In 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published Leak Detection and Repair, A Best Practices Guide. Here is how the EPA describes this guide.
Leaking equipment, such as valves, pumps, and connectors, are a large source of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and volatile hazardous air pollutants (VHAPs)
The Leak Detection and Repair: A Best Practices Guide – is intended for use by regulated entities, such as petroleum refineries and chemical manufacturing facilities, as well as compliance inspectors. The guide details some of the problems identified with leak detection and repair (LDAR) programs. It focuses on Method 21 requirements, and describes the practices that can be used to increase the effectiveness of an LDAR program.
I came across a Valve User article, Emerson Ball Valve Solutions Meet Stringent Fugitive Emissions Requirements and thought of Emerson’s Jeff Roseneder who manages the KTM brand of ball valves. This article opens describing the EPA’s push to:
…increase enforcement of regulations through negotiation of enhanced Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) decrees, with greater emphasis on all industrial plants, increasing the traction to adopt and enforce compliance standards, and increased corporate emphasis on reducing emissions due to lost product revenues and importance of fugitive emissions in the overall process.
The article defines fugitive emissions (FE) as:
…unintentional emissions of gases or vapors from pressurized equipment due to leaks and other unintended or irregular releases of gases, mostly from contained industrial processes.
Some regulatory limits for fugitive emissions are specified by:
…the Clean Air Act, USA, EPA Procedure 21, and TA-Luft, Germany, VDI 2440. Well-known standards and specifications provide a path to compliance with these laws. These include ISO 15848-1 & 2; API 624; Shell MESC 77- 300/312 and TA Luft VDI 2440.
For ball valves requiring fugitive emissions compliance:
Emerson’s fugitive emissions solutions, with resilient stem packings, meet the stringent ISO 15848-1 Class B standard or better, which means they exceed even the most stringent leakage standards allowed by the EPA and local “designated zone” (DZ) government regulations.
Design characteristics of Emerson’s KTM and Virgo FE-compliant ball valves include:
- Live loaded packing for temperature variations
- Preventing packing rotation
- Highly efficient stem sealing system
- Very smooth stem and stem bore surface finish
- Simultaneous contact between packing, stuffing box and the stem simultaneously
- Independent PTFE [polytetrafluoroethylene] and graphite packings
Read the article for more on pressure and temperature ranges and certification testing.
You can also connect and interact with other valve experts in the Valves group in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.
