(74c) Optical Remote Sensing of Fugitive VOC Losses

Recent years have shown great advances in the detec¬tion and measurement of fugitive VOC and other emissions using optical remote sensing devices (ORS). Regarding VOC, use of these new techniques in the U.S., Canada, and Europe shows surprising unknown quantities of VOC being lost by the processing, distribution, and consumption of petroleum and petroleum byproducts. New field studies indicate that unexpected levels of fugitive losses are routinely emitted from storage tanks, pumps, pipes, cooling towers, wastewater separators, and the like. These emissions are extremely important for two reasons: (1) they are end-products of the refining process, which means they are both volatile and toxic; and (2) they occur throughout the national energy network ranging from well-head to refining to distribution to storage and retailing. These uncounted emissions could have a strong impact on environmental control strategies and emission inventories. Many of these losses are currently uncounted in the emis¬sion inventories and thus are lost for offsets and trading. This will be of significant importance to New Source Re¬view programs.

Significant ORS advances occurred in the characterization of fugitive emissions from a variety of non-refinery sources such as landfills, animal feeding operations, and other industrial facilities. The following will be discussed: (1) review Solar Occultation Flux (SOF), Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL), and Radial Plume Mapping (RPM) measurement methods and findings over the past year and relate them to estimation methods now in use; (2) review ongoing and imminent national and state studies; and (3) include a wide range of options available to government and industry in dealing with these fugitive losses (i.e., emission inventories, permitting, and compliance monitoring).