New Optical Gas Imaging Technology for Quantifying Fugitive Emission Rates

Abstract The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated regulations governing the detection and repair of equipment leaks that cause fugitive emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC). These regulations are embedded in various emission standards and are generally referred to as Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programs. The primary method used currently in the U.S. to detect leaks is EPA Method 21.1 Method 21 requires operators to use portable instruments, typically a Flame Ionization Detector (FID) or a Photon Ionization Detector (PID), to "sniff" around the circumference of individual equipment components (e.g., valves, flanges, pump seals, etc.)2. If the detector reading (parts per million or PPM) is higher than target thresholds, the component is deemed to be leaking and it must be repaired within a certain time. Fugitive VOC emissions from a facility are calculated based upon the PPM readings (referred to as screening values or SVs) and empirical correlations between SVs and mass emission rates.2 Because the leak check is performed on each individual component basis, the implementation of a Method 21 based LDAR program is tedious, labor intensive, and prone to errors. Optical gas imaging (OGI) technology has been developed and can be used to detect VOC leaks from process equipment. The OGI technology allows operators to use a specially designed Infrared (IR) video camera to see VOC plumes leaking from components that are not visible to the naked eye. Detecting VOC leaks using OGI is more efficient than Method 21 because leak checking using OGI is visual, making detection faster, and can be performed over an area instead of component-by-component. The OGI method allows operators to detect larger leaks easily and more frequently, achieving the same environmental benefit with a lower cost. For this reason, the OGI method is also referred to as "Smart LDAR". In December 2008, U.S. EPA promulgated the "Alternative Work Practice" (AWP) rule allowing operators to use OGI for LDAR compliance.3 However, the AWP rule requires operators to continue to perform leak checks using Method 21 at least once a year. Although OGI can be very effective in detecting leaks, it does not provide a quantitative measure of leak rate. This has been one of the shortcomings of OGI from a regulatory perspective, thereby hindering its adoption as a true alternative to Method 21. This paper describes development of quantitative OGI (QOGI) technology. Existing OGI camera technology is the basis the new GOCI technology. If an OGI camera detects a leak, then, the operator can apply the new QOGI technology quantify the mass leak rate from the captured video images.