Federal regulations require refiners to routinely monitor for leaks and to fix any equipment found leaking. EPA estimates that the failure to identify and repair leaks at petroleum refineries could be resulting in additional VOC emissions of 80 million pounds annually. VOCs contribute to ground-level ozone, a principal component of smog, which can cause significant health and environmental problems. Many State and local air agencies incorporate federal requirements but some have established more stringent requirements as authorized by law. The various regulations require refineries to implement an LDAR program to reduce fugitive emissions from valves, pumps, compressors, pressure relief valves, flanges, connectors, and other piping components.
Valves are usually the single largest source of fugitive emissions.
Emissions from any single piece of equipment are usually small. Based on the large number of equipment components that can leak and are subject to LDAR requirements, however, cumulative emissions can be very large. LDAR Programs Should Consist of Several Processes LDAR programs are generally comprised of four processes. Compliance issues associated with each of these processes have resulted in numerous enforcement actions by EPA Regional offices, State agencies, or local air boards, depending on the specific regulations. For 17 facilities investigated by NEIC, the average leak rate reported by the facilities was 1.3 percent.