40 CFR § 63.1035 - Quality improvement program for pumps.
(a) Criteria. If, on a 6-month rolling average, at least the greater of either 10 percent of the pumps in a process unit or affected facility (or plant site) or three pumps in a process unit or affected facility (or plant site) leak, the owner or operator shall comply with the requirements specified in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section.
(1) Pumps that are in food and medical service or in polymerizing monomer service shall comply with all requirements except for those specified in paragraph (d)(8) of this section.
(2) Pumps that are not in food and medical or polymerizing monomer service shall comply with all of the requirements of this section.
(b) Exiting the QIP. The owner or operator shall comply with the requirements of this section until the number of leaking pumps is less than the greater of either 10 percent of the pumps or three pumps, calculated as a 6-month rolling average, in the process unit or affected facility (or plant site). Once the performance level is achieved, the owner or operator shall comply with the requirements in § 63.1026.
(c) Resumption of QIP. If, in a subsequent monitoring period, the process unit or affected facility (or plant site) has greater than either 10 percent of the pumps leaking or three pumps leaking (calculated as a 6-month rolling average), the owner or operator shall resume the quality improvement program starting at performance trials.
(d) QIP requirements. The quality improvement program shall meet the requirements specified in paragraphs (d)(1) through (d)(8) of this section.
(1) The owner or operator shall comply with the requirements in § 63.1026.
(2) Data collection. The owner or operator shall collect the data specified in paragraphs (d)(2)(i) through (d)(2)(v) of this section and maintain records for each pump in each process unit or affected facility (or plant site) subject to the quality improvement program. The data may be collected and the records may be maintained on a process unit, affected facility, or plant site basis.
(i) Pump type (e.g., piston, horizontal or vertical centrifugal, gear, bellows); pump manufacturer; seal type and manufacturer; pump design (e.g., external shaft, flanged body); materials of construction; if applicable, barrier fluid or packing material; and year installed.
(ii) Service characteristics of the stream such as discharge pressure, temperature, flow rate, corrosivity, and annual operating hours.
(iii) The maximum instrument readings observed in each monitoring observation before repair, response factor for the stream if appropriate, instrument model number, and date of the observation.
(iv) If a leak is detected, the repair methods used and the instrument readings after repair.
(v) If the data will be analyzed as part of a larger analysis program involving data from other plants or other types of process units or affected facilities, a description of any maintenance or quality assurance programs used in the process unit or affected facility that are intended to improve emission performance.
(3) The owner or operator shall continue to collect data on the pumps as long as the process unit or affected facility (or plant site) remains in the quality improvement program.
(4) Pump or pump seal inspection. The owner or operator shall inspect all pumps or pump seals that exhibited frequent seal failures and were removed from the process unit or affected facility due to leaks. The inspection shall determine the probable cause of the pump seal failure or of the pump leak and shall include recommendations, as appropriate, for design changes or changes in specifications to reduce leak potential.
(5)
(i) Data analysis. The owner or operator shall analyze the data collected to comply with the requirements of paragraph (d)(2) of this section to determine the services, operating or maintenance practices, and pump or pump seal designs or technologies that have poorer than average emission performance and those that have better than average emission performance. The analysis shall determine if specific trouble areas can be identified on the basis of service, operating conditions or maintenance practices, equipment design, or other process-specific factors.
(ii) The analysis shall also be used to determine if there are superior performing pump or pump seal technologies that are applicable to the service(s), operating conditions, or pump or pump seal designs associated with poorer than average emission performance. A superior performing pump or pump seal technology is one with a leak frequency of less than 10 percent for specific applications in the process unit, affected facility, or plant site. A candidate superior performing pump or pump seal technology is one demonstrated or reported in the available literature or through a group study as having low emission performance and as being capable of achieving less than 10 percent leaking pumps in the process unit or affected facility (or plant site).
(iii) The analysis shall include consideration of the information specified in paragraphs (d)(5)(iii)(A) through (d)(5)(iii)(C) of this section.
(A) The data obtained from the inspections of pumps and pump seals removed from the process unit or affected facility due to leaks;
(B) Information from the available literature and from the experience of other plant sites that will identify pump designs or technologies and operating conditions associated with low emission performance for specific services; and
(C) Information on limitations on the service conditions for the pump seal technology operating conditions as well as information on maintenance procedures to ensure continued low emission performance.
(iv) The data analysis may be conducted through an inter- or intra-company program (or through some combination of the two approaches) and may be for a single process unit, a plant site, a company, or a group of process units.
(v) The first analysis of the data shall be completed no later than 18 months after the start of the quality improvement program. The first analysis shall be performed using data collected for a minimum of 6 months. An analysis of the data shall be done each year the process unit or affected facility is in the quality improvement program.
(6) Trial evaluation program. A trial evaluation program shall be conducted at each plant site for which the data analysis does not identify use of superior performing pump seal technology or pumps that can be applied to the areas identified as having poorer than average performance, except as provided in paragraph (d)(6)(v) of this section. The trial program shall be used to evaluate the feasibility of using in the process unit or affected facility (or plant site) the pump designs or seal technologies, and operating and maintenance practices that have been identified by others as having low emission performance.
(i) The trial evaluation program shall include on-line trials of pump seal technologies or pump designs and operating and maintenance practices that have been identified in the available literature or in analysis by others as having the ability to perform with leak rates below 10 percent in similar services, as having low probability of failure, or as having no external actuating mechanism in contact with the process fluid. If any of the candidate superior performing pump seal technologies or pumps is not included in the performance trials, the reasons for rejecting specific technologies from consideration shall be documented as required in paragraph (e)(3)(ii) of this section.
(ii) The number of pump seal technologies or pumps in the trial evaluation program shall be the lesser of 1 percent or two pumps for programs involving single process units or affected facilities and the lesser of 1 percent or five pumps for programs involving a plant site or groups of process units or affected facilities. The minimum number of pumps or pump seal technologies in a trial program shall be one.
(iii) The trial evaluation program shall specify and include documentation of the information specified in paragraphs (d)(6)(iii)(A) through (d)(6)(iii)(D) of this section.
(A) The candidate superior performing pump seal designs or technologies to be evaluated, the stages for evaluating the identified candidate pump designs or pump seal technologies, including the time period necessary to test the applicability;
(B) The frequency of monitoring or inspection of the equipment;
(C) The range of operating conditions over which the component will be evaluated; and
(D) Conclusions regarding the emission performance and the appropriate operating conditions and services for the trial pump seal technologies or pumps.
(iv) The performance trials shall initially be conducted, at least, for a 6-month period beginning not later than 18 months after the start of the quality improvement program. No later than 24 months after the start of the quality improvement program, the owner or operator shall have identified pump seal technologies or pump designs that, combined with appropriate process, operating, and maintenance practices, operate with low emission performance for specific applications in the process unit or affected facility. The owner or operator shall continue to conduct performance trials as long as no superior performing design or technology has been identified, except as provided in paragraph (d)(6)(vi) of this section. The initial list of superior emission performance pump designs or pump seal technologies shall be amended in the future, as appropriate, as additional information and experience are obtained.
(v) Any plant site with fewer than 400 valves and owned by a corporation with fewer than 100 employees shall be exempt from trial evaluations of pump seals or pump designs. Plant sites exempt from the trial evaluations of pumps shall begin the pump seal or pump replacement program at the start of the fourth year of the quality improvement program.
(vi) An owner or operator who has conducted performance trials on all alternative superior emission performance technologies suitable for the required applications in the process unit or affected facility may stop conducting performance trials provided that a superior performing design or technology has been demonstrated or there are no technically feasible alternative superior technologies remaining. The owner or operator shall prepare an engineering evaluation documenting the physical, chemical, or engineering basis for the judgment that the superior emission performance technology is technically infeasible or demonstrating that it would not reduce emissions.
(7) Quality assurance program. Each owner or operator shall prepare and implement a pump quality assurance program that details purchasing specifications and maintenance procedures for all pumps and pump seals in the process unit or affected facility. The quality assurance program may establish any number of categories, or classes, of pumps as needed to distinguish among operating conditions and services associated with poorer than average emission performance as well as those associated with better than average emission performance. The quality assurance program shall be developed considering the findings of the data analysis required under paragraph (d)(5) of this section; and, if applicable, the findings of the trial evaluation required in paragraph (d)(6) of this section; and the operating conditions in the process unit or affected facility. The quality assurance program shall be updated each year as long as the process unit or affected facility has the greater of either 10 percent or more leaking pumps or has three leaking pumps.
(i) The quality assurance program shall meet the requirements specified in paragraphs (d)(7)(i)(A) through (d)(7)(i)(D) of this section.
(A) Establish minimum design standards for each category of pumps or pump seal technology. The design standards shall specify known critical parameters such as tolerance, manufacturer, materials of construction, previous usage, or other applicable identified critical parameters;
(B) Require that all equipment orders specify the design standard (or minimum tolerances) for the pump or the pump seal;
(C) Provide for an audit procedure for quality control of purchased equipment to ensure conformance with purchase specifications. The audit program may be conducted by the owner or operator of the plant site or process unit or affected facility, or by a designated representative; and
(D) Detail off-line pump maintenance and repair procedures. These procedures shall include provisions to ensure that rebuilt or refurbished pumps and pump seals will meet the design specifications for the pump category and will operate so that emissions are minimized.
(ii) The quality assurance program shall be established no later than the start of the third year of the quality improvement program for plant sites with 400 or more valves or 100 or more employees; and no later than the start of the fourth year of the quality improvement program for plant sites with less than 400 valves and less than 100 employees.
(8) Pump or pump seal replacement. Three years after the start of the quality improvement program for plant sites with 400 or more valves or 100 or more employees and at the start of the fourth year of the quality improvement program for plant sites with less than 400 valves and less than 100 employees, the owner or operator shall replace, as described in paragraphs (d)(8)(i) and (d)(8)(ii) of this section, the pumps or pump seals that are not superior emission performance technology with pumps or pump seals that have been identified as superior emission performance technology and that comply with the quality assurance standards for the pump category. Superior emission performance technology is that category or design of pumps or pump seals with emission performance that when combined with appropriate process, operating, and maintenance practices, will result in less than 10 percent leaking pumps for specific applications in the process unit, affected facility, or plant site. Superior emission performance technology includes material or design changes to the existing pump, pump seal, seal support system, installation of multiple mechanical seals or equivalent, or pump replacement.
(i) Pumps or pump seals shall be replaced at the rate of 20 percent per year based on the total number of pumps in light liquid service. The calculated value shall be rounded to the nearest nonzero integer value. The minimum number of pumps or pump seals shall be one. Pump replacement shall continue until all pumps subject to the requirements of § 63.1026 are pumps determined to be superior performance technology.
(ii) The owner or operator may delay replacement of pump seals or pumps with superior technology until the next planned process unit or affected facility shutdown, provided the number of pump seals and pumps replaced is equivalent to the 20 percent or greater annual replacement rate.
(iii) The pumps shall be maintained as specified in the quality assurance program.
(e) QIP recordkeeping. In addition to the records required by paragraph (d)(2) of this section, the owner or operator shall maintain records for the period of the quality improvement program for the process unit or affected facility as specified in paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(6) of this section.
(1) When using a pump quality improvement program as specified in this section, record the information specified in paragraphs (e)(1)(i) through (e)(1)(iii) of this section.
(i) The rolling average percent leaking pumps.
(ii) Documentation of all inspections conducted under the requirements of paragraph (d)(4) of this section, and any recommendations for design or specification changes to reduce leak frequency.
(iii) The beginning and ending dates while meeting the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section.
(2) If a leak is not repaired within 15 calendar days after discovery of the leak, the reason for the delay and the expected date of successful repair.
(3) Records of all analyses required in paragraph (d) of this section. The records will include the information specified in paragraphs (e)(3)(i) through (e)(3)(iv) of this section.
(i) A list identifying areas associated with poorer than average performance and the associated service characteristics of the stream, the operating conditions and maintenance practices.
(ii) The reasons for rejecting specific candidate superior emission performing pump technology from performance trials.
(iii) The list of candidate superior emission performing valve or pump technologies, and documentation of the performance trial program items required under paragraph (d)(6)(iii) of this section.
(iv) The beginning date and duration of performance trials of each candidate superior emission performing technology.
(4) All records documenting the quality assurance program for pumps as specified in paragraph (d)(7) of this section, including records indicating that all pumps replaced or modified during the period of the quality improvement program are in compliance with the quality assurance.
(5) Records documenting compliance with the 20 percent or greater annual replacement rate for pumps as specified in paragraph (d)(8) of this section.
(6) Information and data to show the corporation has fewer than 100 employees, including employees providing professional and technical contracted services.