(a) The owner or operator shall identify the components of each process unit in highly-reactive volatile organic compound (HRVOC) service that is subject to this division (relating to Fugitive Emissions). Such identification must allow for ready identification of the components, and distinction from any components that are not subject to this division. The components must be identified by one or more of the following methods:
  (1) a plant site plan;
  (2) color coding;
  (3) a written or electronic database;
  (4) designation of process unit boundaries;
  (5) some form of weatherproof identification; or
  (6) process flow diagrams that exhibit sufficient detail to identify major pieces of equipment, including major process flows to, from, and within a process unit. Major equipment includes, but is not limited to, columns, reactors, pumps, compressors, drums, tanks, and exchangers.
(b) Each component in the process unit must be monitored according to the requirements of Subchapter D, Division 3 of this chapter (relating to Fugitive Emission Control in Petroleum Refining, Natural Gas/Gasoline Processing, and Petrochemical Processes in Ozone Nonattainment Areas), except that the following additional requirements apply.
  (1) The exemptions of §115.357(1) - (12) of this title (relating to Exemptions) do not apply.
  (2) The leak-skip provisions of §115.354(7) and (8) of this title (relating to Monitoring and Inspection Requirements) do not apply.
  (3) The emissions from blind flanges, caps, or plugs at the end of a pipe or line containing HRVOC; connectors; heat exchanger heads; sight glasses; meters; gauges; sampling connections; bolted manways; hatches; agitators; sump covers; junction box vents; covers and seals on volatile organic compound water separators; and process drains must be monitored each calendar quarter (with a hydrocarbon gas analyzer).
  (4) All components for which a repair attempt was made during a shutdown must be monitored (with a hydrocarbon gas analyzer) and inspected for leaks within 30 days after startup is completed following the shutdown.
  (5) All process drains equipped with water seal controls, as defined in §115.140 of this title (relating to Industrial Wastewater Definitions), must be inspected weekly to ensure that the water seal controls are effective in preventing ventilation, except that daily inspections are required for those seals that have failed three or more inspections in any 12-month period. Upon request by the executive director, United States Environmental Protection Agency, or any local program with jurisdiction, the owner or operator shall demonstrate (e.g., by visual inspection or smoke test) that the water seal controls are properly designed and restrict ventilation.
  (6) All process drains not equipped with water seal controls must be inspected monthly to ensure that all gaskets, caps, and/or plugs are in place and that there are no gaps, cracks, or other holes in the gaskets, caps, and/or plugs. In addition, all caps and plugs must be inspected monthly to ensure that they are tightly fitting.
  (7) An unsafe-to-monitor or difficult-to-monitor component for which quarterly monitoring is specified may instead be monitored as follows.
    (A) An unsafe-to-monitor component is a component that the owner or operator determines is unsafe to monitor because monitoring personnel would be exposed to an immediate danger as a consequence of conducting the monitoring. Components that are unsafe to monitor must be identified in a list made immediately available upon request. If an unsafe-to-monitor component is not considered safe to monitor within a calendar year, then it must be monitored as soon as possible during safe-to-monitor times.
    (B) A difficult-to-monitor component is a component that cannot be inspected without elevating the monitoring personnel more than two meters above a permanent support surface or that requires a permit for confined space entry as defined in 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §1910.146. A difficult-to-monitor component for which quarterly monitoring is specified may instead be monitored annually.
  (8) All pressure relief valves in gaseous service that are not equipped with a rupture disk upstream of the relief valve with a pressure-sensing device between the rupture disk and the pressure relief valve must be monitored for fugitive leaks each calendar quarter (with a hydrocarbon gas analyzer).
  (9) A leak is defined as a screening concentration greater than 500 parts per million by volume above background as methane for all components. If the owner or operator elects to use the alternative work practice in §115.358 of this title (relating to Alternative Work Practice), a leak is defined as specified in §115.358 of this title, including any leak detected using the alternative work practice on a component that is subject to the requirements of this division but not specifically selected for alternative work practice monitoring.
  (10) Monitored screening concentrations must be recorded for each component in gaseous or light liquid service. Notations such as "pegged," "off scale," "leaking," "not leaking," or "below leak definition" may not be substituted for hydrocarbon gas analyzer results. For readings that are higher than the upper end of the scale (i.e., pegged) even when using the highest scale setting or a dilution probe, record a default pegged value of 100,000 parts per million by volume. This requirement does not apply to monitoring using an optical gas imaging instrument in accordance with §115.358 of this title.
(c) Pumps, compressors, and agitators must be:
  (1) inspected visually each calendar week for liquid dripping from the seals; or
  (2) equipped with an alarm that alerts the operator of a leak.
(d) If securing the bypass line valve in the closed position to comply with §115.783(1)(B) of this title (relating to Equipment Standards), the seal or closure mechanism must be visually inspected to ensure the valve is maintained in the closed position and the vent stream is not diverted through the bypass line:
  (1) on a monthly basis; and
  (2) after any maintenance activity that requires the seal to be broken.
(e) For any pressure relief device that has vented directly to the atmosphere (uncontrolled), the associated vent must be monitored (with a hydrocarbon gas analyzer) and inspected within 24 hours after actuation and the results recorded in accordance with §115.786 of this title (relating to Recordkeeping Requirements). If the associated vent is considered unsafe to monitor, then the vent must be monitored as soon as possible during safe-to-monitor times. If the associated vent is considered difficult to monitor, it must be monitored within 15 days after a release. This requirement does not supersede any monitoring requirements found in §115.725 of this title (relating to Monitoring and Testing Requirements).
(f) As an alternative to the requirements of subsection (b)(3) of this section for blind flanges, caps, or plugs at the end of a pipe or line containing HRVOC, sight glasses, meters, gauges, connectors, bolted manways, heat exchanger heads, hatches, and sump covers, the owner or operator may elect to monitor all of these components in a process unit by April 1, 2006, and then conduct subsequent monitoring at the following frequencies.
  (1) The owner or operator may monitor the components once per year (i.e., 12-month period), if the percent leaking blind flanges, caps, or plugs at the end of a pipe or line containing HRVOC, sight glasses, meters, gauges, connectors, bolted manways, heat exchanger heads, hatches, and sump covers in the process unit was 0.5% or greater, but less than 2.0%, during the last required annual or biennial monitoring period.
  (2) The owner or operator may monitor the components once every two years, if the percent leaking blind flanges, caps, or plugs at the end of a pipe or line containing HRVOC, sight glasses, meters, gauges, connectors, bolted manways, heat exchanger heads, hatches, and sump covers was less than 0.5% during the last required monitoring period. An owner or operator may comply with this paragraph by monitoring at least 40% of the components in the first year and the remainder of the components in the second year. The percent leaking connectors, bolted manways, heat exchanger heads, hatches, and sump covers will be calculated for the total of all monitoring performed during the two-year period.
  (3) If the owner or operator of a process unit in a biennial leak detection and repair program calculates less than 0.5% leaking blind flanges, caps, or plugs at the end of a pipe or line containing HRVOC, sight glasses, meters, gauges, connectors, bolted manways, heat exchanger heads, hatches, and sump covers from the two-year monitoring period, the owner or operator may monitor the components one time every four years. An owner or operator may comply with the requirements of this paragraph by monitoring at least 20% of the components each year until all connectors, bolted manways, heat exchanger heads, hatches, and sump covers have been monitored within four years.
Cont'd...