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DAMPER DRIVE PERFORMANCE LOWERS NITROGEN OXIDE EMISSIONS.

Article Excerpt
Because of the 1990 Amendments to the Federal Clean Air Act, petroleum refineries and other industries throughout the country are now forced to examine every aspect of their process-heating operations in order to reduce cumulative nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from their plants. While aging furnace burners are already rapidly being replaced with newer low NOx burners, attention is now being directed toward the furnace and heater stack damper drives.

Changing the final damper control elements to more reliable and accurate damper drives greatly improves the combustion of air and flue gases and reduces tramp air from entering furnaces. The resulting efficiency, depending on the type of low NOx burner selected and on how "tight" the furnace is for leaks, can lower emissions as much as 55-80% when used in combination with other low NOx strategies; while potentially increasing profit margins from 2-8% per furnace from fuel savings alone.

An industry-wide issue with inescapable deadlines

In 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refined the Act's amendments into the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants from Petroleum Refinery Vents (referred to as Refinery MACT II), which cover emissions from catalytic cracker, catalytic reformer and sulfur plants. These rules were promulgated in late 2000 and have now officially impacted the majority of refineries throughout the country. Some areas of the country have until 2008 to fully meet emissions targets, but the EPA has already teamed up with the U.S. Department of Justice to force multi-million dollar emission-reduction deals with major oil producers throughout the country.

At the state and local level, deadlines loom even closer. California's Rule 1109 dictates that refinery-wide emissions not exceed 0.3 pound...

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