Must an oil and gas recovery system be installed in the methanol loading and unloading system?
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During the process of receiving and dispatching oil at oil storage facilities, emissions of oil and gas must comply with the provisions of the \"Emission Standards for Air Pollutants from Oil Storage Facilities\" (GB 20950-2020). The definitions of some terms in this **mandatory standard are as follows: Oil products: a general term for crude oil, gasoline (including alcohol-based gasoline and aviation gasoline), aviation kerosene, and naphtha. (Note: This also includes circulating oil, component oil, condensate, light oil, etc., stored in oil storage tanks and having volatile characteristics similar to those of the aforementioned oils.) ) Oil and gas: VOCs generated during the storage of oil in reservoirs and the receipt and dispatch of oil products; this standard uses total non-methane hydrocarbons as the parameter for controlling oil and gas emissions. In one of our company’s design projects, there is a process flow involving the loading of liquid methanol. Our design team believes that, in accordance with the provisions of the \"Technical Standards for Oil and Gas Recovery Facilities\" (GB/T 50759-2022), the saturated vapor pressure of common methanol products at ambient temperature is much higher than the specified limit of 7.9 kPa; therefore, oil and gas recovery facilities should be installed. However, Party A does not agree with this. Party A believes that GB/T 50759-2022 is a recommended standard, and it is not necessary to adopt it for this project; compliance with the \"Emission Standards for Air Pollutants from Oil Storage Tanks\" (GB 20950-2020) is sufficient. Moreover, methanol falls outside the scope of the definitions provided in the aforementioned standards, meaning that methanol is not considered an oil product, and therefore there is no need to install facilities for oil and gas recovery. So, must the methanol loading and unloading system be equipped with oil and vapor recovery facilities? I also earnestly request your valuable advice, colleagues.
Whether an oil and vapor recovery system must be installed in the methanol loading and unloading system depends on an interpretation of the specific provisions and scope of application of the \"Emission Standards for Air Pollutants from Oil Storage Tanks\" (GB 20950-2020) and the \"Technical Standards for Oil and Vapor Recovery Systems\" (GB/T 50759-2022). According to the information you provided, GB/T 50759-2022 is a recommended standard, whereas GB 20950-2020 is a mandatory standard. Party A believes that methanol does not fall under the category of \"oil products\" as defined in the \"Emission Standards for Air Pollutants from Oil Storage Tanks\" (GB 20950-2020), and therefore argues that it is not necessary to install facilities for oil and vapor recovery. This view is primarily based on the fact that methanol does not fall under the categories of oils specified in this standard, which is mainly aimed at the storage and handling of traditional oils such as crude oil and gasoline.
We use an absorption tower to treat the methanol here; it’s certain that it must be treated before being discharged, and it must meet **VOC emission standards.
Thank you, so it means that emissions must not occur in an unorganized manner, right?
This post was last edited by speedhorse09 on 2024-3-28 at 13:44. There are limitations related to vapor pressure; the names refer to oil products, and essentially all of them are volatile substances with high saturated vapor pressures. It’s better not to follow rules mechanically – each case should be analyzed individually. Take a close look at the specifications; they explain things quite clearly
Do the exhaust gases from an 80m³ acetic anhydride storage tank need to comply with this standard?
They are required to provide an environmental impact assessment for the project, which will include relevant requirements regarding recycling and treatment processes; an approval for such an environmental impact assessment certainly will not permit large-scale uncontrolled emissions of VOCs.
I believe the key to communicating with the client is to determine whether, in the absence of oil and vapor recovery systems, there are other mechanisms available to ensure that VOC levels do not exceed the allowed limits during loading and unloading processes.