James Drago, P.E.
Manager Business Development
Garlock Sealing Technologies
Jim Drago has worked in sealing technology for more than 25 years. His work has focused on engineering, applications, product development, business development and management. He has authored numerous articles on sealing and how to meet fugitive emission regulations, presented papers at technical symposiums and contributed to industry standards for API, ASME, EPRI and STLE. Jim is a mechanical engineering graduate of
PRESENTATION: Optical Measuring Technologies for Air Quality and Regulatory Compliance
Volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants have been subject to leak detection and repair (LDAR) requirements since the passage of the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990. Fugitive emissions of these substances contribute to ground-level ozone, a major component of smog and cause of respiratory illness; some are known or suspected carcinogens. Optical methods to detect and monitor fugitive and process emissions have been on the scene for years and are gaining stature as standard practices.
This presentation will cover infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV) and laser technologies used to find leaks of pollutants and monitor air quality. Introduced in December of 2008, EPA’s Alternative Work Practice allows the use of FLIR, forward looking IR, to find leaks in oil refineries and chemical processing plants instead of manual point monitoring with hand-held instruments. Fence-line monitoring systems utilizing open-path FTIR, Fourier transform IR, report in real time the constituents of ambient air around processing plants. DIAL, dispersive absorption light detection and ranging, is applied to perform plant and pipeline surveys from motor vehicles or planes. Coupled with meteorological data and analysis software, DIAL surveys can report the type and quantity of pollutant.
Regulations in the USA and Europe are requiring the use of these technologies, making them a part of standard practice.
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