API PUBL 4661

Abstract

<strong>INTRODUCTION</strong> <br>The Exploration and Production Emission Calculator Version 2.0 (EPEC II) is a software tool that can be used to estimate emissions for exploration and production (E&P) facilities. EPEC II integrates user inputs, emission calculations, and data summaries for many equipment types common to E&P facilities. The calculation techniques and emission factors utilized by the EPEC II software were, in most cases, established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the American Petroleum Institute (API), and the Gas Research Institute (GRI). Published references that provide background information for the calculation methods used in EPEC II are given for each equipment type in both the software and in each section of this User's Guide. EPEC II can be used to estimate emissions of criteria pollutants (carbon monoxide [CO], nitrogen oxides [NO_x], sulfur oxides [SO_x], particulate matter under 10 &#956;m [PM₁₀], and volatile organic compounds [VOCs]), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), greenhouse gases (GHGs&#8212;carbon dioxide [CO₂], methane, and ethane), and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, 1,3-butadiene, n-hexane, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde. The types of equipment addressed by the EPEC II software include amine units, cooling towers, diesel/gasoline internal combustion (IC) engines, external combustion emission units, fixed-roof storage tanks, flares, fugitive emissions, glycol dehydrators, loading operations, natural gas engines, natural gas turbines, and vents. The user also has the flexibility to include emissions from additional equipment types, or to use alternative means to calculate emissions.