Linde North America announced the publication of a white paper to help oil and gas operations determine the most efficient and cost-effective method to comply with air-quality regulations.
The white paper, “Solutions to Contain VOC Emissions and Comply with Evolving EPA Regulations,” focuses on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions. It addresses an update that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued in August 2013 to its 2012 New Source Performance Standards for oil and gas producers.
The update states that storage tanks used in oil or natural gas production and transmission and have the potential to emit 6 tons or more of VOCs a year must control VOC emissions by 95 percent within a certain timeframe.
This update has led many operations to re-evaluate their methods for controlling VOC emissions. Some may need to quickly implement a solution to comply with this new regulation, 40 CFR Part 60, by April 2014.
Using cryogenic condensation (also known as “cryocondensation”) to meet the EPA regulation can be a safe and cost-effective method to significantly reduce VOC emissions, particularly if a facility recovers and re-routes VOCs emitted or reuses the vaporized nitrogen, according to Linde.
The white paper outlines some of the challenges of meeting air-quality regulations and lists the potential methods to controlling VOC emissions as well as the benefits to capturing those emissions. It also offers details on how a facility can choose the right solution, including the experience and technology needed to successfully install cryocondensation systems or other abatement technologies for controlling VOC emissions.
To download the white paper, visit http://gas.lindeus.com/epa_regulations_voc_emissions.
