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OCR for page 141
7
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Of the estimated 56,600 metric tons of hydrocarbon vapor emis-
sions from tank vessels in 1985 (about 0.2 percent of national volatile
organic compound emissions), about 95 percent, came from gasoline and
crude oil loaded in tankships and tank barges. Almost all of these
emissions were from vessels in domestic trade. About two-thirds were
from inland tank barges and the rest from tankships.
2. Control and recovery of more than 90 percent of hydrocarbon emis-
sions from tankships and tank barges are technically feasible with avail-
able technology. Hydrocarbon vapor emissions may be abated by any of
several technologies to recover or destroy hydrocarbons. Technologies
vary in their efficiency of abatement, with destruction technologies
generally higher in efficiency than recovery technologies.
3. Abatement of hydrocarbon vapor emissions from tank vessels raises
legitimate concerns of safety, cost, economic impact, and operational
reliability. With appropriate government and industry attention, these
concerns can be addressed. There is as yet too little experience to
project conclusively the safety of planned operations.
RECOMMENDATION : In the absence of historical safety experience,
the U.S. Coast Guard should employ risk analysis in assessing the
safety of the various hydrocarbon vapor emission control alterna-
tives.
4. Safe handling of hydrocarbon vapors will require standardized
equipment and procedures, which include redundant, automated gauging and
alarm devices to prevent overfilling and over- or underpressuring, as
well as in-line safety devices such as detonation arrestors.
RECOMMENDATION: Development and testing programs should be pur-
sued to advance the state of the art in gauging and alarm systems
and also to assure and improve the reliability of large (> 6-in.
diameter) detonation arrestors. The gauges and alarms program
should include addressing the requirements of small, unpowered
vessels, i.e., tank barges.
5. Safe hydrocarbon vapor emission abatement will require trained,
experienced personnel and adequate control of operations by safety
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142
conscious management.
industry is, in general, adequate.
will need to be strengthened.
The level of operational control in the tankship
However, that in the barge industry
RECOMMENDATION: The U.S. Coast Guard should revise its per-
sonnel certification requirements for tankermen to ensure that
responsible personnel are fully qualified and trained to maintain
the safety of vapor control operations.
RECOMMENDATION: The tank barge industry should undertake a
voluntary safety consciousness education campaign directed to
operations. This campaign should complement any federal and state
regulatory initiatives.
6. Controlling hydrocarbon vapors from vessels may be cost-effective
in a particular nonattainment area for ozone if tank vessels are a signi
ficant source of hydrocarbon vapor emissions and cargo-loading through
put is sufficient to justify control measures.
7. The economic impact of vapor control regulations will be related
to how the regulations are applied: their timing, the categories of ves
sels or terminals that may be controlled, and the geographical locations
in which the regulations are imposed.
8. If emission controls are to be put in place, a coordinated
national approach is essential to ensure the implementation of uniform
and effective safety practices, with appropriate regard for the effects
on interstate and international commerce. The necessary coordination
could be achieved by amendments to the Federal Clean Air Act, or by a
cooperative interagency program of regulatory development.
RECOMMENDATION: The U.S. Coast Guard should lead the develop-
ment and implementation of a coordinated program to ensure the
safety and standardization of maritime hydrocarbon vapor emissions
controls. Such an interagency program should involve, at a minimum,
the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
operating according to appropriate federal rule-makin~ procedures
Elements of the program should include:
· vessel safety;
· terminal safety;
· control of emissions; and
· industry safety education.
---I r
9. New vapor control, recovery, and disposal methods may hold
promise as replacements for currently available methods.
RECOMMENDATION: A program of technical research, development,
and testing should be directed to changes in operational procedures
that may reduce emissions, to recovery and disposal technologies
that may offer safer, less costly control measures, and to vapor
barriers and foams that could help reduce hydrocarbon emissions by
controlling vapor generation in cargo tanks.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
vapor emissions
