Mobilizing Refinery NOx Reduction: Historical Perspective on the Los Angeles Basin

As of September 1991 , emissions of the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from refinery heaters with firing rates less than ~O mmBtu/hr were limited to 0.05 Ib-NOx/mmBtu (40 ppm) by South Coast Air Quality Management District's Rule 1116. By December 1995, Rule 1109 requires that larger heaters comply with a limit of 0.031bs-NOx/mmBtu (25 ppm). This severe tightening of NOx restrictions in the Los Angeles basin has presented Southern California's petroleum refiners with both an opportunity and a challenge . The opportunity has been to stimulate the development and testing of new and innovative ways to reduce the emission of the oxides of nitrogen from refinery combustion sources. The challenge is to incorporate the new and innovative developments into an operable, maintainable, least cost technology mix. In this effort, South Coast refiners have enjoyed great support. The manufacturers of combustion and control equipment have come forth with vigorous development efforts, while design and construction contractors have devised imaginative schemes for incorporating them.