Gasoline Vapor Recovery
Gasoline Vapor Recovery
Gasoline Vapor Recovery
Evaporative emissions -2
Filling emissions
absorption
control of emissions-4 Vapor recovery Pressure swing and purge regeneration
Condensation
Diffusion technologies
Treatment of vapor
Pure hydrocarbons-1
Sunlight
Products storage
At refinery
Bulk storage at
Marketing depot
Road tanker
Storage tank at
service station
Motor vehicle
Typical petrol vapor composition (only VOC)
VOLUME COMPUND
Traces Ethane
1.5% Propane
8% Isobutane
10% n-Butane
14% Pentane
5000ppm Benzene
6% Hexane and others
40% TOTAL
)voc only, remainder in air(
EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS
the average emission from a typical European petrol storage and distribution
system, is O.56% volume of the petrol distributed
displacement refueling
breathing and withdrawal filling
• Displacement emissions occur from fixed roof storage facilities (bulk storage tanks), as well as
underground service station tanks due to vapor displacement by incoming petrol.
• Displacement emissions from fixed roof storage facilities account for 0,14 %
• Breathing emissions are caused by variations in tank contents, temperature and by changes
in barometric pressures that cause expansion and contraction of the liquid and vapor in a
tank.
• Withdrawal emissions occur when petrol is pumped out of a storage tank resulting in the
intake of air through pressure/vacuum relief valves or vents
• Breathing and withdrawal emissions from bulk storage tanks account for 0,02% and from
service station storage tanks for 0,01% of total emission losses.
Filling emissions
• Filling emissions occur when petrol is transferred from storage tanks to road tankers.
• two types of vapor making up filling emissions, namely preloading vapor (PLV) and
evolution vapor (Ve).
• PLV is residual vapor originating from a tank's previous contents, being displaced by
loading of the new product, and is defined as a fraction or percentage of full saturation, Cp,.
• Cp less than 1 % (Cp < 0,Ol) when the previous contents of a road tanker were a non-
volatile product.
• Cp between 10% and 20% (0,l < Cp < 0,2) when the previous contents of a tanker were
discharged completely at one point.
• Cp between 30% and 50% (0,3 < Cp < 0,5) when the previous contents were discharged at several
occasions.
• Cp between 90% and 100% (0,9 < Cp < 1,O) when the contents of a tanker were discharged
at a service station tank that allows for vapor return.
• Evolution vapour (ve) evaporates from the product itself when it is being loaded. Petrol can be loaded
into a road tanker via top splash loading, submerged top loading or bottom loading.
• In order to estimate Ve a parameter VB is used to represent the amount of splashing in a tanker during
filling.
• VB is equal to the fraction of the original tank atmosphere that is assumed to be completely saturated
during loading.
filling emission
liquid to vapor
volume equivalence
Average preloading
factor vapor concentration
Emissions from vehicle refueling
•These emissions contribute to 0,18 volume % of the total emissions from petrol storage
and distribution systems
Collection of vapor
absorption
control of emissions-4 Vapor recovery Pressure swing and purge regeneration
Condensation
Diffusion technologies
Treatment of vapor
Emission prevention and minimisatim
• decreasing the volatility of petrol
• vapor balancing
• minimizing the liquid/vapour interface area
• reducing turbulence.
Typical construction of a modern day tanker
Tanker at Terminal
(No Vapor Recovery)
Tanker at Service Station
(No Vapor Recovery)
Bottom Loading at Terminal
(With Vapor Recovery)
Fuel Drop at Service Station
(With Vapor Recovery)
API to Drop Hose Connection
(At Service Station)
Vapour recovery
Step 1 collection of VOCs/air mixture
Step 2 separation of VOCs from air
Step 3 the recovery of the separated VOCs into liquid state.
Once the vapor has been collected, various processes or combinations of
processes can be used to separate and recover the vapor. These include condensation,
.absorption, diffusion and adsorption
Step2 and 3
VOC/air Step1 Separation and Condensed
mixture collection Recovery via VOCs
condensation
Disadvantage Advantage
Energy requirements of Mechanical Moderate efficiencies, 50-90%
refrigeration are high
Low boiling point hydrocarbon liquid( like crude oil or kerosene) are
often used for VOC separation from air via absorption.
air
Step2 Absorbent
VOC /air Step1 Separation from
/)kerosene(
mixture collection Air via absorption
)with kerosene(
VOC mixture
Recycling of
Absorbent (kerosene) Separation from
Absorbent via
distillation
Step3
Absorbent Recovery via
VOC/)petrol( Absorption VOC
mixture )with petrol(
• Absorption can be used for high vapor flows and VOC concentration ranging
between 500 ppm to 5000 ppm.
Disadvantage Advantage
Liquid absorbent may be transferred Good for high humidity streams
to the exit gas
(relative humidity < 50%)
High efficiencies, 95_98%
Step3 Step3
Recovery via Recovery via
absorption condensation
Disadvantage Advantage
Constant vapor flow rate are Necessary, Recovery of between 95 and 99%
but buffer tanks are a major safety
concern
High power consumption Safe process and operational flexibility
Post treatment system needed in The Very wide range of products handling,
case of very high emission standards. for example ,hydrogen, Sulphide ,
acetone , MTBA, ethyl acetate
Adsorption: most effective methods and most economical.
the adsorption medium most generally used is activated carbon and hydrophobic
zeolites.
two regeneration technologies are currently in use, namely: thermal regeneration
and pressure swing and purge regeneration.
air
Step3 Step3
Recovery via Recovery via
absorption condensation
disadvantages advantages
Hydrogen sulphide from crude oil Wide range of vapor and vapor
vapor poison the carbon. concentration can be handled .
4. Safety design of a petrol pump attendant robot Francesco Becchi, Rezia M. Molfino and
Roberto P. Razzoli University of Genova, Genova, Italy
6. Membrane Based Vapor Recovery at Petrol Stations Klaus Ohlrogge and Jan Wind
7. A policy instrument for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions An Interim Report to
the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research 7th |January 2004 Dr Kevin Anderson,
Tyndall North, UMIST [email protected] Tel. 0161 200 3715 Dr Richard
Starkey, Tyndall North, UMIST
?Questions