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Remote Sensing Refinery Pollutants

This workshop provides insights on remote sensing tools, such as Differential Absorption LIDAR (DIAL), and their effectiveness in detecting and reducing emissions from refineries. The workshop highlights the findings of the TexAQS air quality studies and emphasizes the importance of monitoring Highly Reactive Volatile Organic Compounds (HRVOCs) and other pollutants. Various measurement techniques and technologies are discussed, including IR cameras and Solar Occultation Flux (SOF). The workshop also addresses emission sources such as tanks, flares, and refinery cokers.

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Remote Sensing Refinery Pollutants

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  1. Remote Sensing Refinery Pollutants Eyes in the Sky II Workshop June 24, 2010 Alex Cuclis Houston Advanced Research Center

  2. TexAQS 2000 • A comprehensive Air Quality Study in the Houston Area • Over $20 million was spent. • More than 200 scientists were involved. • Main Finding: Emissions of Highly Reactive Volatile Organic Compounds (HRVOCs) were substantially higher than expected.

  3. Differential Absorption LIDAR (DIAL) Houston Area Ozone Plume Airborne DIAL By NOAA Height in meters - 1500 - 1000 - 500

  4. Differential Absorption LIDAR (DIAL) Ozone on the Texas Coast

  5. Air Quality Studies – TexAQS 2006 1. HRVOC Emissions dropped 40% between 2000 and 2006. 100 Measured 2. In 2006 HRVOCs were still 10-40 times higher than reported in 2004. HRVOC Emissions 50 Reported 0 HRVOCs = Highly Reactive Volatile Organic Compounds 2000 2004 2006

  6. Petrochemical Emissions • Emissions include nitrogen oxides (NOx) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which in the presence of sunlight form ozone. • NOx appears anywhere there is a flame, and most can be measured from stacks with continuous analyzers. • VOCs can literally come from millions of places in a plant and are not easily measured.

  7. Petrochemical Emissions • VOCs leaks are measured with hand-held analyzers that are typically calibrated with propone and use a flame ionization detector (FID).

  8. Remote Sensing Tools Can Find and Reduce Emissions DIAL SOF Hawk Future

  9. Remote Sensing: Old School Can count the number of molecules, but cannot calculate the concentration. Must be mounted in a specific location, typically ground level. Reflector Light Source

  10. IR Camera (LSI or FLIR) Some companies report that they saved over $1 million/year by finding and fixing a single leak!

  11. IR Camera (HAWK) Barge with naked eye Different Barge with IR Camera Barge with IR Camera

  12. Detection By Reflection Sound Navigation And Ranging Radio Detection And Ranging Light Detection And Ranging DIfferential Absorption LIDAR

  13. Part 3

  14. DIAL History • BP – 1979 - 1992 • Spectrasyne – 1992 - Present • NPL – 1990 - Present • Shell Global Solutions – 1994-2002 • Sweden • 6. API/CONCAWE • 7. Solar Occultation Flux (SOF) • 8. Canada • 9. U.S.

  15. Differential Absorption LIDAR (DIAL) Lasers send dual-wavelength pulses towards a gaseous plume. Back-scattered light returns to a detector assembly. By Spectrasyne

  16. Differential Absorption LIDAR (DIAL) By Spectrasyne

  17. Solar Occultation Flux (SOF)

  18. Sun Tracker FTIR Sunlight is the light source for the FTIR mounted inside the van. Solar Occultation Flux (SOF)

  19. Solar Occultation Flux (SOF) SOF Measurements at the Houston Ship Channel

  20. Radial Plume Mapping (RPM) Real-Time Software Like a CAT scan of the atmosphere.

  21. Technology Comparison DIAL vs HAWK

  22. Technology Comparison SOF vs DIAL

  23. Refinery Emissions A variety of measuring techniques The average refinery in Houston reports losing about 1 tablespoon of oil per barrel to air emissions. suggest that refineries in other locations emit about 1 wine glass (4 ounces) of oil per barrel. Some refineries lose 2 or 3 wine glasses per barrel. Of the 2.3 million barrels of oil processed each day in the Houston area, refineries report emissions of 250 barrels per day. Measurements at other refineries suggest that it could be closer to 2500 barrels per day.

  24. Flares?

  25. Emission Sources • Tanks • Seals, Landings, “Splatterings”, Fittings • Flares • -Minimization, Steam/Air Assist, Flow, Wind • Delayed Cokers • -De-heading, Drilling, Fugitives • (Alberta and the 2 ½ times factor) • Water Treatment • -Recovery, Aeration, Mixing

  26. Refinery Cokers Coke drums can be 80 - 100 ft tall and up to 27 ft in diameter. Drilling derricks on top of the coke drums contain water jets that are used to cut the solid coke out of the drum. http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm/images/RefineryProcess.jpg

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