ccpa workshop feb 2004 fugitive vocs

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NOVA Chemicals Corporation
Case Study on Fugitive VOCs LDAR Programs

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Presentation

• Who We Are and Site Locations
• LDAR Program Overview
• NOVA Chemicals LDAR Program
• Inventory, Tagging, Monitoring, Repairing, QA/QC,
  Reporting, History
• NOVA Chemicals Strategy for Fugitive Emissions
• NOVA Chemicals Future LDAR Program Plans

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Joffre, Alberta Site
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Corunna, Moore, Sarnia St. Clair River,
Ontario Sites
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Montréal, Québec Site
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LDAR Program Overview

• Fugitive emissions account for 40-60 of NOVA
  Chemicals (Canadian sites) air emissions of
  hydrocarbons
• The LDAR Program
• reduces potential for chemical exposures to our
  employees, neighbours, the environment and lowers
  the risk of process fires and
• protects our Assets
• We believe our program is implemented according
  to the Environmental Code of Practice for the
  Measurement and Control of Fugitive VOC Emissions
  from Equipment Leaks

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NOVA Chemicals Leak Detection Repair Program

• Inventory of all VOC Emission Sources using PIDs
• Best Walked Route - palm pilots/dataloggers/digita
  l photos for electronic data upload, barcode tag
  installed on parent equipment only, unique tag
  names descriptions
• Essential FEMS Software Module/DEFI Database
• Monitoring of all accessible points annually,
  using Foxboro TVA 1000 - a backpack mounted FID
  analyzer with Leaktrackers for automated
  monitoring result data upload
• Repairs combination of immediately and/or
  initiated within 5 days
• QA/QC
• Reporting (AENV, MOE, MUC, MENV, NERM-NPRI,
  Corporate, Community)

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NOVA Chemicals Leak Detection Repair Program
(contd)

• QA/QC
• PID Management - ever changing inventory
• Contractor selection Field Audits of contractor
  and monitoring methods
• Calibrations
• As a minimum 10,000 ppm methane instruments
  calibrated twice a day
• Also done - 100 and 10,000 ppm methane
  instruments calibrated 3 times per day
• Statistical approach, second readings taken

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NOVA Chemicals Leak Detection Repair Program
(contd)

• Data Reporting
• Total emissions calculated Vs Direct
  Measurement, monitoring concentrations correspond
  to overly conservative emission factors
• Most common is straight-line stratified US EPA
  Emission Factors for different component types
  measured concentration ranges (0 -1000 ppm, 1001-
  10,000 ppm, gt10,000 ppm)
• Emission rates for inaccessible points are
  extrapolated using leaker frequencies emission
  factors for monitored points
• More representative emissions using response
  factors and Correlation equations for monitored
  and unmonitored components
• Utilize Process Stream compositions to speciate
  chemicals for each emission point

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Joffre Site Fugitive Emission History
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NOVA Chemicals Fugitive Emissions Control
Strategy

• PREVENTION - selection of leak-tight equipment
• LOWERING LEAKER DEFINITION
• LEAK DETECTION via Helium Leak Checks
• Monitoring
• LEAK REPAIR as promptly as possible.

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NOVA Chemicals Future LDAR Program Plans

• Use US EPA correlation emission factors
  appropriate response factors for specific
  compounds
• Develop site specific emission factors using
  HI-Flow Sampler to improve data quality (Joffre
  Site)
• Focus on larger mass leakers and on repairs of
  specific equipment categories
• Continue working with CCPA, Environment Canada
  Consultants to improve CCME Code of Practice