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Utilizing LDAR Data to Lower (Actual and Reported) Emissions at Your Facility

12th LDAR SymposiumMay 15-16, 2011New Orleans, LA

Greg Wilson

LDAR CoordinatorLyondellBasell Houston Refinery

Shane Kling

Chemical EngineerEnvironmental intellect

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LyondellBasell-Houston Refinery

• Located in Houston, Texas

• 372,000+ components

in LeakDAS database

• About 350,000 annual

LDAR monitoring events

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Where to Focus on Reducing Emissions?

• A substantial percentage of annual reported emissions are from two sources1. Unmonitored (not required) components

2. Misidentified components

• Identification of these sources can allow a targeted approach to sizable reductions

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What’s What?

• Unmonitored components are ones for which no regulatory requirement exists

• Misidentified components are those in your facility that are being calculated using an emissions factor for another class of component. For example, in accurately referring to a component class of “Other” rather than “Valve.”

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Unmonitored Components

• Light liquid (LL) and gas/vapor (GV) connectors that have no regulatory require-ment can contribute a great deal to calculated emissions and are the easiest targets

• Which ones? – Built-in reports within the software (e.g.,

LeakDAS)– Homegrown tools to examine the data in order to

make informed decisions

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Unmonitored Components, cont.

• LDAR software can assist in spotting trends or areas that you can address; i.e. “Top 50 Emitters” Report

• Homegrown systems can be customized to your needs. We use a program that reports the Top 1000 emitters every day

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Unmonitored Components, cont.

• Using this data, analysis of specific areas or units for reduction opportunity can maximize effectiveness.

• Voluntary monitoring of a subset of non-regulatory components can significantly reduce reported emissions in a large or small facility.

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Unmonitored Components, cont.

• Using refinery factors, a connector that is unmonitored and has no valid monitoring has an emissions rate equal to one that was monitored and left unrepaired at 1,026 ppm

• Stated another way, monitoring 10,000 connectors and achieving a net of 50 ppm will reduce VOC emissions by about 22 TPY for a refinery.

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Unmonitored Components, cont.

• Using SOCMI factors for the same 10,000 components and the same 50 ppm net reading as an average, would result in a reduction of about 167 TPY for the facility.

• A 1 wt% average

benzene concentration

for these components

would result in greater than

1.6 TPY reduction in reported BZ emissions.

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Can You Keep It That Way?

• After a period of time, a single monitoring result is no longer valid. To maintain a reduction, these previously unmonitored components must become part of your schedule. Budget for them!

• Make a habit of looking for “bad actors” within your program and fix them!

• Create a “Voluntary Rule” and apply it to the ones you’ve selected

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Other Ways to Reduce Emissions from Unmonitored Components?

• Consider routing non-regulatory connectors with monthly/quarterly valve monitoring.

• Incorporate non-regulatory monitoring as fill-in work when possible.

• Got fin-fan plugs?

• Non-regulatory connectors are DTM? SKIP THEM!!!

• Remove the voluntary rule across the board before the end of the year. You’re finished!

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Misidentified Components

• Incorrect class description, stream speciation and other issues with the information in the data are prime culprits

• Correct identification and field verification are key to having an accurate reporting foundation.

• A key is to know where and what the components are in the field and on the P&ID’s

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How Can Smart P&IDs Help Eliminate Misidentified Components?1. Integrate refinery stream speciation into

individual LDAR components on smart P&ID

2. Export P&ID data into LeakDAS (Stream, Chemical State, Component ID, P&ID No., etc.)

3. Use marked-up P&IDs with tag numbers labeled to expedite LDAR inventory process

4. Maintain P&ID with LDAR tags to account for regulated equipment

5. Long-term: update LeakDAS database automatically when smart P&ID is updated during MOC process

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What is a “Smart P&ID?” (nothing more than a P&ID with underlying data)

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Eliminating Misidentified Components with Smart P&IDs

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Apply Stream Speciation to LDAR Equipment in sP&ID

• Stream speciation data is exported from Aspen HYSYS into MS Excel format

• Speciation data was imported

into sP&ID using Ei’s software• Stream assignments were

integrated into smart P&IDs

for pipes, valves, etc. • Ei’s software generated LDAR determinations for

all streams and all equipment in smart P&IDs

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Apply Stream Speciation to LDAR Equipment in smart P&IDs

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Import Smart P&ID data into LeakDAS

• Data is exported from smart P&IDs into LeakDAS through the following steps:

1. Data for LDAR equipment is stored in an underlying P&ID database within AutoCAD P&IDTM

o Nine P&ID data fields, including ‘Stream’, ‘Chemical State’, ‘Component ID’, ‘P&ID No. have been utilized

2. Data is exported from sP&IDs into a .csv format file with data columns that match LeakDAS database structure

3. Ei’s data was imported into LeakDAS to ‘Quarantine’

4. Data is processed from ‘Quarantine’ into LeakDAS and then available for download into LeakDAS Mobile

Note: any future changes to LeakDAS data can be exported to update the smart P&IDs (e.g., LDAR Tag No.)

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Export P&ID data into LeakDAS (Stream, Chemical State, Component ID, P&ID No., etc.)

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Long-Term: Connect LeakDAS with Smart P&IDs

• Future efforts are being planned to link together smart P&IDs and LeakDAS – when the P&ID is changed during MOC, updates will be sent to LeakDAS automatically

• Additional environmental compliance benefits for smart P&ID implementation:

– Component counts for permitting project emissions

– Marked-up P&IDs with LDAR tag numbers labeled

– Improved LDAR inventory performance

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Conclusions

1. If you can maintain a program that allows you to finish each period without burning the “midnight oil,” you can make a difference by monitoring voluntary components.

2. Accurate counts, classifications and speciation of components will enhance your ability to manage your program.

3. LDAR programs are meant to REDUCE EMISSIONS! These processes can help achieve that goal.

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Conclusions

4. Smart P&IDs can help eliminate misidentified components and ensure accurate speciation.

5. The ability to manage change through data-driven processes can keep your LDAR program evergreen.

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Questions?

Greg Wilson, LyondellBasell Houston RefineryLDAR Coordinatorgregory.wilson@lyondellbasell.com

Shane E. Kling, Environmental intellectOwner, Engineering and Business Development Leadshane@env-int.com