Pipeline operations generate hydrocarbon vent gas (e.g., natural gas and petroleum product vapors) when pipeline sections are depressured. The depressuring can result from planned and emergency venting operations. This blog discusses options to reduce air emissions from planned depressuring pipelines associated with pigging operations and pipeline maintenance and inspections. Air Quality Rules Air quality permits/authorizations […]
Enclosed Combustor Destruction Efficiency – how does it work? Enclosed combustors are effective devices to reduce methane (CH4) and VOC emissions from natural gas that might otherwise be vented to the atmosphere by storage tanks, heater treater flash gas, pneumatic devices, glycol dehydration units and facility depressuring. The efficiency of an enclosed combustor is often referred to […]
In January 2019, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an Executive Order (EO) for New Mexico state agencies to develop strategies and regulations to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions. The EO ordered the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department’s Oil Conservation Division (OCD) and New Mexico Environment Department to develop regulations to reduce methane emissions from […]
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) articles are increasingly in the news. ESG metrics are factors that can be used to measure the sustainability and social impact of a business. Investors and capital markets can use these criteria to screen potential investments for future performance. ESG is becoming more than a buzzword because certain large investors […]
Activated Carbon Bed Vapor Recovery Units The transportation of petroleum liquids (crude oil, gasoline, other refined products) and organic chemicals is often done by tank truck, rail tank cars and marine barges and ships. Also, gasoline is delivered by tank truck to service stations. The loading of products to the transportation vessels and service station […]
The worldwide movement to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has gathered much momentum. Future actions taken to reduce GHG emissions will affect all industries and even our personal lives. One part of the effort that is frequently discussed is the need to set a price on GHG emissions – often referred to as a price of […]
Rules in 40 CFR 60 Subpart OOOO and OOOOa require routine visibility observation testing for enclosed combustion devices (e.g., ECD) and flares (open-tipped, candlestick flares). Enclosed combustion devices and flares are required under NSPS OOOO and OOOOa to be operated with no visible smoke emissions, except for periods not to exceed a total of 1 minute […]
Do you ever wonder what some of those abbreviated technical terms used by your environmental department means? Do you work in the oil and gas industry or operate crude oil storage tanks? If yes, then you need to know about the ABCs of VOCs. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound. By USEPA regulation, VOC emissions […]
Air emission inventories gather data from facilities so that air emissions can be quantified. Oil and gas (O&G) operators prepare air emission inventories for their facilities for a variety of reasons. These include the following: Air permitting for new facilities and modifications to existing facilities Annual criteria air pollutants and hazardous air pollutants (HAP) inventories for major […]
Operators are always looking for ways to improve vapor recovery unit (VRU) performance and to avoid the regulatory requirements of NSPS OOOOa. Using a vapor recovery tower (VRT) along with a VRU, a facility can increase production of natural gas and decrease air emissions. VRTs are tall, vertical separators used to recover flash gas emissions that […]
