Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-03-18-.30 - LEAKS FROM NATURAL GAS/GASOLINE PROCESSING EQUIPMENT
(1) Applicability of this rule is as follows:
(a) This rule applies to all equipment in
volatile organic compound (VOC) service in any process unit at any on-shore
natural gas/gasoline processing facility in Davidson, Rutherford, Shelby,
Sumner, Williamson, or Wilson County.
(b) This rule does not apply to:
1. Any equipment in vacuum service;
2. Any equipment in heavy liquid service;
or
3. Wet gas reciprocating
compressors in plants that do not have a VOC control device, such as a flare or
a continuously burning process heater or boiler.
(c) The equipment inspection requirements in
Paragraph (4) of this rule do not apply to:
1.
Any natural gas/gasoline processing facility with a design field gas capacity
of 56 less than 2.8 x 10 standard cubic meters (10 x 10 standard cubic feet)
per day that does not fractionate natural gas liquids;
2. Any pump with dual pump seals;
3. Any pressure relief valve that is
connected to an operating flare header or vapor recovery device; or
4. Any compressor with a degreasing vent that
is routed to an operating VOC control device.
(2) For the purpose of this rule, the
following definitions apply:
(a) "Equipment"
means each pump, compressor, pressure relief device, sampling connection
system, open-ended valve or line, valve, and flange or other connector in VOC
service or in wet gas service and any devices or systems required by this
rule.
(b) "Field gas" means
feedstock gas entering the natural gas processing plant.
(c) "[In] gas/vapor service" means that the
piece of equipment in VOC service contains process fluid that is in the gaseous
state at operating conditions.
(d)
"[In] heavy liquid service" means that the piece of equipment in VOC service is
not in gas/vapor service or in light liquid service.
(e) "[In] light liquid service" means that
the piece of equipment in VOC service contains a liquid that meets the
following conditions:
1. The vapor pressure
of one or more of the components is greater than 0.3 kPa (0.044 in. Hg) at
20°C (68°C) (standard reference texts or ASTM D2879 shall be used to
determine the vapor pressures);
2.
The total concentration of the pure components having a vapor pressure greater
than 0.3 kPa (0.044 in. Hg) at 20°C (68°F) is equal to or greater than
20 percent by weight; and
3. The
fluid is a liquid at operating conditions.
(f) "Liquids dripping" means any visible
leakage from a seal including spraying, misting, clouding, and ice
formation.
(g) "Natural gas
liquids" means the hydrocarbons, such as ethane, propane, butane, and pentane,
that are extracted from field gas.
(h) "Natural gas processing plant" (gas
plant) means any processing site engaged in the extraction of natural gas
liquids from field gas, fractionation of mixed natural gas liquids to natural
gas products, or both.
(i)
"Nonfractionating plant" means any gas plant that does not fractionate mixed
natural gas liquids into natural gas products.
(j) "On-shore" means all facilities except
those that are located in the territorial seas or on the outer continental
shelf.
(k) "Process unit" means
equipment assembled for the extraction of natural gas liquids from field gas,
the fractionation of the liquids into natural gas products, or other operations
associated with the processing of natural gas products. A process unit can
operate independently if supplied with sufficient feed or raw materials and
sufficient storage facilities for the products.
(l) "Reciprocating compressor" means a piece
of equipment that increases the pressure of a process gas by positive
displacement, employing linear movement of the driveshaft.
(m) "[In] vacuum service" means that the
equipment in VOC service is operating at an internal pressure which is at least
5 kPa below ambient pressure.
(n)
"[In] VOC service" means that the piece of equipment contains or contacts a
process fluid that is at least 1 percent VOC by weight. The provisions of
Subparagraph (9)(b) of this rule specify how to determine that a piece of
equipment is not in VOC service.
(o) "[In] wet gas service" means that a piece
of equipment contains or contacts the field gas before the extraction step in
the process.
(3) The
owner or operator of a natural gas/gasoline processing facility subject to this
rule shall ensure that:
(a) Any open-ended
line or valve is sealed with a second valve, blind flange, cap, or plug except
during operations requiring process fluid flow through the open-ended line or
valve;
(b) When a second value is
used, each open-ended line or valve equipped with a second valve is operated in
such a manner that the valve on the process fluid end is closed before the
second valve is closed; and
(c)
When a double block-and-bleed system is used, the bleed valve or line is open
only during operations that require venting of the line between the block
valves and is closed at all other times.
(4) Equipment inspection program standards as
follow apply:
(a) The owner or operator of a
natural gas/gasoline processing facility subject to this rule shall conduct
quarterly monitoring of each:
1.
Compressor;
2. Pump in light liquid
service;
3. Valve in light liquid
service, except as provided in Paragraphs (5) and (6) of this rule;
4. Valve in gas/vapor service, except as
provided in Paragraphs (5) and (6) of this rule; and
5. Pressure relief valve in gas/vapor
service, except as provided in Paragraphs (5) and (6) of this rule.
(b) The owner or operator of a
natural gas/gasoline processing facility subject to this rule shall conduct a
weekly visual inspection of each pump in light liquid service.
(c) The owner or operator of a natural
gas/gasoline processing facility subject to this rule shall monitor each
pressure relief valve within 5 days after each overpressure relief to ensure
that the valve has properly reseated and is not leaking.
(d) Pressure relief device requirements apply
as follow:
1. Any pressure relief device that
is located in a nonfractionating plant that is monitored only by non-plant
personnel may be monitored after a pressure release the next time the
monitoring personnel are on-site, instead of within 5 days; but
2. No pressure relief device described in
Part 1 of this subparagraph shall be allowed to operate for more than 30 days
after a pressure release without monitoring.
(e) Leak provisions apply as follow:
1. When an instrument reading of 10,000 parts
per million (ppm) or greater is measured, it shall be determined that a leak
has been detected; or
2. If there
are indications of liquid dripping from the equipment, it shall be determined
that a leak has been detected.
(f) When a leak is detected, the owner or
operator shall affix a weatherproof, readily visible tag in a bright color such
as red or yellow, bearing the equipment identification number and the date on
which the leak was detected. This tag shall remain in place until the leaking
equipment is repaired. The requirements of this subparagraph apply to any leak
detected by the equipment inspection program and to any leak from any equipment
that is detected on the basis of sight, sound, or smell.
(5) Alternative standards for skip period
leak detection and repair apply as follows:
(a) An owner or operator shall comply
initially with the requirements for valves in gas/vapor service and valves in
light liquid service, as described in Paragraph (4) of this rule.
(b) After two consecutive quarterly leak
detection periods with the percent of valves leaking equal or less than 2.0, an
owner or operator may skip one of the quarterly leak detection periods for the
valves in gas/vapor and light liquid service.
(c) After five consecutive quarterly leak
detection periods with the percent of valves leaking equal to or less than 2.0,
an owner or operator may begin to skip three of the quarterly leak detection
periods for the valves in gas/vapor and light liquid service.
(d) If the percent of valves leaking is
greater than 2.0, the owner or operator shall comply with the requirements as
described in Paragraph (4) of this rule but can again elect to use the
requirements in Paragraph (5) of this rule.
(e) The percent of valves leaking shall be
determined by dividing the sum of valves found leaking during current
monitoring and valves for which repair has been delayed by the total number of
valves subject to the requirements of this rule.
(f) An owner or operator shall keep a record
of the percent of valves found leaking during each leak detection
period.
(6) Alternative
standards for valves that are unsafe or difficult to monitor apply as follow:
(a) Any valve that is designated, as
described in Part (10)(e)1 of this rule, as an unsafe-to-monitor valve is
exempt from the requirements of Paragraph (4) if:
1. The owner or operator of the valve
demonstrates that the valve is unsafe to monitor because monitoring personnel
would be exposed to an immediate danger as a consequence of complying with
Paragraph (4); and
2. The owner or
operator of the valve adheres to a written plan that requires monitoring of the
valve as frequently as practicable during safe-to-monitor times.
(b) Any valve that is designated,
as described in Part (10)(e)2, as a difficult-to-monitor valve is exempt from
the requirements of Paragraph (4) if:
1. The
owner or operator of the valve demonstrates that the valve cannot be monitored
without elevating the monitoring personnel more than 2 meters (m) (6.6 feet
[ft]) above a support surface; and
2. The owner or operator of the valve follows
a written plan that requires monitoring of the valve at least once per calendar
year.
(7) The
owner or operator of a natural gas/gasoline processing facility shall:
(a) Make a first attempt at repair for any
leak not later than 5 calendar days after the leak is detected; and
(b) Repair any leak as soon as practicable,
but not later than 15 calendar days after it is detected except as provided in
Paragraph (8) of this rule.
(8) Delay of repair standards apply as
follow:
(a) Delay of repair of equipment for
which a leak has been detected will be allowed if the repair is technically
infeasible without a process unit shutdown. Repair of such equipment shall
occur before the end of the next process unit shutdown.
(b) Delay of repair of equipment will be
allowed for equipment that is isolated from the process and that does not
remain in VOC service.
(c) Delay of
repair beyond a process unit shutdown will be allowed for a valve, if valve
assembly replacement is necessary during the process unit shutdown, valve
assembly supplies have been depleted, and valve assembly supplies had been
sufficiently stocked before the supplies were depleted. Delay of repair beyond
the next process unit shutdown will not be allowed unless the next process unit
shutdown occurs sooner than 6 months after the first process unit
shutdown.
(9) Test
methods and procedures apply as follow:
(a) In
conducting the tests required to comply with Paragraph (4) of this rule, the
owner or operator shall use the test methods specified in Rule .85 of this
chapter.
(b) The owner or operator
shall test each piece of equipment unless it is demonstrated that a process
unit is not in VOC service, i.e., that the VOC content would never be
reasonably expected to exceed 1 percent by weight. For purposes of this
demonstration, the following methods and procedures shall be used:
1. Procedures that conform to the general
methods in ASTM E260, E168 and E169 shall be used to determine the percent VOC
content in the process fluid that is contained in or contacts a piece of
equipment;
2. Where the test
methods in Part 1 of this subparagraph also measure exempt compounds, these
compounds may be excluded from the total quantity of organic compounds in
determining the VOC content of the process fluid; and
3. Engineering judgment may be used to
estimate the VOC content, if a piece of equipment had not been shown previously
to be in VOC service. If the Technical Secretary disagrees with this judgment,
Parts 1 and 2 of this subparagraph shall be used to resolve the
disagreement.
(c) The
owner or operator shall demonstrate that a piece of equipment is in light
liquid service by showing that all of the following conditions apply:
1. The vapor pressure of one or more of the
components is greater than 0.3 kilopascal (kPa) at 20°C (0.09 inches of
mercury [in. Hg] at 68°F). Standard reference texts or ASTM D2879 shall be
used to determine the vapor pressures;
2. The total concentration of the pure
components having a vapor pressure greater than 0.3 kPa at 20°C (0.09 in.
Hg at 68°F) is equal to or greater than 20 percent by weight; and
3. The fluid is a liquid at operating
conditions.
(d) Samples
used in conjunction with Subparagraphs (b) and (c) of this paragraph shall be
representative of the process fluid that is contained in or contacts the
equipment.
(10)
Recordkeeping requirements apply as follow:
(a) Each owner or operator subject to the
provisions of this rule shall comply with the recordkeeping requirements of
this rule.
(b) An owner or operator
of more than one facility subject to the provisions of this rule may comply
with the recordkeeping requirements for these facilities in one recordkeeping
system if the system identifies each record by facility.
(c) When each leak is detected as specified
in Paragraph (4) of this rule, the following information shall be recorded in a
log and shall be kept for 3 years in a readily accessible location:
1. The instrument and operator identification
numbers and the equipment identification number;
2. The date the leak was detected and the
dates of each attempt to repair the leak;
3. The repair methods employed in each
attempt to repair the leak;
4. The
notation "Above 10,000" if the maximum instrument reading measured by the
methods specified in Rule .85 of this chapter after each attempt is equal to or
greater than 10,000 ppm;
5. The
notation "Repair delayed" and the reason for the delay if a leak is not
repaired within 15 calendar days after discovery of the leak;
6. The signature of the owner or operator (or
designate) whose decision it was that repair could not be effected without a
process shutdown;
7. The expected
date of successful repair of the leak if a leak is not repaired within 15
calendar days;
8. The dates of
process unit shutdowns that occur while the equipment is unrepaired;
and
9. The date of successful
repair of the leak.
(d)
A list of identification numbers of equipment in vacuum service shall be
recorded in a log that is kept in a readily accessible location.
(e) The following information pertaining to
all valves subject to the requirements of Paragraph (6) of this rule shall be
recorded in a log that is kept for 3 years in a readily accessible location:
1. A list of identification numbers for
valves that are designated as unsafe-to-monitor, an explanation for each valve
stating why the valve is unsafe to monitor, and the plan for monitoring each
valve; and
2. A list of
identification numbers for valves that are designated as difficult-to-monitor,
an explanation for each valve stating why the valve is difficult to monitor,
and the schedule for monitoring each valve.
(f) The following information pertaining to
all valves complying with Paragraph (5) of this rule shall be recorded in a log
that is kept for 3 years in a readily accessible location:
1. A schedule of monitoring; and
2. The percent of valves found leaking during
each monitoring period.
(g) The following information shall be
recorded in a log that is kept for 3 years in a readily accessible location for
use in determining exemptions as provided in Paragraph (1) of this rule:
1. An analysis demonstrating the design
capacity of the affected facility;
2. Information and data used to demonstrate
that a piece of equipment is not in VOC service; and
3. Information and data used to demonstrate
that a reciprocating compressor is in wet gas service.
(11) The owner or operator of any
facility containing sources subject to this rule shall comply with the
requirements in rule 1200-03-18-.04(1) and
(2) of this chapter.
Notes
Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-201 et seq. and 68-201-105.
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