§ 63.1329 - Process contact cooling towers provisions.

§ 63.1329 Process contact cooling towers provisions.

(a) The owner or operator of each new affected source that manufactures PET is required to comply with paragraph (b) of this section. The owner or operator of each existing affected source that manufactures PET using a continuous terephthalic acid high viscosity multiple end finisher process that utilizes a process contact cooling tower shall comply with paragraph (c) of this section, and is not required to comply with paragraph (b) of this section. The compliance date for process contact cooling towers subject to the provisions of this section is specified in § 63.1311.

(b) New affected source requirements. The owner or operator of a new affected source subject to this section shall comply with paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(2) of this section.

(1) The owner or operator of a new affected source subject to this section shall not send contact condenser effluent associated with a vacuum system to a process contact cooling tower.

(2) The owner or operator of a new affected source subject to this section shall indicate in the Notification of Compliance Status, as required in § 63.1335(e)(5), that contact condenser effluent associated with vacuum systems is not sent to process contact cooling towers.

(c) Existing affected source requirements. The owner or operator of an existing affected source subject to this section who manufactures PET using a continuous terephthalic acid high viscosity multiple end finisher process and who is subject or becomes subject to 40 CFR part 60, subpart DDD, shall maintain an ethylene glycol concentration in the process contact cooling tower at or below 6.0 percent by weight averaged on a daily basis over a rolling 14-day period of operating days. Compliance with this paragraph (c) shall be determined as specified in paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(4) of this section. It should be noted that compliance with this paragraph (c) does not exempt owners or operators from complying with the provisions of § 63.1330 for those process wastewater streams that are sent to the process contact cooling tower.

(1) To determine the ethylene glycol concentration, owners or operators shall follow the procedures specified in 40 CFR 60.564(j)(1), except as provided in paragraph (c)(2) of this section.

(i) At least one sample per operating day shall be collected using the procedures specified in 40 CFR 60.564(j)(1)(i). An average ethylene glycol concentration by weight shall be calculated on a daily basis over a rolling 14-day period of operating days. Each daily average ethylene glycol concentration so calculated constitutes a performance test.

(ii) The owner or operator may elect to reduce the sampling program to any 14 consecutive operating day period once every two calendar months, if at least seventeen consecutive 14-day rolling average concentrations immediately preceding the reduced sampling program are each less than 1.2 weight percent ethylene glycol. If the average concentration obtained over the 14 operating day sampling during the reduced test period exceeds the upper 95 percent confidence interval calculated from the most recent test results in which no one 14-day average exceeded 1.2 weight percent ethylene glycol, then the owner or operator shall reinstitute a daily sampling program. The 95 percent confidence interval shall be calculated as specified in paragraph (c)(1)(iii) of this section. A reduced program may be reinstituted if the requirements specified in this paragraph (c)(1)(ii) are met.

(iii) The upper 95 percent confidence interval shall be calculated using the Equation 27 of this subpart:

Where:

CI₉₅ = 95 percent confidence interval

X_i = daily ethylene glycol concentration for each operating day used to calculate each 14-day rolling average used in test results to justify implementing the reduced testing program.

n = number of ethylene glycol concentrations.

(2) Measuring an alternative parameter, such as carbon oxygen demand or biological oxygen demand, that is demonstrated to be directly proportional to the ethylene glycol concentration shall be allowed. Such parameter shall be measured during the initial 14-day performance test during which the facility is shown to be in compliance with the ethylene glycol concentration standard whereby the ethylene glycol concentration is determined using the procedures described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section. The alternative parameter shall be measured on a daily basis and the average value of the alternative parameter shall be calculated on a daily basis over a rolling 14-day period of operating days. Each daily average value of the alternative parameter constitutes a performance test.

(i) Where 40 CFR 60.564(j)(1) requires the use of ASTM D2908-74 or 91, “Standard Practice for Measuring Volatile Organic Matter in Water by Aqueous-Injection Gas Chromatography,” ASTM D2908-91 (2011), D2908-91 (2005), D2908-91 (2001), D2908-91, or D2908-74 (all standards incorporated by reference, see § 63.14) may be used.

(ii) Where 40 CFR 60.564(j)(1)(i) requires the use of ASTM D3370-76 or 95a, “Standard Practices for Sampling Water from Closed Conduits,” ASTM D3370-10, D3370-08, D3370-07, D3370-95a, or D3370-76 (all standards incorporated by reference, see § 63.14) may be used.

(3) During each performance test, daily measurement and daily average 14-day rolling averages of the ethylene glycol concentration in the cooling tower water shall be recorded. For the initial performance test, these records shall be submitted in the Notification of Compliance Status report.

(4) All periods when the 14-day rolling average exceeds the standard shall be reported in the Periodic Report.

[61 FR 48229, Sept. 12, 1996, as amended at 65 FR 38124, June 19, 2000; 79 FR 17366, Mar. 27, 2014]