Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules again under the Clean Air Act of toxic emissions, particularly emissions of pollutants from diesel internal combustion engines. Reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE) are also known as "compression engines," are the target of this legislation and which are widely used throughout the country to generate electricity for use in power plants, industrial plants, chemical plantsand many refineries and production facilities. Rice systems are also used for emergency power back-up for use by emergency services and for flood prevention and management.
The new rules mean that virtually all engines and related equipment for the pump and compressor will require the installation of environmental pollution control, and additional controls and monitoring procedures are subjected. In some cases, the engines are required to burn ultra-low sulfurFuels.
The pollutants are carbon monoxide, the EPA rules target (primary pollutants, the EPA seeks to reduce and control it is). The carbon monoxide was discovered by the EPA that are closely associated with the pollution linked by a variety of toxic emissions, including, but not benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, styrene, naphthalene, and many others (mainly organic compounds nature) limited.
Other toxic pollutants are not directly affected by new rulesexpects that the measures introduced, including the release of nickel, mercury, selenium, chromium, cadmium, manganese and especially the reduction of emissions of sulfur oxides.
The new EPA rules only deal with static installations and divided RICE engines in the "big" and "area" sources. A major source is not a static source of pollution with actual emissions or potential order of 10 tons per year or a regulated pollutant, or has the potential, or isactually produce 25 tons or more of any combination of regulated pollutants.
If a plant does not qualify Static ICE as an important source described it as a source area.
There are several sub-classifications based on emission limit values of the two main sources and the area and are based on engine performance.
Engine start-up's, the emission of pollutants that contribute to the regulatory limits and EPA to accommodate the new limits, the EPA rules allow onlyTo overcome the engine starts more than 30 minutes. There are exceptions to this rule.
The rules also requires EPA to change the maintenance plan, in particular changes in the lubricants and filters, certification and inspection of air conditioning hoses, belts and detergents are all within certain time periods. An important pillar of the new legislation is the need for operators to demonstrate compliance with the new rules.
In summary, the impact of new rules for all existing installations RICE static.Ancillary facilities such as pumping equipment also be affected. RICE operators with systems for the generation of electricity are the most affected. This is a complete must comply with the new rules, in fact, but also to ensure compliance with the improvement or creation of documentation procedures and the creation of effective maintenance planning and inspection means proven.
