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NARSTO Workshop on Innovative Methods for Emission Inventory Development and Evaluation University of Texas, Austin October 14-17, 2003 |
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Estimation Of Cooling Tower VOC Emissions Based On Actual Measurements
Karen N. T. Olson, P.E.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Austin, Texas,
Golam Sarwar, Sunghye Chang, Alba Webb, Vince Torres, and Richard Corsi
Center for Energy and Environmental Resources
The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
Industrial Cooling Towers at Petrochemical and Refining facilities have the potential to emit extremely large amounts of VOC emissions. The most common method for estimating emissions is the use of AP-42 emission factors but these factors do not take into account the unique design, operation and maintenance of the specific heat exchange system for each process unit. Much more accurate emission estimates would be obtained if the concentration of “strippable VOC” in the cooling water could be accurately determined and used in conjunction with the cooling water circulation rate to determine actual emissions.
There are many methods that have been available for leak detection but they do not necessarily provide quality assured data to quantify emissions. To assure accurate accouunting of emissions, TCEQ and the University of Texas have evaluated existing methods by performing detailed laboratory tests and developing improvements to establish the certainty of data obtained from these methods. In addition to identifying process fluid leaks into the cooling water as soon as possible, some of these methods provide measurements with the desired data quality so that data can be used to accurately calculate and speciate VOC cooling tower mass emission estimates.