§ 61.271 - Emission standard.

§ 61.271 Emission standard.

The owner or operator of each storage vessel with a design storage capacity greater than or equal to 38 cubic meters (10,000 gallons) to which this subpart applies shall comply with the requirements in paragraph (d) of this section and with the requirements either in paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this section, or equivalent as provided in § 61.273.

(a) The storage vessel shall be equipped with a fixed roof and an internal floating roof.

(1) An internal floating roof means a cover that rests on the liquid surface (but not necessarily in complete contact with it) inside a storage vessel that has a permanently affixed roof. The internal floating roof shall be floating on the liquid surface at all times, except during initial fill and during those intervals when the storage vessel is completely emptied or subsequently emptied and refilled. When the roof is resting on the leg supports, the process of filling, emptying, or refilling shall be continuous and shall be accomplished as rapidly as possible.

(2) Each internal floating roof shall be equipped with one of the closure devices listed in paragraphs (a)(2) (i), (ii), or (iii) of this section between the wall of the storage vessel and the edge of the internal floating roof. This requirement does not apply to each existing storage vessel for which construction of an internal floating roof equipped with a continuous seal commenced on or before July 28, 1988. A continuous seal means a seal that forms a continuous closure that completely covers the space between the wall of the storage vessel and the edge of the internal floating roof.

(i) A foam- or liquid-filled seal mounted in contact with the liquid (liquid-mounted seal). A liquid-mounted seal means a foam- or liquid-filled seal mounted in contact with the liquid between the wall of the storage vessel and the floating roof continuously around the circumference of the vessel.

(ii) Two seals mounted one above the other so that each forms a continuous closure that completely covers the space between the wall of the storage vessel and the edge of the internal floating roof. The lower seal may be vapor-mounted, but both must be continuous.

(iii) A metallic shoe seal. A metallic shoe seal (also referred to as a mechanical shoe seal) is, but is not limited to, a metal sheet held vertically against the wall of the storage vessel by springs or weighted levers and is connected by braces to the floating roof. A flexible coated fabric (envelope) spans the annular space between the metal sheet and the floating roof.

(3) Automatic bleeder vents are to be closed at all times when the roof is floating, except when the roof is being floated off or is being landed on the roof leg supports.

(4) Each opening in a noncontact internal floating roof except for automatic bleeder vents (vacuum breaker vents) and the rim space vents is to provide a projection below the liquid surface.

(5) Each internal floating roof shall meet the specifications listed below. If an existing storage vessel had an internal floating roof with a continuous seal as of July 28, 1988, the requirements listed below do not have to be met until the first time after September 14, 1989, the vessel is emptied and degassed or September 14, 1999, whichever occurs first,

(i) Each opening in the internal floating roof except for leg sleeves, automatic bleeder vents, rim space vents, column wells, ladder wells, sample wells, and stub drains is to be equipped with a cover or lid. The cover or lid shall be equipped with a gasket. Covers on each access hatch and automatic gauge float well shall be bolted.

(ii) Each penetration of the internal floating roof for the purposes of sampling shall be a sample well. Each sample well shall have a slit fabric cover that covers at least 90 percent of the opening.

(iii) Each automatic bleeder vent shall be gasketed.

(iv) Rim space vents shall be equipped with a gasket.

(v) Each penetration of the internal floating roof that allows for passage of a ladder shall have a gasketed sliding cover.

(vi) Each penetration of the internal floating roof that allows for passage of a column supporting the fixed roof shall have a flexible fabric sleeve seal or a gasketed sliding cover.

(6) Each cover or lid on any opening in the internal floating roof shall be closed (i.e., no visible gaps), except when a device is in actual use Covers on each access hatch and each automatic gauge float well which are equipped with bolts shall be bolted when they are not in use. Rim space vents are to be set to open only when the internal floating roof is not floating or at the manufacturer's recommended setting.

(b) The storage vessel shall have an external floating roof.

(1) An external floating roof means a pontoon-type or double-deck-type cover that rests on the liquid surface in a vessel with no fixed roof.

(2) Each external floating roof shall be equipped with a closure device between the wall of the storage vessel and the roof edge. Except as provided in paragraph (b)(5) of this section, the closure device is to consist of two seals, one above the other. The lower seal is referred to as the primary seal and the upper seal is referred to as the secondary seal.

(i) The primary seal shall be either a metallic shoe seal or a liquid-mounted seal. A liquid-mounted seal means a foam- or liquid-filled seal mounted in contact with the liquid between the wall of the storage vessel and the floating roof continuously around the circumference of the vessel. A metallic shoe seal (which can also be referred to as a mechanical shoe seal) is, but is not limited to, a metal sheet held vertically against the wall of the storage vessel by springs or weighted levers and is connected by braces to the floating roof. A flexible coated fabric (envelope) spans the annular space between the metal sheet and the floating roof. Except as provided in § 61.272(b)(4), the primary seal shall completely cover the annular space between the edge of the floating roof and the vessel wall.

(ii) The secondary seal shall completely cover the annular space between the external floating roof and the wall of the storage vessel in a continuous fashion except as allowed in § 61.272(b)(4).

(3) Except for automatic bleeder vents and rim space vents, each opening in the noncontact external floating roof shall provide a projection below the liquid surface. Except for automatic bleeder vents, rim space vents, roof drains, and leg sleeves, each opening in the roof is to be equipped with a gasketed cover, seal or lid which is to be maintained in a closed position at all times (i.e., no visible gap) except when the device is in actual use. Automatic bleeder vents are to be closed at all times when the roof is floating, except when the roof is being floated off or is being landed on the roof leg supports. Rim vents are to be set to open when the roof is being floated off the roof leg supports or at the manufacturer's recommended setting. Automatic bleeder vents and rim space vents are to be gasketed. Each emergency roof drain is to be provided with a slotted membrane fabric cover that covers at least 90 percent of the area of the opening.

(4) The roof shall be floating on the liquid at all times (i.e., off the roof leg supports) except during initial fill until the roof is lifted off leg supports and when the vessel is completely emptied and subsequently refilled. The process of emptying and refilling when the roof is resting on the leg supports shall be continuous and shall be accomplished as rapidly as possible.

(5) The requirement for a secondary seal does not apply to each existing storage vessel that was equipped with a liquid-mounted primary seal as of July 28, 1988, until after the first time after September 14, 1989, when the vessel is emptied and degassed or 10 years from September 14, 1989, whichever occurs first.

(c) The storage vessel shall be equipped with a closed vent system and a control device.

(1) The closed vent system shall be designed to collect all benzene vapors and gases discharged from the storage vessel and operated with no detectable emissions, as indicated by an instrument reading of less than 500 ppm above background and visual inspections, as determined in § 61.242-11 (subpart V).

(2) The control device shall be designed and operated to reduce inlet benzene emissions by 95 percent or greater. If a flare is used as the control device, it shall meet the specifications described in the general control device requirements of 40 CFR 60.18.

(3) The specifications and requirements listed in paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section for closed vent systems and control devices do not apply during periods of routine maintenance. During periods of routine maintenance, the benzene level in the storage vessel(s) serviced by the control device subject to the provisions of § 61.271(c) may be lowered but not raised. Periods of routine maintenance shall not exceed 72 hours as outlined in the maintenance plan required by § 61.272(c)(1)(iii).

(4) The specifications and requirements listed in paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section for closed vents and control devices do not apply during a control system malfunction. A control system malfunction means any sudden and unavoidable failure of air pollution control equipment. A failure caused entirely or in part by design deficiencies, poor maintenance, careless operation, or other preventable upset condition or equipment breakdown is not considered a malfunction.

(d) The owner or operator of each affected storage vessel shall meet the requirements of paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this section or § 61.270(g) as follows:

(1) The owner or operator of each existing benzene storage vessel shall meet the requirements of paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this section no later than 90 days after September 14, 1989, with the exceptions noted in paragraphs (a)(5) and (b)(5), unless a waiver of compliance has been approved by the Administrator in accordance with § 61.11.

(2) The owner or operator of each benzene storage vessel upon which construction commenced after September 14, 1989 shall meet the requirements of paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this section or § 61.270(g) prior to filling (i.e., roof is lifted off leg supports) the storage vessel with benzene.

(3) The owner or operator of each benzene storage vessel upon which construction commenced on or after July 28, 1988, and before September 14, 1989, shall meet the requirements of paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this section on September 14, 1989.

[54 FR 38077, Sept. 14, 1989; 54 FR 50887, Dec. 11, 1989, as amended at 65 FR 78284, Dec. 14, 2000]