Section 336.1622. Emission of volatile organic compounds from existing components of petroleum refineries; refinery monitoring program.

Rule 622. (1) A person shall not cause or allow the emission of any volatile organic compound from any existing component, as listed in subrule (2) of this rule, of a petroleum refinery, including topping plants, unless all of the provisions of this rule are satisfied or unless an equivalent control method, as approved by the department, is implemented. An alternate acceptable control method is described in 40 C.F.R., Subpart GGG, §§60.590 to 60.593 (2000), standards of performance for equipment leaks of volatile organic compound in petroleum refineries. The provisions of 40 C.F.R., Part 60, Subpart GGG (2000), are adopted by reference in these rules and are available for inspection and purchase at the Department of Environmental Quality, Air Quality Division, P.O. Box 30260, Lansing, Michigan 48909-7760, at cost. Copies may  be  obtained  from  the  Superintendent   of  Documents,  Government  Printing  Office,

P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15250-7954, at a cost as of the time of adoption of these rules of $66.00, or on the United States government printing office internet web site at http://www.access.gpo.gov.

(2)   A person shall not operate an existing petroleum refinery unless a monitoring program and schedule approved by the department is implemented. This monitoring program and schedule shall provide for, and identify by type and refinery unit, by quarter, all of the following:

(a)   An annual inspection of all of the following components:

(i)   Pump seals.

(ii)   Process valves in liquid volatile organic compound service.

(iii)   Process drains.

(iv)   Components that are difficult to monitor.

(b)   A quarterly inspection of all of the following components:

(i)   Compressor seals.

(ii)   Process valves in gaseous volatile organic compound service.

(iii)   Pressure-relief valves in gaseous volatile organic compound service.

(c)    A weekly visual inspection of all pump seals from which volatile organic compounds could leak.

(d)  An immediate inspection of any pump seal from which a liquid, which includes a volatile organic compound, is observed dripping.

(e)     An inspection of any relief valve from which a volatile organic compound could discharge within 2 normal business days of its venting to the atmosphere.

(f)   An inspection as soon as is practical, but not later than 2 normal business days, after the repair of any component that was found leaking.

(3)   Except for the visual inspections required by subrule (2)(c) of this rule, all inspections shall be performed using equipment and procedures as specified in federal reference test method 21 as described in R 336.2004. For the purpose of this rule, a component is leaking when a concentration of more than 10,000 ppm, by volume, as methane or hexane, is measured by method 21.

(4)   If implementation of the quarterly leak detection program as specified in subrule (2)(b) of this rule shows that 2% or less of the process valves in a given refinery unit are leaking for 2 consecutive quarters, then the inspections of process valves in that refinery unit may be skipped for 1 quarter. If 2% or less of the process valves in a given refinery unit are leaking for 5 consecutive quarters, then the inspections may be done annually. If a subsequent inspection shows that more than 2% of the process valves are leaking, then quarterly inspections of valves shall again be required.

(5)   The percent of valves leaking on a refinery unit, as referenced in subrule (4) of this rule, shall be determined by dividing the total number of valves found to be leaking on the refinery unit during the specified monitoring period by the total number of valves on the refinery unit that are required to be monitored by this rule.

(6)   The provisions of this rule do not apply to any of the following:

(a)    Pressure-relief valves that vent to an operating flare header, fuel gas system, or vapor control device.

(b)   Components that are unsafe to monitor, until monitoring personnel would no longer be exposed to immediate danger.

(c)   Storage tank valves.

(d)  Valves that are not externally regulated.

(e)   Components that process, transfer, or contain 1 or more volatile organic compounds in the liquid phase under actual conditions, all of which have a true vapor pressure of less than 1.55 psia.

(7)   Notwithstanding the provisions of subrule (2) of this rule, the monitoring of components, such as process drains and valves, that are used solely in effecting a refinery unit turnaround is required only within the quarter following the turnaround.

(8)   A leak that is detected pursuant to the monitoring program provisions of subrule (2) of this rule or for any other reason shall be repaired. Except as provided in subrule (10) of this rule, this leak shall be repaired as soon as possible, but not more than 15 days after the leak is detected. Until the time that the leak is repaired and retested verifying a successful repair, the component causing the leak shall bear a weather-resistant, numbered, identifying tag that indicates the date the leak was discovered.

(9)   A log of all leaks detected pursuant to the provisions of subrules (2), (3), (5), and (6) of this rule or by any other method shall be maintained by the operator of the petroleum refinery. This log shall identify all of the following:

(a)   The leaking component by type and location.

(b)   The number of the identifying tag.

(c)   The date the leak was discovered.

(d)  The date the leak was repaired.

(e)    The date the component was retested after the repair with an indication of the testing results.

(f)  The person or persons who performed the inspections. The log shall be made available to any representative of the department during normal business hours of the refinery and shall be kept for a minimum of 2 years.

(10)   If a leak cannot be repaired within 15 days due to circumstances beyond the control of the operator of the petroleum refinery or because the leaking component cannot be repaired unless a significant portion of the refinery unit is shut down for turnaround, then the operator shall maintain a separate log of the nonrepair. The log shall identify all of the following:

(a)   The leaking component by type, location, and refinery unit.

(b)   The date on which the leak was discovered.

(c)   The reason why the leak cannot be repaired within 15 days.

(d)  The estimated date of repair.

(11)    Within 25 days of the end of the previous quarter, the operator shall submit to the department a report which contains all of the following information for that quarter:

(a)   The total number of components tested, by type.

(b)   The total number of components found leaking and repaired, by type.

(c)    The accumulative total number of components, by refinery unit and type, found to be leaking and not repaired within the required time period and the reason for nonrepair.

(d)    The type or types of monitoring equipment utilized during the quarter. The report required by this subrule shall be made on a form approved by the department.

(12)   The department may require the early shutdown for turnaround of a refinery unit if the department feels that there are a significant number of leaks that would justify this action.

(13)   Except for safety pressure-relief valves, a person shall not operate existing petroleum refinery equipment that has a valve at the end of a pipe or line which contains a volatile organic compound, unless the pipe or line is sealed with a second valve, blind flange, plug, or cap. The sealing device may be removed only when a sample is being taken or during maintenance operations. A current, written description detailing routine sampling procedures and listing the sealing devices involved shall be maintained and, upon request by the department, shall be submitted to the department in an acceptable format.

History: 1981 AACS; 1993 AACS; 1997 AACS; 2002 AACS.