§ 60.481a - Definitions.  


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  • § 60.481a Definitions.

    As used in this subpart, all terms not defined herein shall have the meaning given them in the Clean Air Act (CAA) or in subpart A of part 60, and the following terms shall have the specific meanings given them.

    Capital expenditure means, in addition to the definition in 40 CFR 60.2, an expenditure for a physical or operational change to an existing facility that:

    (a) Exceeds P, the product of the facility's replacement cost, R, and an adjusted annual asset guideline repair allowance, A, as reflected by the following equation: P = R × A, where:

    (1) The adjusted annual asset guideline repair allowance, A, is the product of the percent of the replacement cost, Y, and the applicable basic annual asset guideline repair allowance, B, divided by 100 as reflected by the following equation:

    A = Y × (B ÷ 100);

    (2) The percent Y is determined from the following equation: Y = 1.0 − 0.575 log X, where X is 2006 minus the year of construction; and

    (3) The applicable basic annual asset guideline repair allowance, B, is selected from the following table consistent with the applicable subpart:

    Table for Determining Applicable Value for B

    Subpart applicable to facility Value of B to be used in equation
    VVa 12.5
    GGGa 7.0

    Closed-loop system means an enclosed system that returns process fluid to the process.

    Closed-purge system means a system or combination of systems and portable containers to capture purged liquids. Containers for purged liquids must be covered or closed when not being filled or emptied.

    Closed vent system means a system that is not open to the atmosphere and that is composed of hard-piping, ductwork, connections, and, if necessary, flow-inducing devices that transport gas or vapor from a piece or pieces of equipment to a control device or back to a process.

    Connector means flanged, screwed, or other joined fittings used to connect two pipe lines or a pipe line and a piece of process equipment or that close an opening in a pipe that could be connected to another pipe. Joined fittings welded completely around the circumference of the interface are not considered connectors for the purpose of this regulation.

    Control device means an enclosed combustion device, vapor recovery system, or flare.

    Distance piece means an open or enclosed casing through which the piston rod travels, separating the compressor cylinder from the crankcase.

    Double block and bleed system means two block valves connected in series with a bleed valve or line that can vent the line between the two block valves.

    Duct work means a conveyance system such as those commonly used for heating and ventilation systems. It is often made of sheet metal and often has sections connected by screws or crimping. Hard-piping is not ductwork.

    Equipment means each pump, compressor, pressure relief device, sampling connection system, open-ended valve or line, valve, and flange or other connector in VOC service and any devices or systems required by this subpart.

    First attempt at repair means to take action for the purpose of stopping or reducing leakage of organic material to the atmosphere using best practices.

    Fuel gas means gases that are combusted to derive useful work or heat.

    Fuel gas system means the offsite and onsite piping and flow and pressure control system that gathers gaseous stream(s) generated by onsite operations, may blend them with other sources of gas, and transports the gaseous stream for use as fuel gas in combustion devices or in-process combustion equipment, such as furnaces and gas turbines, either singly or in combination.

    Hard-piping means pipe or tubing that is manufactured and properly installed using good engineering judgment and standards such as ASME B31.3, Process Piping (available from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, P.O. Box 2300, Fairfield, NJ 07007-2300).

    In gas/vapor service means that the piece of equipment contains process fluid that is in the gaseous state at operating conditions.

    In heavy liquid service means that the piece of equipment is not in gas/vapor service or in light liquid service.

    In light liquid service means that the piece of equipment contains a liquid that meets the conditions specified in § 60.485a(e).

    In-situ sampling systems means nonextractive samplers or in-line samplers.

    In vacuum service means that equipment is operating at an internal pressure which is at least 5 kilopascals (kPa) (0.7 psia) below ambient pressure.

    In VOC service means that the piece of equipment contains or contacts a process fluid that is at least 10 percent VOC by weight. (The provisions of § 60.485a(d) specify how to determine that a piece of equipment is not in VOC service.)

    Initial calibration value means the concentration measured during the initial calibration at the beginning of each day required in § 60.485a(b)(1), or the most recent calibration if the instrument is recalibrated during the day (i.e., the calibration is adjusted) after a calibration drift assessment.

    Liquids dripping means any visible leakage from the seal including spraying, misting, clouding, and ice formation.

    Open-ended valve or line means any valve, except safety relief valves, having one side of the valve seat in contact with process fluid and one side open to the atmosphere, either directly or through open piping.

    Pressure release means the emission of materials resulting from system pressure being greater than set pressure of the pressure relief device.

    Process improvement means routine changes made for safety and occupational health requirements, for energy savings, for better utility, for ease of maintenance and operation, for correction of design deficiencies, for bottleneck removal, for changing product requirements, or for environmental control.

    Process unit means the components assembled and connected by pipes or ducts to process raw materials and to produce, as intermediate or final products, one or more of the chemicals listed in § 60.489. A process unit can operate independently if supplied with sufficient feed or raw materials and sufficient storage facilities for the product. For the purpose of this subpart, process unit includes any feed, intermediate and final product storage vessels (except as specified in § 60.482-1a(g)), product transfer racks, and connected ducts and piping. A process unit includes all equipment as defined in this subpart.

    Process unit shutdown means a work practice or operational procedure that stops production from a process unit or part of a process unit during which it is technically feasible to clear process material from a process unit or part of a process unit consistent with safety constraints and during which repairs can be accomplished. The following are not considered process unit shutdowns:

    (1) An unscheduled work practice or operational procedure that stops production from a process unit or part of a process unit for less than 24 hours.

    (2) An unscheduled work practice or operational procedure that would stop production from a process unit or part of a process unit for a shorter period of time than would be required to clear the process unit or part of the process unit of materials and start up the unit, and would result in greater emissions than delay of repair of leaking components until the next scheduled process unit shutdown.

    (3) The use of spare equipment and technically feasible bypassing of equipment without stopping production.

    Quarter means a 3-month period; the first quarter concludes on the last day of the last full month during the 180 days following initial startup.

    Repaired means that equipment is adjusted, or otherwise altered, in order to eliminate a leak as defined in the applicable sections of this subpart and, except for leaks identified in accordance with §§ 60.482-2a(b)(2)(ii) and (d)(6)(ii) and (d)(6)(iii), 60.482-3a(f), and 60.482-10a(f)(1)(ii), is re-monitored as specified in § 60.485a(b) to verify that emissions from the equipment are below the applicable leak definition.

    Replacement cost means the capital needed to purchase all the depreciable components in a facility.

    Sampling connection system means an assembly of equipment within a process unit used during periods of representative operation to take samples of the process fluid. Equipment used to take nonroutine grab samples is not considered a sampling connection system.

    Sensor means a device that measures a physical quantity or the change in a physical quantity such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, pH, or liquid level.

    Storage vessel means a tank or other vessel that is used to store organic liquids that are used in the process as raw material feedstocks, produced as intermediates or final products, or generated as wastes. Storage vessel does not include vessels permanently attached to motor vehicles, such as trucks, railcars, barges or ships.

    Synthetic organic chemicals manufacturing industry means the industry that produces, as intermediates or final products, one or more of the chemicals listed in § 60.489.

    Transfer rack means the collection of loading arms and loading hoses, at a single loading rack, that are used to fill tank trucks and/or railcars with organic liquids.

    Volatile organic compounds or VOC means, for the purposes of this subpart, any reactive organic compounds as defined in § 60.2 Definitions.