§ 63.1043 - Standards - Separator floating roof.

§ 63.1043 Standards - Separator floating roof.

(a) This section applies to owners and operators subject to this subpart and controlling air emissions from an oil-water separator or organic-water separator using a floating roof.

(b) The separator shall be equipped with a floating roof designed to meet the following specifications:

(1) The floating roof shall be designed to float on the liquid surface during normal operations.

(2) The floating roof shall be equipped with two continuous seals, one above the other, between the wall of the separator and the roof edge. 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 a liquid-mounted seal or a metallic shoe seal, as defined in § 63.1041 of this subpart. The total area of the gaps between the separator wall and the primary seal shall not exceed 67 square centimeters (cm²) per meter of separator wall perimeter, and the width of any portion of these gaps shall not exceed 3.8 centimeters (cm).

(ii) The secondary seal shall be mounted above the primary seal and cover the annular space between the floating roof and the wall of the separator. The total area of the gaps between the separator wall and the secondary seal shall not exceed 6.7 square centimeters (cm²) per meter of separator wall perimeter, and the width of any portion of these gaps shall not exceed 1.3 centimeters (cm).

(3) Except as provided for in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, each opening in the floating roof shall be equipped with a closure device designed to operate such that when the closure device is secured in the closed position there are no visible cracks, holes, gaps, or other open spaces in the closure device or between the perimeter of the cover opening and the closure device.

(4) The floating roof may be equipped with one or more emergency roof drains for removal of stormwater. Each emergency roof drain shall be equipped with a slotted membrane fabric cover that covers at least 90 percent of the area of the opening or a flexible fabric sleeve seal.

(c) Whenever a regulated-material is in the separator, the floating roof shall float on the liquid (i.e., off the roof supports) and each closure device shall be secured in the closed position except as follows:

(1) Opening of closure devices is allowed at the following times:

(i) To provide access to the separator for performing routine inspection, maintenance, or other activities needed for normal operations. Examples of such activities include those times when a worker needs to open a port to sample the liquid in the separator, or when a worker needs to open a hatch to maintain or repair equipment. Following completion of the activity, the owner or operator shall promptly secure the closure device in the closed position.

(ii) To remove accumulated sludge or other residues from the bottom of separator.

(2) Opening of a safety device, as defined in § 63.1041 of this subpart, is allowed at any time conditions require it to do so to avoid an unsafe condition.

(d) The owner or operator shall inspect the floating roof in accordance with the procedures specified in § 63.1047(b) of this subpart.