This project involves an execution period that spans 12 months from Dec. 31, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2010. Main tasks include: 1. allocating adequate human power for executing related auditing affairs in this project; 2. carrying out the auditing and control of components, in which a minimum of 50,000 inspections of the components is to be conducted and the on-site counting of at least 10 processes and 20% of the controlled components in offshore industrial zones should be done; 3. Completing on-site inspection of at least 200 each fixed roof tanks and external floating roof tanks and measuring VOC emission in at least 35 fixed roof tanks or internal/external floating roof tanks using continuous automatic monitoring device; 4. conducting content tests on exhaust from flare samples in the number of 40 to comprehend the composition of flare exhaust; 5. holding 5 sessions of counsel on reduction in offshore industrial zones, based on the improvement principles of process improvement, setting up of more controlling equipment or exhaust recycling; 6. assisting in the execution of pollution source-related management and of stationary pollution source-related contingency measures during air quality deterioration or major air pollution incidents in this county; 7. completing the stationing of personnel within 10 days after the execution of project begins and carrying out advance training for staff; and 8. freely inviting experts to provide consultation and assist in handling in case of emergency of air pollution and cooperating on the executive tasks of the County’s SIP program and the Bureau’s work review meeting.
Till Dec. 20, 2010, the number of processes that have been given operation permit in 21 firms in offshore industrial zones is 162 and that given installation permit is 8, of which 3 were in test run with operation permit pending (M35 process at Mailiao #1 plant of Formosa Petrochemical Corporation, M11 and M13 processes at Haihong plant, Formosa Chemical), 2 have finished planning and were constructing the plant (M06 process at Haifong plant of Nan Ya, and M02 process of Chang Chun Petroleum), while 27 processes were yet to build plant. Processes that are officially operating account for 82.2% of all 197 processes, and those under test run account for 1.5%; together they account for 83.7% of all processes.
There are 383 discharge ports, 1,853 tanks, 1,759,572 components (1,549,186 at time of contract making), 153 loading yards and 44 flares in all plants in the offshore industrial zones. Nan Ya at Mailiao and Formosa Plastics at Mailiao combined have the most, 57, which accounts for 14.88% of all the discharge ports, followed by Mailiao #1 plant of Formosa Petrochemical Corporation, with 45, representing 11.75%. Nan Ya at Mailiao also has the most tanks, 435 of them, accounting for 23.48% of all tanks, which is followed by Mailiao #1 plant of Formosa Petrochemical Corporation, 404, accounting for 21.8% and Formosa Plastics at Mailiao, 207, which is 11.17%. Mailiao #1 plant of Formosa Petrochemical Corporation has the most components, 578,511 of them, which represent 32.88% of all controlled components, followed by Formosa Chemical at Haihong, 244,523, accounting for 13.9% and Formosa Plastics at Mailiao, 234,340, accounting for 13.32%. Mailiao #1 plant of Formosa Petrochemical Corporation leads in the number of loading yards with 65, which represents 42.48% of all controlled number, followed by Nan Ya at Mailiao with 24, which accounts for 15.69% and Formosa Plastics at Mailiao with 17, 11.11%. Currently of the 44 controlled flares, Mailiao #1 plant of Formosa Petrochemical Corporation has 9, accounting for 20.45%, Mailiao #3 plant of Formosa Petrochemical Corporation and Formosa Chemical at Haihong each has 6, which is 13.64%.
Concrete results of execution of this project include the counting of components in 87 processes, of which 10 single processes were completed with all components counted, up to 320,766 components, representing 20.71% of the number at time of contract entering. During the inspection, a total of 1,011 components was found to be without filing and the majority of the unfiled components are flanges, open valves and valves, in the order of number.
Inspection was made in 50,017 components, the types of which include flange (F) at 27,930 positions, valve (V) at 14,260 positions, open valves (O) at 3,564 positions, pump (P) at 327 positions, pressure relief valve (R) at 98 positions, compressor (C) at 8 positions, sampling connection (S) at 22 positions, other connector (N) at 3,773 positions and tube at 30 positions. Also, tests were conducted in pipelines at 4 positions and resulted in the finding of 12 positions with concentration exceeding controlled leakage of 10,000 ppm; these were subjected to penalty by law for a total of NT$1.8 million.
Tests with infra red gas finder (FLIR) were conducted on 25 days at public and private places for leakage at 41 petrochemical process components and found 16 of them with leakage. Of the leaking positions, pipeline leakage was dominating, found at 6 positions, which represents 46%, followed by valve, at 5 positions, 31%, flange, at 4 positions, 25% and pump, at 1 position, 6%. Propylene and organic wastewater are the most common types of fluid leakage; the former was found in 5 cases and the latter 2.
Inspections of legal compliance were made in 400 tanks, of which 40 are external floating roof tanks and 360 are fixed roof tanks, resulting in 4 fixed roof tanks found noncompliant. With the rest 396 tanks compliant, the noncompliance rate was 1.01%.
In the testing of organic fluid tanks, the most severe three were the internal floating roof tank TR54 of Formosa Petrochemical Corporation Naphtha Cracking Plant with a concentration tested at 40,206 ppm, the internal floating roof tank T063 at Formosa Petrochemical Corporation #2 Olefins plant with 13,625 ppm and the fixed roof tank T019 at Formosa Chemical’s #1 aromatic hydrocarbon plant with 12,724 ppm. None of the remaining 32 tanks was found with testing over 10,000 ppm. If the benchmark for leakage is defined at 2,000 ppm, then a total of 13 tanks turned out with highest net test level above it. In addition, during the execution of this project, 35 tanks were measured and 22 of them were found with highest net values below 2,000 ppm, of which internal floating roof tanks and fixed roof tanks were equal in number; 7 of fixed type and 6 of internal floating type were above 2,000 ppm. This indicated that as the inhibition of concentration of emission in internal floating roof tanks was inferior to that in fixed type, the practice of changing from fixed roof tanks to internal roof type by factories without strengthening the maintenance and management of tank leakage is an issue.
Exhaust analysis was conducted in 40 flares to understand the composition of exhaust. Methane was found in 14 flares, the highest being P024, P023 and P025 at Formosa Petrochemical Corporation’s OL-3 plant; benzene was found in 9 flares, the highest being PL01 at Formosa Chemical’s Styrene plant with 48.6% and AR02 at Formosa Petrochemical Corporation Naphtha Cracking Plant with 2.84%. hydrogen was found in 23 flares, the highest being AR05 at Formosa Petrochemical Corporation Naphtha Cracking Plant with 60.1%, and Formosa Chemical’s PP plant with 49.5%; hydrogen sulfide was found in 14 flares, the highest being AR02 and AR03 at Formosa Petrochemical Corporation Naphtha Cracking Plant, 1.46% and 1.08%, respectively.
In respect of analysis in hydrogen sulfide concentration, the AR02 and AR03 at Formosa Petrochemical Corporation Naphtha Cracking Plant were found during the execution of this project with pre-burning concentration higher than 650 ppm; hence tests were conducted on AR03, AR05 and AR06 of the same plant by in-duct H2S sampling (NIEA A406.71A) on Oct. 20, Oct. 25 and Oct. 28, 2010. All failing to meet the controlled level, the test results were brought to legal proceeding.
