This application note demonstrates a method-compliant solution that consists of both hardware and software packages on VOC monitoring at refinery perimeters. Procedures and results are described in each stage of the method, which includes monitoring station setup, VOC passive sampling and lab analysis.
Petroleum refining is a major industry in the United States, where the heavier oil is processed into lighter components such as gasoline and diesel fuels. In the production process, benzene and other toxic pollutants are released from various sources, including combustion devices, production units, storage tanks and wastewater treatment units. Scientific studies have found that the acute exposure to benzene will negatively impact the development of infants and the blood system1 , whereas the chronic exposure can affect the human blood system and increase the risk of cancer2 . In light of hazard prevention, EPA published method 325 which includes a requirement that refineries are to measure the average benzene concentration at the perimeter of the plant3,4. The monitoring procedure is described in the companion method 325A and 325B, starting from sampler deployment based on the geometry of the plant, followed by a 14 day passive sampling onto clean thermal desorption tubes, and finishing at a laboratory analysis by using thermal desorption as the sample introduction technique to inject target compounds into a gas chromatography / mass spectroscopy detection system. If the testing result yields a concentration of benzene above 9 mg per cubic meter over a 12 month rolling average, the method states the refinery to perform a root cause analysis.
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