Guidelines for Field Characterization of Air Toxics from Petroleum Industry Sources

Emissions of air toxics, including hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) listed in Title III of the federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, from petroleum production and refining facilities are currently under regulatory scrutiny. U.S. EPA has scheduled development of maximum achievable control technology (MACT) regulations affecting refinery boilers and process heaters. Miscellaneous refinery process vents such as fluid catalytic cracking units also may be regulated in the future. Measurement methods to characterize emission of air toxics from such sources may be subject to error if applied without appropriate consideration to the process, sampling conditions, and analytical techniques. This paper discusses measurement techniques for characterizing emissions and guidelines to ensure measurements are reliable.