R307-326-9. Monitoring of Leaks from Petroleum Refinery Equipment

(1) The owner or operator of a petroleum refinery complex shall develop and conduct a VOC monitoring program and shall follow the recording, reporting, and operating requirements consistent with R307-326-9. The monitoring program shall be submitted 30 days prior to start up of the petroleum refinery complex or as determined necessary by the director.

(2) Any affected component within a petroleum refinery complex found to be leaking shall be repaired and retested as soon as practicable, but not later than fifteen (15) days after the leak is detected. A leaking component is defined as one that has a concentration of VOCs exceeding 10,000 parts per million by volume (ppmv) when tested by a VOC detection instrument at the leak source in the manner described in 40 CFR 60, Appendix A, Reference Method 21, using methane or hexane as the calibration gas. Components not subject to New Source Performance Standards Subpart GGG shall use methane or hexane as calibration gas, provided a relative response factor for each individual instrument is determined for the calibration gas used. Those leaks that cannot be repaired until the unit is shut down for turnaround shall be identified with a tag and recorded as per (6) below and shall be reported as per (7) below. The Director, in coordination with the refinery owner or operator, may require early unit turnaround based on the number and severity of tagged leaks awaiting turnaround.

(3) Monitoring Requirements.

(a) In order to ensure that all existing VOC leaks are identified and that new VOC leaks are located as soon as practicable, the refinery owner or operator shall perform necessary monitoring using visual observations when specified or the method described in 40 CFR 60, Appendix A, Reference Method 21, as follows:

(i) Monitor at least one time per year (annually) all pump seals, valves in liquid service, and process drains;

(ii) Monitor four times per year (quarterly) all compressor seals, valves in gaseous service, and pressure relief valves in gaseous service;

(iii) Monitor visually 52 times per year (weekly) all pump seals;

(iv) Monitor within 24 hours (with a portable VOC detection device) or repair within 15 days any pump seal from which liquids are observed dripping;

(v) Monitor any relief valve within 24 hours after it has been vented to the atmosphere;

(vi) Monitor immediately after repair any component that was found leaking;

(vii) For all other valves considered "unsafe-to-monitor" or inaccessible during an annual inspection, the owner or operator shall document to the director the number of valves considered "unsafe-to-monitor" or inaccessible, the dangers involved or reasons for inaccessibility, the location of these valves, and the procedures that the owner or operator shall follow to ensure that the valves do not leak. The documentation for each calendar year shall be submitted for approval to the director 15 days after the last day of each calendar year. At a minimum, the inaccessible valves shall be monitored at least once per year (annually).

(b) For the purpose of R307-326, gaseous service for pipeline valves and pressure relief valves is defined as the VOCs being gaseous at conditions that prevail in the components during normal operations. Pipeline valves and pressure relief valves in gaseous service and other components subject to leaks shall be noted or marked so that their location within the refinery complex is obvious to the refinery operator performing the monitoring and to the State of Utah, Division of Air Quality.

(4) Exemptions. The following are exempt from the monitoring requirements of (3) above:

(a) Pressure relief devices that are connected to an operating flare header, firebox, or vapor recovery devices, storage tank valves, and valves that are not externally regulated;

(b) Refinery equipment containing a stream composition less than 10 percent by weight VOCs; and

(c) Refinery equipment containing natural gas supplied by a public utility as defined by the Utah Public Service Commission.

(5) Alternate Monitoring Methods and Requirements.

(a) If at any time after two complete liquid service inspections and five complete gaseous service inspections, the owner or operator of a petroleum refinery can demonstrate that modifications to (3) above are in order, he may apply in writing to the Air Quality Board for a variance from the requirements of (3) above.

(b) This submittal shall include data that have been developed to justify the modification to (3) above. As a minimum, the submittal should contain the following information:

(i) the name and address of the company;

(ii) the name and telephone number of the responsible company representative;

(iii) a description of the proposed alternate monitoring procedures; and

(iv) a description of the proposed alternate operational or equipment controls.

(6) Recording Requirements. Identified leaks shall be noted and affixed with a readily visible and weatherproof tag bearing the identification of the leak and the date the leak was detected. The tag shall remain in place until the leaking component is repaired. The presence of the leak shall also be noted in a log maintained by the operator or owner of the refinery. The log shall contain, at a minimum, the name of the process unit where the component is located, the type of component, the tag number, the date the leak is detected, the date repaired, and the date and instrument reading when the recheck of the component is made. The log should also indicate those leaks that cannot be repaired until turnaround, and summarize the total number of components found leaking. The operator or owner of the refinery complex shall retain the leak detection log for two years after the leak has been repaired and shall make the log available to the director upon request.

(7) Reporting Requirements. The operator or owner of a petroleum refinery complex shall submit a report to the director by the 15th day of January, April, July, and October of each year listing the total number of components inspected, all leaks that have been located during the previous 3 calendar months but not repaired within 15 days, all leaking components awaiting unit turnaround and the total number of components found leaking. In addition, the refinery operator or owner shall submit a signed statement with each report that all monitoring has been performed as stipulated in R307-326-9.

(8) Additional Requirements. Any time a valve, with the exception of safety pressure relief valves, is located at the end of a pipe or line containing VOCs, the end of the line shall be sealed with one of the following: a second valve, a blind flange, a plug or a cap. This sealing device shall only be removed when the line is in use for sampling.