Texas Administrative Code › Title 30 - ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY › Part 1 - TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY › Chapter 115 - CONTROL OF AIR POLLUTION FROM VOLATILE ORGANIC › Subchapter B - GENERAL VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND SOURCES › Division 7 - OIL AND NATURAL GAS SERVICE IN OZONE NONATTAINMENT AREAS › Section 115.178 - Monitoring and Inspection Requirements

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) At least once each calendar year, an
					 owner or operator shall conduct an audio, visual, and olfactory inspection of
					 each compressor seal cover for defects that may result in air emissions, except
					 as provided in subsection (c) of this section. Defects include, but are not
					 limited to, visible cracks, holes, or gaps in the cover, or between the cover
					 and the separator wall; broken, cracked, or otherwise damaged seals or gaskets
					 on cover devices; and broken or missing hatches, access covers, caps, or other
					 cover devices. Repairs must be made in accordance with subsection (e) of this
					 section.
(b) The following
					 monitoring and inspection requirements apply to closed vent systems routed to a
					 control device, including routing to a process, used to demonstrate compliance
					 with the control requirements of this division, except as specified in
					 subsection (c) of this section. For the purpose of this subsection, a leak is a
					 measured volatile organic compounds (VOC) concentration of equal to or greater
					 than 500 parts per million by volume (ppmv). Defects that could result in air
					 emissions include visible cracks, holes, or gaps in piping; loose connections;
					 liquid leaks; or broken or missing cover devices. Repairs of equipment with a
					 leak or detection of a defect in equipment must be made in accordance with
					 subsection (e) of this section.
(1) The owner
					 or operator shall conduct initial inspection and monitoring by the appropriate
					 compliance date listed in § 115.183 of this title (relating to Compliance
					 Schedules), using United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 21
					 in 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 60, Appendix A-7 on all closed
					 vent system components to demonstrate that the closed vent system operates with
					 no leaks. The instrument response factor criteria in EPA Method 21 in 40 CFR
					 Part 60 , Section 8.1.1 must be for the average composition of the stream and
					 not for each individual VOC constituent.
(2) The owner or operator shall conduct
					 annual monitoring and inspections following the initial inspection conducted in
					 paragraph (1) of this subsection.
(A) The
					 owner or operator shall conduct an audio, visual, and olfactory inspection on
					 closed vent system joints, seams, or other connections that are permanently or
					 semi-permanently sealed (e.g., a welded joint between two sections of hard
					 piping or a bolted and gasketed ducting flange) for defects that could result
					 in air emissions. For an inspection using EPA Method 21 in 40 CFR Part 60,
					 Appendix A-7, monitoring must be performed to demonstrate that there are no
					 leaks following any time a component is repaired or the closed vent system
					 connection is unsealed.
(B) The
					 owner or operator shall monitor the closed vent system components and
					 connections using EPA Method 21 in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7, other than
					 those subject to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, to demonstrate that the
					 closed vent system operates with no leaks.
(3) The owner or operator of a closed vent
					 system routed to a control device, including routing to a process, used to
					 demonstrate compliance with the control requirements of this division, must
					 conduct monitoring using EPA Method 21 in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7 to
					 demonstrate there are no leaks from the closed vent system.
(A) The instrument response factor criteria
					 in EPA Method 21 in 40 CFR Part 60, Section 8.1.1 must be for the average
					 composition of the stream and not for each individual VOC constituent. For
					 process streams that contain nitrogen, air, or other inert gases that are not
					 VOC, the average stream response factor is calculated on an inert-free
					 basis.
(B) An owner or operator
					 shall calibrate the detection instrument using the procedures specified in EPA
					 Method 21 in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7 before use on each day the instrument
					 is used.
(C) The following
					 calibration gases must be used.
(i) Zero air
					 must contain less than 10 ppmv hydrocarbon in air.
(ii) The other calibration gases must be
					 mixtures of methane or n-hexane in air, one with a concentration either of less
					 than 10,000 ppmv, and another with a concentration of no more than 2,000 ppmv
					 greater than the leak definition concentration of the equipment monitored. If
					 the design of the monitoring instrument allows for multiple calibration scales,
					 then the lower scale shall be calibrated with a calibration gas that is no
					 higher than 2,000 ppmv above the concentration specified as a leak, and the
					 highest scale shall be calibrated with a calibration gas that is approximately
					 equal to 10,000 ppmv. If only one scale on an instrument will be used during
					 monitoring, the owner or operator is not required to calibrate the scales that
					 will not be used during monitoring that day.
(D) The owner or operator shall follow EPA
					 Method 21 in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7 to adjust instrument readings if
					 choosing to account for the background VOC level.
(E) Using the following parameters, the owner
					 or operator shall determine if a potential leak interface operates with no
					 detectable emissions. A potential leak interface is determined to operate with
					 no detectable VOC emissions if the organic concentration value is less than 500
					 ppmv.
(i) If an owner or operator chooses not
					 to adjust the detection instrument readings for the background VOC
					 concentration level, then the maximum organic concentration value measured by
					 the detection instrument must be compared to the 500 ppmv value for the
					 potential leak interface.
(ii) If
					 an owner or operator chooses to adjust the detection instrument readings for
					 the background VOC concentration level, an owner or operator shall compare the
					 value of the arithmetic difference between the maximum organic concentration
					 value measured by the instrument and the background organic concentration value
					 with the 500 ppmv value for the potential leak interface.