Combustion Installations

National Environmental Management.
Air Quality Act 39 Of 2004 – South Africa.

(Gazette No. 27318, Notice No. 163. Commencement date: 11 September 2005 – save for sections 21, 22, 36 to 49, 51(1)(e), 51(1)(f), 51(3), 60 and 61 [Government Notice R898, Gazette No. 28016]

Part 3 – Minimum Emission Standards

Category 2 
Petroleum Industry, the production of gaseous and liquid fuels as well as petrochemicals from crude oil, coal, gas or biomass

Subcategory 2.1: Combustion Installations

(a) The following special arrangements shall apply –

  1. No continuous flaring of hydrogen sulphide-rich gases shall be allowed.
  2. A bubble cap of all Combustion Installations and Catalytic Cracking Units shall be at 1.2 Kg SO2/ ton for existing plants.
  3. A bubble cap of all Combustion Installations and Catalytic Cracking Units shall be at 0.4 Kg SO2/ ton for new plants.

Subcategory 2.2: Catalytic Cracking Units

(a) The following special arrangements shall apply –

  1. A bubble cap of all Combustion Installations and Catalytic Cracking Units shall be at 1.2 Kg SO2/ ton for existing plants.
  2. A bubble cap of all Combustion Installations and Catalytic Cracking Units shall be at 0.4 Kg SO2/ ton for new plants.

Subcategory 2.3: Sulphur Recovery Units

(a) The following special arrangement shall apply –

Sulphur recovery units should achieve 95% recovery efficiency and availability of 99%.

Subcategory 2.4: Storage and Handling of Petroleum Products

  1. The following transitional arrangement shall apply for the storage and handling of raw materials, intermediate and final products with a vapour pressure greater than 14kPa at operating temperature: –

    Leak detection and repair (LDAR) program approved by licensing authority to be instituted, by 01 January 2014.
  2. The following special arrangements shall apply for control of TVOCs from storage of raw materials, intermediate and final products with a vapour pressure of up to 14kPa at operating temperature, except during loading and offloading. (Alternative control measures that can achieve the same or better results may be used) –
  • Storage vessels for liquids shall be of the following type:

  • The roof legs, slotted pipes and/or dipping well on floating roof tanks (except for domed floating roof tanks or internal floating roof tanks) shall have sleeves fitted to minimise emissions.
  • Relief valves on pressurised storage should undergo periodic checks for internal leaks. This can be carried out using portable acoustic monitors or if venting to atmosphere with an accessible open end, tested with a hydrocarbon analyser as part of an LDAR programme.

3. The following special arrangements shall apply for control of TVOCs from the loading and unloading (excluding ships) of raw materials, intermediate and final products with a vapour pressure of greater than 14kPa at handling temperature. Alternative control measures that can achieve the same or better results may be used:

  • All installations with a throughput of greater than 50’000 m3 per annum of products with a vapour pressure greater than 14 kPa, must be fitted with vapour recovery / destruction units. Emission limits are set out in the table below –

  • For road tanker and rail car loading / offloading facilities where the throughput is less than 50’000 m3 per annum, and where ambient air quality is, or is likely to be impacted, all liquid products shall be loaded using bottom loading, or equivalent, with the venting pipe connected to a vapour balancing system. Where vapour balancing and / or bottom loading is not possible, a recovery system utilizing adsorption, absorption, condensation or incineration of the remaining VOC’s, with a collection efficiency of at least 95%, shall be fitted.

Subcategory 2.5: Industrial Fuel Oil Recyclers

  1. The following transitional arrangement shall apply for the storage and handling of raw materials, intermediate and final products with a vapour pressure greater than 14kPa at operating temperature: –
    Leak detection and repair (LDAR) program approved by licensing authority to be instituted, by 01 January 2014.
  2. The following special arrangements shall apply for control of TVOCs from storage of raw materials, intermediate and final products with a vapour pressure of up to 14kPa at operating temperature, except during loading and offloading. (Alternative control measures that can achieve the same or better results may be used) –
  • Storage vessels for liquids shall be of the following type:

  • The roof legs, slotted pipes and/or dipping well on floating roof tanks (except for domed floating roof tanks or internal floating roof tanks) shall have sleeves fitted to minimise emissions.
  • Relief valves on pressurised storage should undergo periodic checks for internal leaks. This can be carried out using portable acoustic monitors or if venting to atmosphere with an accessible open end, tested with a hydrocarbon analyser as part of an LDAR programme.
3. The following special arrangements shall apply for control of TVOCs from the loading and unloading (excluding ships) of raw materials, intermediate and final products with a vapour pressure of greater than 14kPa at handling temperature. Alternative control measures that can achieve the same or better results may be used:
 
  • All installations with a throughput of greater than 50’000 m3 per annum of products with a vapour pressure greater than 14 kPa, must be fitted with vapour recovery / destruction units.

  • For road tanker and rail car loading / offloading facilities where the throughput is less than 50’000 m3 per annum, and where ambient air quality is, or is likely to be impacted, all liquid products shall be loaded using bottom loading, or equivalent, with the venting pipe connected to a vapour balancing system. Where vapour balancing and / or bottom loading is not possible, a recovery system utilizing adsorption, absorption, condensation or incineration of the remaining VOC’s, with a collection efficiency of at least 95%, shall be fitted.