Fugitive emissions - detection, distribution and reduction.
Authors
Delaney BT
Source
Symposium proceedings: control technology in the plastics and resins industry. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 81-107, 1981 Jan; :49-67
The fugitive emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from leaking valves was addressed with regard to leak distribution, leak detection and sampling, and maintenance and reduction of leaks. The author defined a fugitive emission as an atmospheric emission from an industrial operation that does not emanate from a process stack or vent. This definition included such emission sources as leaking equipment, valve, pump, or compressor seals, storage tanks, loading and unloading facilities, and cooling towers. Fugitive emissions became increasingly important due to improvements in industrial process emission controls which reduced overall emissions. The author used Century System's Organic Vapor Analyzer (OVA) as an example of a good instrument for rapid detection and quantification of emissions within a processing area that is safe, portable, and provides both qualitative and quantitative information. The flame ionization detector and gas chromatographic option were discussed with regard to use and optimization of data. With proper calibration and the gas chromatographic option, OVA had a wide range of analytical capabilities. The author notes that fugitive emission leak rates from valves result in a log normal distribution of data. A test program conducted for Exxon verified and updated the emission factors used to estimate fugitive losses from valve stems, pump and compressor seals, and atmospheric safety valves at a petrochemical facility. A random selection of 10 percent of the total valves were screened to determine the presence of leaks and an estimate of magnitude. A number of valves were then bagged and sampled. Using OVA to estimate percentage of leaking components, an estimate of the total quantity of material lost could be obtained. Results from testing emission factors on three different production lines indicated that a significant improvement in both the emission factor and percent of leaking components could be obtained through vigorous maintenance programs.
Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.
Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.
You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.
CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website.
For more information on CDC's web notification policies, see Website Disclaimers.
CDC.gov Privacy Settings
We take your privacy seriously. You can review and change the way we collect information below.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests.
Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data.
Cookies used to enable you to share pages and content that you find interesting on CDC.gov through third party social networking and other websites. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties.
Thank you for taking the time to confirm your preferences. If you need to go back and make any changes, you can always do so by going to our Privacy Policy page.