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10 November 2017

A Comprehensively Understanding On Importance Of 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 most cases, leaks coming from pressurized equipment, systems and processes mainly occur in pipe connections, valves, sealing and other parts where the piping that requires manual or personal fixing. These activities also happen in areas that have evaporative activities such as storage points, tanks, and reservoirs. It is therefore important to have systems put in place to detect and correct these leakages once they occur before they can cause negative effects.

One way of keeping track of proper pipeline functionality is using aerial pipeline inspection techniques. Such activities are done by energy-based manufacturers are periodically carried out in a year in order to guarantee the proper functioning of the systems.

Corrosion monitoring is another method of making sure that the system does not develop leakages. This technique gives the operator an account of the status of the pipes which make him decide whether they are going to be replaced or not. GIS mapping, on the other hand, makes sure that the system proximities are identified and emergency response unit has been put in place. These proximities may include urban areas or densely populated areas.

This owes to the fact that it usually indicates the proximity of the system to areas where large human settlements are located like urban centers, towns and other areas that will require proper emergency planning. You could as well rely on methods like integrity management for pressure equipment, internal video inspections, or data management and so on.




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