months to a year. Pumps and compressors, however, need to be checked every shift to verify that they meet current emission standards. 

EPA. 1984a. Applicability and designation of sources. National emission standards for hazardous air pollutants. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Subpart J - National Emission Standard for Equipment Leaks (Fugitive Emission Sources) of Benzene. Code of Federal Regulations. 40 CFR 61.110-112. 

Sources. There are three types of air pollution sources point, area, and line sources. A point source is a single facility that has one or more emissions points. An area source is a collection of smaller sources such as emissions from residential heating witliin a particular geographic area. A line source is a one-dimensional, horizontal configuration such as a roadway. Alost emissions emanate from a specific stack or vent. Emissions emanating from sources other than stacks, eg, storage piles or unpaved lots, are classified as fugitive emissions. 

Fugitive Emissions—Volatile organic compounds and other designated liquids or gases escaping from valves, piping, and equipment in minute amounts from each source but that cumulatively contribute to significant air pollution. 

All industrial processes release dusts other than soot. There are many sources and forms including fuel ash, metal oxide fumes and silica and releases tend to be localized. Fugitive emissions from outdoor industrial activity or processes associated with the mining and preparation of raw materials can generally be controlled through careful industrial practice. Water is often used to minimize dust raised, resulting in the transfer of an atmospheric pollution problem to one of either aquatic or solid waste. 

A schematic block flow diagram of the process(es) for the plant showing the flow of raw materials into and out of the process(es), and the design/operation of the air pollution control equipment. This diagram should identify sources of aU potentially regulated pollutants, both process and fugitive emissions, which could be released into the atmosphere. Potential secondary or transformation by-product pollutants may need to be considered. 

Fig. 25-3. Bubble concept. This pollution control concept places an imaginary bubble over an entire industrial plant, evaluating emissions from the facility as a whole instead of requiring control point-by-point on emission sources. Numbers represent emissions from individual sources, some of which can be fugitive sources, and from the entire industrial plant. Source Drawing courtesy of the Chemical Manufacturers Association.

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