Title 7 Natural Resources and Environmental Control
1124 Control of Volatile Organic Compound Emissions
28.0 Petroleum Refinery Sources
01/11/1993
28.1 Applicability
28.1.1 The provisions of 28.0 of this regulation apply to any vacuum-producing system, wastewater separator, and process unit turnaround at petroleum refinery sources. No exemptions are allowable based on size or throughput of a facility.
28.1.2 The provisions of 28.0 of this regulation do not apply to segregated storm water runoff drain systems or to non-contact cooling water systems.
28.2 Definitions. As used in 28.0 of this regulation, all terms not defined herein shall have the meaning given them in the November 15, 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA), or in 2.0 of this regulation.
“Accumulator” means the reservoir of a condensing unit receiving the condensate from the condenser.
“Firebox” means the chamber or compartment of a boiler or furnace in which materials are burned but does not mean the combustion chamber of an incinerator.
“Forebays” means the primary sections of a wastewater separator.
“Hot well” means the reservoir of a condensing unit receiving the warm condensate from the condenser.
“Refinery process unit” means any segment of the petroleum refinery in which a specific processing operation is conducted.
“Refinery fuel gas” means any gas that is generated by a petroleum refinery process unit and that is combusted, including any gaseous mixture of natural gas and fuel gas.
“Turnaround” means the procedure of shutting a refinery unit down after a run to perform necessary maintenance and repair work and then returning the unit to operation.
“Vacuum-producing system” means any reciprocating, rotary, or centrifugal blower or compressor, or any jet ejector or device that takes suction from a pressure below atmospheric pressure and discharges against atmospheric pressure.
“Wastewater (oil/water) separator” means any device or piece of equipment that utilizes the difference in density between oil and water to remove oil and associated chemicals from water, or any device, such as a flocculation tank, clarifier, etc., that removes petroleum-derived compounds from wastewater.
28.3 Standards
28.3.1 Vacuum-producing systems. No person shall permit the emission of any uncondensed volatile organic compound (VOC) from the condensers, hot wells, or accumulators of any vacuum producing system at a petroleum refinery. The standard shall be achieved by either of the following:
28.3.1.1 Piping the uncondensed vapors to a firebox or incinerator.
28.3.1.2 Compressing the vapors and adding them to the refinery fuel gas.
28.3.2 Wastewater separators. The owner or operator of any wastewater (oil/water) separator at a petroleum refinery shall:
28.3.2.1 Provide covers and seals on all separators and forebays.
28.3.2.2 Equip all openings in covers, separators, and forebays with lids or seals and keep the lids or seals in the closed position at all times except when in actual use.
28.3.3 Process unit turnarounds. The owner or operator of a petroleum refinery shall provide for the following during process unit turnaround:
28.3.3.1 Depressurization venting of the process unit or vessel to a vapor recovery system, flare, or firebox.
28.3.3.2 No emission of VOC from a process unit or vessel until its internal pressure is 136 kilo Pascals (kPa) (19.7 pounds per square inch atmospheric [psia]) or less.
28.3.3.3 Recordkeeping of the following items:
28.3.3.3.1 Date of every process unit or vessel turnaround.
28.3.3.3.2 The internal pressure of the process unit or vessel immediately prior to venting to the atmosphere.
28.4 Recordkeeping. The owner or operator of a petroleum refinery shall maintain the records required by 28.3.3.3 of this regulation in a readily accessible location for at least five years and shall make these records available to the Department upon verbal or written request.
28.5 Reporting. The owner or operator of any facility containing sources subject to 28.0 of this regulation shall comply with the requirements in 5.0 of this regulation.
