Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Emission Control Technologies for Chemical Processing Chemical facilities across the nation are under significant pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local communities to reduce or eliminate air pollutants coming from their processes. This presentation will cover the best available control technologies for destroying Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs). Oxidizers are applied in almost every industry, from the Chemical and Composite to Oil and Gas industries they are the most widely used means of meeting EPA air regulations under the Clean Air Act. We will touch on all of the different oxidizer technologies used to meet these regulations as well as equipment benefits, efficiencies and operating costs.

Your facility just received your permit and now you have to prove that you are compliant with the emission limits. How do you go about this? What does a stack test entail? How do I interpret my special conditions? Are my permit conditions clear? Do I have to prove all the limits contained in my emission rate table? Did I pass? What about accreditation? This presentation will discuss these and other pertinent issues concerning the performance of an efficient and successful stack test. There will be information concerning how to get started, permit language, multiple emission limits, physical facility needs, scheduling, differences in testing methodologies for similar parameters, common stack testing errors, interpretation of results, accreditation requirements, deadlines and report submittals. Following the presentation there will be an opportunity for questions and open discussions.

Accurate and reliable monitoring of mercury in petrochemical feedstocks and process streams is important for the protection of process equipment assets, such as catalysts and aluminum heat exchangers. A sorbent trap based method has proven to be economical, reliable and accurate for continuous monitoring of mercury in gas phase process streams. We present the advantages and disadvantages of employing this approach to monitor mercury concentrations in gas phase feedstocks, monitor the performance of mercury removal beds, and determine the distribution of mercury in process streams and equipment. Over the last three years this method has been employed at gas production and transmission facilities various locations along the Gulf Coast (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama), in California refinieries, and at gas processing facilities in Colorado and Wyoming.

The purpose of a flare is to ensure the safe and efficient disposal of relieved gases. A properly designed and operated flare is critical to prevent a plant upset from turning into a safety disaster. Likewise, the disposal of these gases must protect the environment. These two requirements result in a wide range of design and operational needs a flare must meet. This presentation will outline these safety requirements and the efficiency of the disposed gases to provide an understanding of how flares need to be designed and operated. A special focus will be on the operation of flares to achieve the most efficient disposal of the relieved gases.

Greenhouse Gas Reporting and Regulation; Preparing for a Carbon-Constrained Economy

States have already begun developing and implementing regulations that require reporting and reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. Federal law requires that EPA issue rules instituting a federal, nationwide greenhouse gas emission reporting program. With the new presidential administration, the likelihood of a federal greenhouse gas program going into effect in the next few years is more probably than ever. Understanding these regulatory developments and the risks and opportunities that they present has become a critical strategy for many companies. This discussion will review the developing regulations and the ways in which good corporate strategies can be developed to manage the greenhouse gas emission restrictions that appear likely to go into effect.

Greenhouse Gas State and Federal Legislative Update

The objective is to cover current policies on GHG and global warming and to give an overview of the history of GHG regulations, beginning with international mandates, to the current policies under the new Obama administration. The overview will also cover what was addressed during the Texas legislative session, which will end in May 2009. Some state requirements will also be covered that may affect the chemical industry in other states (and therefore some TX chemical facilities) and how that might influence federal laws. Finally, a discussion on emission inventory for GHGs, successful reduction strategies, and a chemical plant GHG case study will be covered.