How Do You Feel About Storing Your Emissions Data in the Cloud?
Description
Cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer's hard drive. In order to implement a cloud solution, you need some basic tools to connect your data source(s) to the Internet. Connection to the cloud storage needs to be secure, reliable and accessible. Turn on any new WiFi enable device, click through some prompts and you are connected. Technology made it so easy that it doesn’t even require a conscious thought to participate. Will the same environment that drives my social life translate to my workplace and more importantly, help me successful manage my critical air emissions compliance data. Required tools, feasibility and practicality of using cloud computing for compliance applications will be covered during the presentation.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
12:00PM
Location
Room 417A
Acoustic Condensate Stabilization
Description
Acoustic Condensate Stabilization is a novel technique that is proving to be highly effective and efficient. The stabilization process is driven by dynamic pressure of an acoustic field, causing mass transport of high volatile species into gas phase. The process is non thermal, making it a much safer alternative. The overall process equipment is much simpler and less costly to operate.
Date
Friday, February 21, 2020
Time
8:30AM
Location
Room 617
Auditing in the New Decade: Creating Value by Reducing Environmental Liabilities and Risks
Description
Environmental liabilities pose significant risks in mergers, acquisitions, and ongoing concerns. Our presenters will discuss practical strategies for stakeholders, owners, or operators to leverage audit protections to strengthen their financial position.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
11:00AM
Location
Room 616A
Reducing Well Pad Air Emissions
Description
The U.S. EPA promulgated Clean Air Act regulations for upstream oil and gas facilities initially in 2011. While these regulations have been amended and expanded on several occasions to cover a variety of sources, emission data from upstream oil and gas facilities indicate that vapor resulting from the pressure drop from separation represents the largest single source of VOCs. Initial focus was on controlling or destroying the VOCs, although recovery of the rich gas is also a potential source of additional profit. The presentation compares and contrasts several of the standard methods for addressing these emissions from atmospheric storage and presents new technology for optimizing profitability while significantly reducing emissions and flaring. The effectiveness of reducing emissions of criteria pollutants as well as greenhouse gas emissions is also contrasted.
Date
Friday, February 21, 2020
Time
11:30AM
Location
Room 617
Boiler and Process Heater Tuning as a Best Management Practice
Description
While most facilities perceive 40 CFR 63 Subpart DDDDD (Boiler and Heater MACT, or MACT DDDDD) as costly regulation, four years of data compiled from the annually and biennially recurring tune-ups indicates the opposite is true. In fact, regular boiler and process heater tuning for natural gas fired sources can lead to considerable cost savings related to fuel use and a simple payback on the tune-ups services within months. The purpose of this presentation is intended to enlighten the audience on the benefits of boiler and process heater tuning, using data compiled from tune-ups performed on nearly 600 combustion sources, and conducted in accordance with the Boiler MACT work practice standard. Also, how a facility can further benefit from the regular performance of these services beyond the regulatory framework.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
4:00PM
Location
Room 417A
Barr will demonstrate its free Microsoft Excel spreadsheet tools for storage tank emissions, LDAR program review and compliance reporting, and MACT CC flare NHVcz standards
Description
Description coming soon
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
11:30AM
Location
Room 417A
Do you have the Right Tank? Thief Hatch?
Description
Coming soon.
Date
Friday, February 21, 2020
Time
9:30AM
Location
Room 617
Integrating Speciation Data For Chemical Plants and Refineries
Description
A surprising number of reports rely on chemical speciation data for purchased chemicals, feedstocks, intermediate streams and products. Recent experience with an EPA NEIC inspection underscored the value in centralizing this data for consistency. Calculations related to quantities present onsite (Tier Two), release reporting and threshold determinations (EPCRA/SARA), emissions calculations (EI/TRI), TSCA Manufacturing Inventory (coming in 2020), RMP (Maximum Intended Inventory), PSM (operator process information), OSHA Hazard Communication, and permit applications could benefit from a carefully orchestrated process. Imagine if the system you develop internally could answer simple questions for emergency situations like what’s the composition of the material in that drum, or that heat exchanger; and imagine if a process was in place to keep all of the content revised as process changes occur.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
11:00AM
Location
Room 417A
Methane Emissions - Adopting a find it, fix it mentality!
Description
When companies detect a fugitive emission on their asset, it usually gets added to a leak register for repair at the next convenient opportunity. Because so many "weeps" can exist at any one time, if the repair program is not efficient and weeps are not repaired in a timely manner, this not only costs the asset money and affects performance, it becomes a serious safety and environmental issue. If just one leak was to escalate and shut the plant down, this has a huge financial cost and knock on impact. The message - It can be avoided if we find and repair our weeps regularly.
Date
Friday, February 21, 2020
Time
10:30AM
Location
Room 617
ICI FLIR and TDLAS Enabled Drone Basics of Capabilities and Functionality
Description
Description coming soon.
Date
Friday, February 21, 2020
Time
1:30PM
Location
Room 616A
Realtime PRV Leak Detection and Process Data Analysis for Environmental, Occupational and Process Safety Management
Description
20% of PRVs in a typical operation are potentially leaking. Undetected and therefore not reported PRV releases occur more often than operators realize and are one of the major causes to compromise valve sealing integrity. PRVs are the last line of defense against process overpressure and it is critical that all releases be reported and recorded for process safety root cause analysis, including near miss safety events. Join this session with Anderson Greenwood Crosby PRV team to discuss wireless monitoring solutions that enable operators to correlate real time PRV information with process data and maintenance records to improve environmental, occupational and process safety management.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
3:00PM
Location
Room 406
MPV, PRD & MSS Best Management Practices at Refineries & Opportunities for Chemical Plants
Description
Sinclair Wyoming Refining Company (SWRC) and Sage ATC will lead a diverse panel discussion examining the practical and technical challenges presented by implementing the Refinery Sector Rule miscellaneous process vent (MPV) and maintenance vent documentation requirements into everyday compliance. On the practical side, SWRC will discuss unique challenges faced at the refinery level, including MPV group classification, monitoring and documenting maintenance activities, and helping operators understand and adjust to the new requirements. On the technical side, Sage ATC will discuss broader industry perspectives including efficient approaches to tracking and monitoring maintenance activities, a deep dive to MPV monitoring and compliance management, and strategic considerations when developing and implementing MPV procedures and practices. The panel discussion will be interactive and adaptive. Members of the audience will be polled to determine the practical, technical, and legal issues that the audience members are facing, and the presentation will be adapted to focus on the issues of greatest interest. Members of the audience will also be polled to submit questions, e.g., technical and legal questions or concerns that they may not be comfortable having attributed to their companies.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
1:30PM
Location
Room 416A
Converting Your Emissions to Electricity and More
Description
Baker Hughes is at the forefront of the next wave of smart and efficient energy technologies that help operators discover and produce oil and gas. Technology enabling the electrification of surface facilities and pressure pumping equipment offering significant potential for operational and efficiency gains.
Date
Friday, February 21, 2020
Time
8:00AM
Location
Room 617
International Cross-Party Efforts to Improve Valve Reliability
Description
Given the important role many automated valves have in reliably containing and manipulating process fluids flow where there are safety, environmental or efficiency implications, it is of critical importance to know that they are fit for purpose and capable of functioning correctly on demand. Furthermore, the control and automation of these operational valves must also have the best possible reliability to ensure zero in-service failures is achieved and maintained. For these reasons, big efforts are being put into developing guidelines, technical reports and recommended practices by a wide range of technical experts worldwide, from the manufacturing, services and operating communities to achieve these goals. This paper will highlight some of the ongoing work of the subject matter experts, technical standards committees and other collaborative working groups around the globe and what implications their work is likely to have on guiding the enhancement of automated valves reliability moving forward. An overview of the work on design for reliability and operational asset management for reliability models will focus delegates’ attention on what controls and practices they currently have in place in their own organizations for valve specification, selection and management and what they may want to additionally implement moving forward, from the latest international publications / thinking. New case studies from major oil and gas operating companies and the technical solutions they have deployed will be examined for effectiveness and compliance with the recommended best practices.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
10:30AM
Location
Room 616A
Isn’t It Ironic? A Case Study On Dry Seal vs. Wet Seal Centrifugal Compressor Emissions
Description
The EPA has been pushing hard for the conversion from wet- to dry-seal centrifugal compressors for decades in an attempt to reduce emissions from the natural gas industry. Ironically, the opposite may have happened. Data from a recent study by Tora Consulting on centrifugal compressors most commonly found in the industry indicates that emissions from dry seal units are orders of magnitude higher than emissions from their wet seal counterparts. This presentation will provide the ultimate example of “missing the forest for the trees”.
Date
Friday, February 21, 2020
Time
11:00AM
Location
Room 617
Process Burner Flames: The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly
Description
John Zink Hamworthy Combustion field personnel inspect thousands of burners each year. Too often those flames are not only bad but sometimes potentially dangerous. There are a number of conditions needed for good flames. Burners should be operating at or near their design conditions which includes the excess air and draft levels, and the design firing rate (fuel pressure) and fuel composition. The combustion air must be properly distributed, the fuel must be clean, and both the air and fuel must be properly controlled. The burner and its associated equipment (e.g., tile and pilot) must also be properly installed and maintained. There are some visual indicators that should be checked for proper burner operation. These include uniformity (all flames in a given heater should normally look about the same), proper flame color, no leaning between flames or into process tubes, no pronounced hot spots or dark spots on the burner tiles, no irregular flame movement (e.g., no pulsing), and no unusual sounds (e.g., flashback). Bad flames can lead to increased pollution emissions, reduced thermal efficiency, and unplanned shutdowns. Common reasons for bad flames include improper burner maintenance and operation. Dirty fuel is particularly problematic as it can cause fuel injectors to plug which can create multiple problems. Ugly flames can be dangerous and need to be corrected as soon as possible. Examples of these irregular flames include flame impingement, huffing or pulsing, or severely lifted flames. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss proper burner operation and what good flames look like and then to contrast that with lots of examples of improper burner operation including the causes and corrections. This information can be used in the risk-based inspection and performance monitoring processes. Typically, equipment has a function statement (primary/secondary) and performance objectives and ranges. The consequences when the function of the equipment has failed is documented in the earlier processes.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
10:30AM
Location
Room 417A
Utilizing Vapor Lock Technology for Tank Degassing and Tank Vent Management versus Thermal Destruction or Activated Carbon
Description
State and Local Agency actions have added emphasis to the management of emissions from large API 650 storage tanks, as a result of regulatory action and/or public engagement. In the US most API 650 storage tanks, which are in a service where there is a potential for VOC emissions, have been outfitted with internal floating roofs, which are considered by the EPA as BACT. Historically, tank owners have had requirements for controlling emissions from tanks when existing tank attachments have malfunctioned, or when the tank is being prepared for maintenance activities. Thermal destruction devices are the most commonly used control technologies for managing tank emissions, but they may not be the most efficient or effective. This presentation will review the development of a new Vapor Lock technology for the management of tank emissions during degassing and cleaning operations, demonstrating improved operational performance, while reducing cost impacts to clients.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
2:00PM
Location
Room 417A
New Technology for the Removal of Sulfur Compounds from Hydrocarbon Products, Helping Combat Economic Strains Caused by Tier II and III Sulfur Credits
Description
While technology focus in our industry has been centered on automation and monitoring capabilities, little new science has developed in meeting the challenges that high sulfur oil and gas production has brought with it. Vapor Point and its partnership with Baker Hughes has developed new mobile technologies focused on helping clients mitigate quality issues with hydrocarbon feedstocks and products. In addition to this new mobile deployment, Vapor Point has created new chemistries capable of extracting sulfur species such as butyl mercaptan, which cannot be managed with amines or other specialty chemical technologies. This presentation will discuss existing applications where Vapor Point has assisted clients with improving the quality of both feedstocks and saleable fuels by removing unwanted sulfur contamination such as Hydrogen Sulfide, Methyl Mercaptan, Ethyl Mercaptan, Propyl Mercaptan and Butyl Mercaptan.
Date
Friday, February 21, 2020
Time
2:00PM
Location
Room 617
Conforming to ASTM-D7036: Self-Declaration vs. Third-Party Accreditation
Description
Confidence in test data is paramount to acceptance, and both users and customers want assurance of quality. In general, testing bodies that choose accreditation rather than self-declaration demand a higher quality of work to maintain that accreditation and strive to produce more reliable results. In turn, customers have greater confidence in the accuracy and validity of the data from these testing bodies. Accreditation also provides the industry with confidence that a testing body is subject to regular oversight as a motivator to continually improve their operations. The ongoing verification of compliance ensures that the testing body’s results are consistently dependable and defensible.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
2:30PM
Location
Room 417A
I got 99 problems… now what? Best Practices for Addressing Audit Findings
Description
Conducting a gap assessment or audit is a great starting point for getting your LDAR program into compliance – but that’s only the first of many steps. After findings, observations, and recommendations are identified, corrective actions must be developed and prioritized appropriately. Depending on the scope and number of identified issues, this can be a daunting task but there are ways to manage the stress and work load accordingly. This presentation will cover what to do after the completion of an audit or gap assessment of your LDAR program.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
1:30PM
Location
Room 417A
Utilizing Temporary Control Systems to Meet Recent EPA MACT Subpart CC and to Eliminate Flare Gas Recovery Bottlenecks During Maintenance and Turn-Around Activities
Description
The implementation of Refinery RTR is creating significant concern to operations, in how they approach equipment deinventory. New MACT standards restricts refiners’ ability to openly purge process equipment to the atmosphere, eliminating the SSM exemption, while placing significant constraints on when units can be opened to the atmosphere. This has resulted in FGR becoming a bottleneck to operators’ ability to deinventory and decontaminate units for maintenance activities, resulting in additional costs in meeting these new standards. Vapor Point has successfully implemented temporary liquid and vapor phase management systems to minimize these impacts, helping operators maintain schedule while reducing cost impacts. This paper/presentation will be focused on how the deployment of mobile technologies can help operators reduce and potentially improve operational execution/efficiency, if implemented correctly.
Taking Advantage of the Audit Privilege When Performing EH&S Compliance Assessments
Description
In recent months, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality made effective the Oklahoma Environmental, Health and Safety Audit Privilege Act, which is available to aircraft manufacturing, chemicals, oil and gas processing, plastics, cement, food and meat processing, and paper products. This is a continuation of a national trend towards immunity from civil and administrative penalties for regulated entities that perform voluntary EHS audits and then remedy and disclose any discovered violations. This presentation will discuss which certain key requirements that must be met to qualify for immunity and compare Oklahoma’s Audit Privilege Act to the 2017 revision of the Texas Act.
Date
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time
10:00AM
Location
Room 616A