# REVISED PROPOSED June 15, 2006

RULE 4311 FLARES (Adopted June 20, 2002)

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this rule is to limit the emi ssions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from the operation of flares.

2.0 Applicability

This rule is applicable to operations involving th e use of flares. flares that are owned and operated by major sources.

3.0 Definitions

3.1 Air-Assisted Flare: a combustion device wh ere forced air is injected to promote turbulence for mixing and to provide combustion air.

3.2 Air Pollution Control Officer (APCO): as defined in Rule 1020 (Definitions).

3.3 Air Resources Board (ARB or CARB): as defined in Rule 1020 (Definitions).

3.4 Coanda Effect Flare: A flar e in which the high pressure flare gas flows along a curved surface inspirating air into th e gas to promote combustion.

3.5 Emergency: any situation or a conditi on arising from a sudden and reasonably unforeseeable event beyond the control of the operator. An emergency situation requires immediate corrective action to restore safe operati on. A planned flaring event shall not be considered as an emergency.

3.6 Enclosed Flare: a flare composed of multiple gas burners that are grouped in an enclosure, and are staged to operate at a wide range of flow rates.

3.7 Flare: a direct combustion device in whic h air and all combustible gases react at the burner with the objective of complete and instantaneous oxidation of th e combustible gases. Flares are used either continuously or intermittently and are not equipped with devices for fuel-air mix control or for temperature control.

3.8 Flare Gas: gas burned in a flare.

3.9 Gaseous Fuel: any gases used as combustion fuel which include, but are not limited to, any natural, process, synthetic, landfill, sewage digester, or waste gases. Gaseous fuel includes produced gas, pilot gas and, when burned, purge gas.

3.7 Major Source: as defined in Rule 2201 (N ew and Modified Stationary Source Review Rule).

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3.10 Non-Assisted Flare: a combustion devi ce without any auxiliary provision for enhancing the mixing of air into its flame. This definition does not include those flares, that by design, provide excess air at the flare tip.

3.11 NOx: any nitrogen oxide compounds

3.12 Open Flare: a vertically or horizontally oriented open pi pe flare from which gases are

released into the air before combustion is commenced.

3.13 Planned Flaring: a flaring operation that constitutes a de signed and planned process at a source, and which would have been reasonably foreseen ahead of its actual occurrence, or is scheduled to occur. The operation of a flare for the purpose of performing equipment maintenance provided it does not exceed 200 hours per calendar year, or during compliance source testing or visible emission inspections is not considered planned flaring. Planned flar ing includes, but is not limited to, the following flaring activities:

3.13.1 Oil or gas well tests, well related wo rk, tests ordered by a regulatory agency.

3.13.2 Equipment depressuriza tion for maintenance purposes.

3.13.3 Equipment start-up or shutdown.

3.13.4 Flaring of gas at production sources wh ere no gas handling, gas injection or gas

transmission facilities exists.

3.13.5 Flaring of off-specification gas (i.e. non PUC quality gas), unless the operator can demonstrate that the gas must be flar ed for engineering or safety reasons, e.g., under emergency.

3.14 Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Quality Gas: any gase ous fuel, gas containing fuel

where the sulfur content is no more than one-fourth (0.25) grain of hydrogen sulfide per one hundred (100) standard cubic feet and no more than fi ve grains of to tal sulfur per one hundred (100) standard c ubic feet. PUC quality gas shal l also mean high methane (at least 80 % by volume) ga s as specified in PUC's General Order 58-A.

3.15 Purge Gas: Nitrogen, carbon dioxide, liquefied petroleum gas, or natural gas, any of

which can be used to maintain a non-explosive mixture of ga ses in the flare header or provide sufficient exit velocity to prevent any regressive flame travel back into the flare

header.

3.16 Steam-Assisted Flare: a combustion de vice where steam is injected into the combustion zone to promote turbulence for th e mixing of the combus tion air before it is

introduced to the flame.

3.17 Total Organic Gases: all hydrocarbon compounds cont aining hydrogen and carbon

with or without other chemical elements.

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3.18 U.S. EPA: the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

3.19 Volatile Organic Compound (VOC): as defined in Rule 1020 (Definitions).

4.0 Exemptions

4.1 Flares operated in municipal solid wast e landfills subject to the requirements of Rule 4642 (Solid Waste Disposal Sites) are exempt from this rule.

4.2 Flares that are subject to the re quirements of 40 CFR 60 Subpart WWW (Standards of Performance for Munici pal Waste Landfills), or Subpart Cc (Emission Guidelines and Compliance Times for Municipal Solid WasteLandfills) are exempt from this rule.

4.3 Except for the recordkeeping requirements in Section 6.2.4, the requirements of this rule shall not apply to any stationary source that has the pot ential to emit, for all processes, less than te n (10.0) tons per y ear of VOC and less than ten (10.0) tons per year of NOx.

5.0 Requirements

The owner or operator of any source subject to this rule shall comply with the following requirements:

5.1 Flares that are permitted to operate only during an emergency are not subject to the requirements of Sections 5.6 and 5.7.

5.2 The flame shall be present at all times wh en combustible gases are vented through the

flare.

5.3 The outlet shall be equipped with an automa tic ignition system, or, shall operate with a pilot flame present at all times when combus tible gases are vented through the flare, except during purge periods for automatic-ignition equipped flares.

5.4 Except for flares equipped with a flow-sen sing ignition system, a heat sensing device such as a thermocouple, ultr aviolet beam sensor, infrared sensor, or an equivalent device, capable of continuously detecting at least one pilot flame or the flare flame is present shall be installed and operated.

5.5 Flares that use flow-sensing automa tic ignition systems and which do not use a continuous flame pilot shall use purge gas for purging.

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5.6 Open flares (air-assisted, steam-assiste d, or non-assisted) in which the flare gas pressure is less than 5 psig shall be operated in such a manner that meets the provisions

of 40 CFR 60.18. The requirements of this section shall not apply to Coanda effect

flares.

5.7 Ground-level enclosed flares shall meet the following emission standards:

Type of Flare and Heat Release

Rate in MMBtu/hr VOC (lb/MMBtu) NOx (lb/MMBtu)

Without Steam-assist

<10 MMBtu 0.0051 0.0952

10-100 MMBtu 0.0027 0.1330

>100 MMBtu 0.0013 0.5240

With Steam-assist

All 0.14 as TOG 0.068

6.0 Administrative Requirements

6.1 Compliance Determination

6.1.1 Upon request the operator of flares that are subject to Section 5.6 shall make available to the APCO the compliance de termination records that demonstrate compliance with the provisions of 40 CFR 60.18, (c)(3) through (c)(5).

6.1.2 The operator of ground-level enclosed flares shall conduct source testing at least once every 12 months to demonstr ate compliance with Section 5.7. The operator shall submit a copy of the testing protocol to the APCO at least 30 days in advance of the sc heduled testing. The opera tor shall submit the source test results not later than 45 days af ter completion of the source testing.

6.2 Recordkeeping

The following records shall be maintained, retained on-site for a minimum of five years, and made available to the APCO, ARB, and U.S. EPA upon request: The operator shall keep the following records in the facility for a peri od of at least five

years.

6.2.1 Copy of the compliance determinati on conducted pursuant to Section 6.1.1.

6.2.2 Copy of the source testing result conducted pursuant to Section 6.1.2.

6.2.3 For flares used during an emergency, reco rd of the duration of flare operation, amount of gas burned, and the nature of the emergency situation.

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6.2.4 Beginning January 1, 2007, facilities cl aiming an exemption pursuant to

Section 4.3 shall record annua l throughput, material usage, or other information necessary to demonstrate an exemption under that section.

6.3 Test Methods

The test methods listed below shall be used to demonstrate compliance with this rule. Alternate equivalent test methods may be used provided the test methods have been approved by the APCO and EPA.

6.3.1 VOC, measured and calculated as carb on, shall be determined by EPA Method 25, except when the outlet concentration must be below 50 ppm in order to meet the standard, in which case Met hod 25a may be used, and analysis of halogenated exempt compounds shall be analyzed by EPA Method 18 or ARB

Method 422 “Determination of Volatile orga nic Compounds in Emission from Stationary Sources”. The VOC concentr ation in ppmv shall be converted to pounds per million Btu (lb/MMBtu) by using the following equation:

VOC in lb/MMBtu = )%9.20()10135.1( )/,()(

2 6 O xx MMBtu dscfFxdryppmv

−

Where: F = As determined by EPA Method 19

6.3.2 NOx emissions in pounds per million BTU shall be determined by using EPA

Method 19.

6.3.3 NOx and O 2 concentrations shall be determined by using EPA Method 3A, EPA Method 7E, or ARB 100.

7.0 Compliance Schedule

7.1 Flares at facilities with a potential to emit more than 25 tons per year of VOC or NOx that are installed and in oper ation before June 20, 2002 shall be in compliance with this rule by December 20, 2003.

7.2 Flares , at facilities with a potential to emit more than 25 tons per year of VOCs or NOx,

that are installed or constructed on or af ter June 20, 2002, shall be in compliance with this rule upon initial operation and thereafter.

7.3 Flares that are installed before June 15, 2006 at facilities, whic h emit or have the potential to emit between 10 tons per year and 25 tons per year shall demonstrate compliance with this rule by January 1, 2008.

7.4 Flares, at facilities with a potential to em it between 10 tons per year and 25 tons per year of VOCs or NOx that are installed or constructed on or after June 15, 2006, shall be in compliance with this rule upon initial operation and thereafter.

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