§ 266.111 - Standards for direct transfer.

§ 266.111 Standards for direct transfer.

(a) Applicability. The regulations in this section apply to owners and operators of boilers and industrial furnaces subject to §§ 266.102 or 266.103 if hazardous waste is directly transferred from a transport vehicle to a boiler or industrial furnace without the use of a storage unit.

(b) Definitions.

(1) When used in this section, the following terms have the meanings given below:

Direct transfer equipment means any device (including but not limited to, such devices as piping, fittings, flanges, valves, and pumps) that is used to distribute, meter, or control the flow of hazardous waste between a container (i.e., transport vehicle) and a boiler or industrial furnace.

Container means any portable device in which hazardous waste is transported, stored, treated, or otherwise handled, and includes transport vehicles that are containers themselves (e.g., tank trucks, tanker-trailers, and rail tank cars), and containers placed on or in a transport vehicle.

(2) This section references several requirements provided in subparts I and J of parts 264 and 265. For purposes of this section, the term “tank systems” in those referenced requirements means direct transfer equipment as defined in paragraph (b)(1) of this section.

(c) General operating requirements.

(1) No direct transfer of a pumpable hazardous waste shall be conducted from an open-top container to a boiler or industrial furnace.

(2) Direct transfer equipment used for pumpable hazardous waste shall always be closed, except when necessary to add or remove the waste, and shall not be opened, handled, or stored in a manner that may cause any rupture or leak.

(3) The direct transfer of hazardous waste to a boiler or industrial furnace shall be conducted so that it does not:

(i) Generate extreme heat or pressure, fire, explosion, or violent reaction;

(ii) Produce uncontrolled toxic mists, fumes, dusts, or gases in sufficient quantities to threaten human health;

(iii) Produce uncontrolled flammable fumes or gases in sufficient quantities to pose a risk of fire or explosions;

(iv) Damage the structural integrity of the container or direct transfer equipment containing the waste;

(v) Adversely affect the capability of the boiler or industrial furnace to meet the standards provided by §§ 266.104 through 266.107; or

(vi) Threaten human health or the environment.

(4) Hazardous waste shall not be placed in direct transfer equipment, if it could cause the equipment or its secondary containment system to rupture, leak, corrode, or otherwise fail.

(5) The owner or operator of the facility shall use appropriate controls and practices to prevent spills and overflows from the direct transfer equipment or its secondary containment systems. These include at a minimum:

(i) Spill prevention controls (e.g., check valves, dry discount couplings); and

(ii) Automatic waste feed cutoff to use if a leak or spill occurs from the direct transfer equipment.

(d) Areas where direct transfer vehicles (containers) are located. Applying the definition of container under this section, owners and operators must comply with the following requirements:

(1) The containment requirements of § 264.175 of this chapter;

(2) The use and management requirements of subpart I, part 265 of this chapter, except for §§ 265.170 and 265.174, and except that in lieu of the special requirements of § 265.176 for ignitable or reactive waste, the owner or operator may comply with the requirements for the maintenance of protective distances between the waste management area and any public ways, streets, alleys, or an adjacent property line that can be built upon as required in Tables 2-1 through 2-6 2–1 through 2–6 of the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) “Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code,” (1977 or 1981), (incorporated by reference, see § 260.11). The owner or operator must obtain and keep on file at the facility a written certification by the local Fire Marshall that the installation meets the subject NFPA codes; and

(3) The closure requirements of § 264.178 of this chapter.

(e) Direct transfer equipment. Direct transfer equipment must meet the following requirements:

(1) Secondary containment. Owners and operators shall comply with the secondary containment requirements of § 265.193 of this chapter, except for paragraphs 265.193 (a), (d), (e), and (i) as follows:

(i) For all new direct transfer equipment, prior to their being put into service; and

(ii) For existing direct transfer equipment within 2 years after August 21, 1991.

(2) Requirements prior to meeting secondary containment requirements.

(i) For existing direct transfer equipment that does not have secondary containment, the owner or operator shall determine whether the equipment is leaking or is unfit for use. The owner or operator shall obtain and keep on file at the facility a written assessment reviewed and certified by a qualified, registered professional engineer in accordance with § 270.11(d) of this chapter that attests to the equipment's integrity by August 21, 1992.

(ii) This assessment shall determine whether the direct transfer equipment is adequately designed and has sufficient structural strength and compatibility with the waste(s) to be transferred to ensure that it will not collapse, rupture, or fail. At a minimum, this assessment shall consider the following:

(A) Design standard(s), if available, according to which the direct transfer equipment was constructed;

(B) Hazardous characteristics of the waste(s) that have been or will be handled;

(C) Existing corrosion protection measures;

(D) Documented age of the equipment, if available, (otherwise, an estimate of the age); and

(E) Results of a leak test or other integrity examination such that the effects of temperature variations, vapor pockets, cracks, leaks, corrosion, and erosion are accounted for.

(iii) If, as a result of the assessment specified above, the direct transfer equipment is found to be leaking or unfit for use, the owner or operator shall comply with the requirements of §§ 265.196 (a) and (b) of this chapter.

(3) Inspections and recordkeeping.

(i) The owner or operator must inspect at least once each operating hour when hazardous waste is being transferred from the transport vehicle (container) to the boiler or industrial furnace:

(A) Overfill/spill control equipment (e.g., waste-feed cutoff systems, bypass systems, and drainage systems) to ensure that it is in good working order;

(B) The above ground portions of the direct transfer equipment to detect corrosion, erosion, or releases of waste (e.g., wet spots, dead vegetation); and

(C) Data gathered from monitoring equipment and leak-detection equipment, (e.g., pressure and temperature gauges) to ensure that the direct transfer equipment is being operated according to its design.

(ii) The owner or operator must inspect cathodic protection systems, if used, to ensure that they are functioning properly according to the schedule provided by § 265.195(b) of this chapter:

(iii) Records of inspections made under this paragraph shall be maintained in the operating record at the facility, and available for inspection for at least 3 years from the date of the inspection.

(4) Design and installation of new ancillary equipment. Owners and operators must comply with the requirements of § 265.192 of this chapter.

(5) Response to leaks or spills. Owners and operators must comply with the requirements of § 265.196 of this chapter.

(6) Closure. Owners and operators must comply with the requirements of § 265.197 of this chapter, except for § 265.197 (c)(2) through (c)(4).

[50 FR 666, Jan. 4, 1985, as amended at 56 FR 42515, Aug. 27, 1991]