SECTION 115.179. Approved Test Methods and Testing Requirements

(a) Compliance with the requirements in this division must be determined by applying the following test methods, as appropriate.

(1) United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 1 or 1A in 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 60, Appendix A-1 must be used to select sampling sites. The references to particulate sampling do not apply for purposes of using these methods in this division.

(2) EPA Method 2, 2A, 2C, or 2D in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-2 must be used to determine the gas volumetric flow rate.

(3) EPA Method 3A or 3B, in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-2, ASTM D6522-00 (Reapproved 2005), or American National Standards Institute/American Society of Mechanical Engineers Performance Test Codes (ANSI/ASME PTC) 19.10-1981, Part 10 (manual portion only) must be used to determine the oxygen concentration.

(4) EPA Method 4 in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-3 must be used for determining the stack gas moisture content.

(5) EPA Method 18 in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-6 must be used for determining the concentrations of methane and ethane.

(6) EPA Method 21 in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7 must be used for determining volatile organic compound (VOC) leaks.

(7) EPA Method 22 in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7, Section 11 must be used for determining visible emissions.

(8) EPA Method 25A in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7 must be used for determining total gaseous organic concentrations using flame ionization.

(9) Minor modifications to either test methods or monitoring methods may be approved by the executive director. Test methods other than those specified in paragraphs (1) - (8) of this subsection may be used if approved by the executive director and validated by EPA Method 301 (40 CFR Part 63, Appendix A). For the purposes of this paragraph, substitute "executive director" each place that EPA Method 301 references "administrator."

(b) The following procedures must be used to demonstrate compliance with the control requirements in this division for a control device, other than a flare and routing to a process, and as appropriate.

(1) The owner or operator of a combustion control device tested to comply with the 275 parts per million by volume (ppmv) outlet VOC limit shall establish a correlation between firebox or combustion chamber temperature and the VOC performance level. The owner or operator shall also establish minimum and maximum temperatures or other operating parameter that will be continuously monitored to demonstrate compliance with the control device requirements in this division.

(2) The following testing requirements apply to control devices used to demonstrate compliance with the control requirements of this division. Each performance test must consist of a minimum of three test runs, and each run must be at least one hour long.

(A) The owner or operator shall conduct an initial control device performance test by the compliance date in §115.183 of this title (relating to Compliance Schedules) using the test methods in this subsection.

(B) The owner or operator shall conduct a periodic performance test no later than 60 months after the previous performance test. For any modification of a closed vent system, control device, or equipment regulated in this division that could reasonably be expected to decrease the control efficiency of the control device, such device must be retested within 60 days of the modification.

(3) In lieu of periodic performance testing required in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the owner or operator may complete a design analysis to satisfy compliance with the control requirements of this division. The owner or operator shall determine through monitoring the parameters sufficient to determine proper functioning of the control device is met, as required in the monitoring requirements in §115.178(f) of this title (relating to Monitoring and Inspection Requirements).

(A) For a vapor recovery unit or condenser, the design analysis criteria evaluated must include an analysis of the vent stream composition, speciated VOC concentrations, flowrate, relative humidity, and temperature. In addition, the design analysis must establish the design outlet VOC concentration level, design average temperature of the vapor recovery unit or condenser exhaust vent stream, and the design inlet and outlet average temperatures of the coolant fluid.

(B) For a regenerable carbon adsorption system, a design analysis must include the design exhaust vent stream VOC concentration level, adsorption cycle time, number and capacity of carbon beds, type and working capacity of activated carbon used for the carbon beds, design total regeneration stream flow over the period of each complete carbon bed regeneration cycle, design carbon bed temperature after regeneration, design carbon bed regeneration time, and design service life of the carbon.

(C) For a non-regenerable carbon adsorption system (such as a carbon canister), the design analysis must include the vent stream composition, VOC constituent concentrations, flowrate, relative humidity, and temperature, and must establish the design exhaust vent stream VOC level, capacity of the carbon bed, type and working capacity of activated carbon used for the carbon bed, and design carbon replacement interval based on the total carbon working capacity of the control device and source operating schedule. In addition, these systems must incorporate dual carbon canisters in case of emission breakthrough occurring in one canister.

(D) For a combustion control device, other than a flare, the design analysis must identify each existing, or derived, control device design parameter including waste stream and supplemental fuel flowrates, mixing characteristics, composition, net heating value, combustion zone temperature, residence time, excess oxygen and relative humidity. The analysis must compare these control device design parameters with actual control device operating data, for a minimum of the prior two years, to ensure the control device is being operated as designed. A physical inspection of the combustion device is required as part of this analysis to assess whether equipment wear is present that will result a significant reduction in operating efficiency or require prompt maintenance.

(4) In lieu of performing control device testing required in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the owner or operator may use data from a performance test conducted by the manufacturer on the same control device model that is used to comply with control requirements in this division. The owner or operator shall comply with the monitoring requirements in §115.178(f) of this title, and the data in the manufacturer's report must be sufficient to determine proper functioning of the control device as required in the monitoring requirements in §115.178(f) of this title.

(A) The manufacturer's guarantee must demonstrate that the specific model of control device meets the 95% control efficiency required in the control requirements of this division.

(B) The control device must be equipped with an inlet gas flow rate meter. Control devices, other than combustion control devices, must have a separate outlet gas flow rate meter.

(C) The owner or operator of a control device model tested under this paragraph shall maintain the test report in accordance with §115.180 of this title (relating to Recordkeeping Requirements). The test report must include, but is not limited to, all information required under 40 CFR §60.5413a(d)(12) (as amended September 15, 2020 (85 FR 57447)) that is applicable to the test conducted.

(c) The owner or operator shall calculate the control efficiency of a control device using the test results from subsection (b) of this section and the following procedure.

(1) The owner or operator shall use EPA methods specified in subsection (a)(1) or (2) of this section to determine the flow rate of the inlet to outlet to determine the mass rate; EPA Method 25A in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7; EPA Method 4 in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-3 (to convert the EPA Method 25A results to a dry basis); and equations 1 and 2 to calculate percent reduction efficiency to determine compliance with control device VOC reduction efficiency limits in this division.

Attached Graphic

(2) The owner or operator shall use EPA Method 25A in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7 to determine the exhaust gas concentration of total organic carbon in ppmv for the purpose of determining compliance with control device exhaust gas ppmv concentration limits in this division.

(A) The owner or operator may elect to conduct EPA Method 18 sampling simultaneously with EPA Method 25A in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7 sampling to quantify methane and ethane concentrations and subtract the combined values to derive a total VOC ppmv concentration. If using this option, the owner or operator shall take either an integrated sample or a minimum of four grab samples per hour at approximately equal intervals in time, such as 15-minute intervals during the run.

(B) The owner or operator shall use the emission rate correction factor for excess air, integrated sampling and analysis procedures of EPA Method 3A or 3B in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-2; American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D6522-00 (Reapproved 2005); or ANSI/ASME PTC 19.10-1981, Part 10 (manual portion only), to determine the oxygen concentration. The samples must be taken during the same time as the EPA Method 25A and EPA Method 18 samples. The owner or operator shall correct the VOC concentration for percent oxygen as provided in the following equation:

Attached Graphic

(3) The owner or operator of a combustion control device tested under subsection (b)(3)(C) of this section electing to comply with the 275 ppmv outlet limit in the control requirements of this division shall establish a correlation between firebox or combustion chamber temperature and the VOC emissions level. The owner or operator shall also establish minimum and maximum temperatures or other operating parameters that will be continuously monitored to demonstrate the VOC concentration is equal to or less than 275 ppmv as measured at the outlet of the device.

(d) A flare used to comply with the control requirements in this division must meet the requirements of 40 CFR §60.18(b) - (f) (as amended through December 22, 2008 (73 FR 78209)).

(e) The owner or operator of a control device, other than a flare or routing to a process, must perform a visible emissions test in accordance with EPA Method 22 in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7, Section 11 at least once every calendar month, separated by at least 15 days between each test. Devices failing the visible emissions test must comply with the following.

(1) The owner or operator shall follow the manufacturer's repair instructions, if available, or best combustion engineering practices for any necessary repairs.

(2) Upon returning to operation from maintenance or repair activity, each device must pass an EPA Method 22 visual observation test (40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A-7, Section 11) as described in this subsection.

(3) The owner or operator shall operate a control device following the manufacturer's written operating instructions, procedures and maintenance schedule to ensure good air pollution control practices for minimizing emissions.

(f) A control device for which a performance test is waived in accordance with 40 CFR §60.8(b) (as amended August 30, 2016 (81 FR 59809)) is exempt from the testing requirements of this section.

Source Note: The provisions of this §115.179 adopted to be effective July 21, 2021, 46 TexReg 4313