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What are Volatile Organic Compounds?

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.

A vapor recovery unit or "VRU" is a device that captures or recovers valuable volatile organic compounds and other rich gas streams that may otherwise be a significant environmental pollutant, hazardous air pollutant and one of the greenhouse gas emissions the EPA seeks to regulate and eliminate. A well designed vapor recovery unit can pay for itself in less as little as 3-4 months - depending on price of VRU and quantity and quality of "vapor" being recovered - and simultaneously mitigate a company's exposure to environmental liabilities and penalties.

At present, there are approximately 500,000 crude oil storage tanks located within the United States. Crude oil storage including "tank batteries" located next to oil wells, are used to hold the crude oil for brief periods of time in order to regulate and stabilize the oil production and flow rates between the production wells and the crude oil pipeline or trucking transportation sites. The condensate liquids contained in the produced gas that are captured by a mist eliminator filter/coalescer ahead of the first compressor station in transmission pipelines are often directed to a storage tank as well.

Within the crude oil storage tanks, light hydrocarbons or "condensate" dissolved in the crude oil - including methane and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), natural gas liquids (NGLs), hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and inert gases—vaporize or "flash out" of the crude oil and collect in the space between the crude oil and "fixed roof" of the crude oil storage tank. As the liquid level in the tank fluctuates, these very valuable and high Btu vapors may be vented to the atmosphere.

One way to prevent emissions of these light hydrocarbon vapors and yield significant economic savings is to install vapor recovery units (VRUs) on crude oil storage tanks. VRUs are relatively simple systems that capture 95% to 99% of the Btu-rich vapors for sale or for use onsite as fuel.

At present, there are about 7,000 to 9,000 VRUs installed and operating in the upstream oil and gas sector, with an average of four tanks connected to each VRU.

New Environmental Regulations Require Mandatory Reductions of Volatile Organic Compound Emissions

In 2011 and 2012, the EPA enacted new regulatory requirements requiring the capture and containment of gas vapors that are generated from crude oil storage tanks, tank batteries and other storage vessels at oil and gas facilities.

New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) under 40 CFR Part 60, Subpart OOOO known as "Quad O" establishes significant new regulations relating to Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions. EPA's updated regulations requires oil and natural gas operators to reduce their VOC emissions by 95 percent if their storage tanks have the "potential" to emit 6 or more tons of VOCs a year. Crude oil storage tanks and tank batteries that have Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions of 6 tons per year or more are required to reduce their VOC emissions by at least 95% by April 2014. The optimum economic and environmental solution for these clients is the installation of a Vapor Recovery Unit.

Our emissions abatement services significantly reduces or eliminates your facility's emissions (such as NOx , SOx, H2S, CO , CO2 and other Hazardous Air Pollutants/Greenhouse Gases) and convert these valuable emissions from an environmental problem into a new cash revenue stream and profit center.

Flare Gas Recovery and Vapor Recovery Units can be located in hundreds of applications and locations. At a Wastewater Treatment System (or Publicly Owned Treatment Works - "POTW") gases from the facility can be captured from the anaerobic digesters, and manifolded/piped to one of our onsite power generation plants, and make, essentially, "free" electricity for your facility's use. These associated "biogases" that are generated from municipally owned landfills or wastewater treatment plants have low btu content or heating values, ranging around 550-650 btu's. This makes them unsuitable for use in natural gas applications. When burned as fuel to generate electricity, however, these gases become a valuable source of "renewable" power and energy for the facility's use or resale to the electric grid.

Flare Gas Recovery are designed and engineered for these specific applications. It is important to note that there are many internal combustion engines or combustion turbines that are NOT suited for these applications. Our systems are engineered precisely for your facility's application, and our engineers know the engines and turbines that will work as well as those that don't.

Our turn-key systems includes design, engineering, permitting, project management, commissioning, as well as financing for our qualified customers. Additionally, we may be interested in owning and operating the flare gas recovery or vapor recovery units. For these applications, there is no investment required from the customer.

For more information, please provide us with the following information about the flare gas or vapor:

What Are Hazardous Air Pollutants?

Hazardous Air Pollutants or "HAPs" are generally defined as those pollutants that are known or suspected to cause serious health problems. Section 112(b) of the Clean Air Act currently identifies a list of 188 pollutants as HAPs. EPA's ATW Web site presents more information on HAPs, their effects, and EPA's programs to reduce HAPs.

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