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• 1 2017-12-01T17:57:28-08:00 Technological Solutions 12 By Bailey Klause image_header 2017-12-11T10:36:57-08:00 Image: Naantali oil refinery 220514. By Xepheid (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
  
  One of the technologies being implemented that will have a positive effect on refinery emissions is flare gas recovery and reuse. Oil refineries can compress and manipulate the flare gases that are produced during the refining process in order to use them for fuel. In the report, “Reducing Emissions in Plant Flaring Operations”, Brian Duck, flare systems business leader for Callidus Technologies, discusses the success of two flare gas recovery systems that were implemented in Dushanzi, China. As Duck notes, the systems were able to “recover 60 million British thermal units per hour (MMBTU/hr) of flare gas” (44). He also claims, “the plant prevented 32.5 metric tons of NO_x, 176.8 metric tons of CO and 67,000 metric tons of CO₂ from being emitted into the atmosphere each year” (45). These results are only from one refinery. Imagine if every refinery around the world decided to implement flare gas recovery systems.
  Business leaders may argue against the implementation of this technology based on its cost. But as Emam calculated, the Dushanzi refinery “will save more than $ 5,000,000 per year on fuel gas costs” (46), and will recover the costs of implementing the systems in “less than 9 months” (46). This goes to show that refineries really should be able to minimize their emissions. The flare gas recovery systems, despite a large upfront cost, will result in long term benefits for both the refinery through reduced fuel costs and the environment through reduced emissions.
  There are also other technologies that refineries can use to reduce their emissions. One of these technologies is infrared gas-imaging cameras. According to the EPA article written by Julia Valentine, “Oil Refiners to Reduce Air Pollution at Six Refineries Under Settlement with EPA and Department of Justice,” these cameras can be uses to detect VOC leaks that might otherwise go unnoticed. Another innovation that the article discussed was the implementation of “ultra-low NO_x burners” in furnaces used by refineries (Valentine). These burners will result in “significant quantifiable reductions in NO_x emissions.” Along with refinery cultural shifts towards sustainability, these measures can help to mitigate some of the pollution the industry causes. 
  As discussed earlier, the usage of water is a major issue in the refining industry. Daniel Sujo-Nava, Lisa A. Scodari, C. Stewart Slater, Kevin Dahm, and Mariano J. Savelski discuss a water treatment and reuse method in the article “Retrofit of Sour Water Networks in Oil Refineries: A Case Study”. Although many refineries already have water treatment systems in place, many of them are not as efficient as they could be. As Sujo-Nava et al. found, their water treatment method could obtain “almost zero freshwater consumption” (899). Overall, they were able to obtain sour water generation savings of 52%, freshwater consumption savings of 83%, energy usage savings of 54%, CO₂ emission savings of 54%, and operation cost savings of 54% (899). Similar to what was found with the flare gas recovery technologies, their water treatment process would cost $248,000, but would pay itself off in 131 days (Sujo-Nava et al. 899). With positive input and output figures like these, oil refineries should make more of an effort to upgrade their technologies and reduce their environmental impact. 
  So what do all these innovations have to do with the average person? I believe that people need to be aware of the technology that is available so they can be critical of the current and future refineries. All of these advancements go to show that oil refining does not have to be the environmentally destructive industry that it is now. There seems to be a vast amount of information that is compiled about typical refinery technology and how refineries run, but there isn't a lot of information about the more sustainable technologies. Most people are aware of many of the problems in the electrical energy industry, along with the alternative energy sources that are possible solutions. If people had a similar knowledge about refineries, they could elicit more action from oil companies. 
  • Duck, Brian. “Reducing Emissions in Plant Flaring Operations.” Hydrocarbon World 6.1 (2014): 43-45. Web. 22 Nov. 2017. 
  • Emam, Eman A. “Gas Flaring in Industry: An Overview.” Petroleum & Coal, International Journal for Petroleum Processing, Petrochemistry and Coal Processing 57 (2015): 532-555. Web. 17 Nov. 2017. 
  • Sujo-Nava, Daniel, Lisa A. Scoderi, C. Stewart Slater, Kevin Dahm, and Mariano J. Savelski. “Retrofit of Sour Water Networks in Oil Refineries: A Case Study.” Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification 48 (2009): 892-901. Web. 17 Nov. 2017.
  • Valentine, Julia P. “Oil Refiners to Reduce Air Pollution at Six Refineries under Settlement with EPA and Department of Justice.” EPA, 18 July 2016. Web. 17 Nov. 2017.