Learn More About Fugitive Emission Management

By Margaret Russell


Having a well-integrated pipeline remains a key aspect of any industry where hazardous products are transmitted through pipes. This owes to the fact that there is a higher chance of eliminating hazards so that a company is freed from having to spend on compensational losses to any victim. The other implication is that such an organization is compliant with the safety standards so that it may not be charged with breaking local and state laws. Each organization ought to have fugitive emission management equipment and plans instituted so as to contain hazardous situations within a short duration.

Fugitive emissions are vapors that come from pressurized tools and equipment that occur when these surfaces develop leakages. The leakages developed cause an unintended and irregular release of materials and particles to the air and environment at large which causes pollution or climatic changes. Other particles released into the atmosphere and are categorized this way include dust, aerosols, fine particles and valves, pumps, flanges and compressor leaks.

These particles and gases are responsible for causing conditions like greenhouse effect or global warming if left too freely circulate in the air and atmosphere. They also cause ozone layer destruction. When inhaled by human beings, they can cause serious conditions like respiratory organs cancers and asthmatic conditions. Therefore it is not ideal for one to work in areas that experience leaks from refineries, chemical industries as well as organic compounds that are volatile.

The risky part of the leaks is that, apart from causing pollution and ill-health to individuals, but also able to cause explosions and fire outbreaks. Containing flames arising from highly flammable gases is not easy and this can cause massive destruction of property. Additionally, leaks may seem to be minor but the released substance may have potential or strength of causing severe harm to the environment and human health.

In many occasions, leaks generated by pressurized equipment, processes, and systems usually occur inside valves, sealing, pipe connections, or other parts of the piping which require personal or manual fixing. The activities may as well happen in places where evaporative activities take place for instance tanks, reservoirs, and storage points. Therefore, it is imperative that systems are initiated that allow the detection and correction of the leakages as soon as they occur to prevent the various negative effects.

One of the ways in which you can keep track of proper functionality of a pipeline is by use of aerial pipeline inspection. These activities mostly happen in energy-based industries that have to be conducted a few times in a year to make sure that the system is properly working.

The other applicable method to keep track of such emissions is monitoring for corrosions. This enables operators to understand the level of corrosion of the pipeline in order to replace them and ensure that they function appropriately. The other applicable method is ensuring that the leakages never happen is using GIS mapping. It is a key component needed in every industry.

Another method is the actual management of the equipment integrity. This is used to make sure that everything is functioning properly and that no section is malfunctioning. It is done through periodical evaluations and analysis. Internal pipes video inspection, as well as data management, are other maintenance and management practices.




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