Subpart N - Standards of Performance for Primary Emissions from Basic Oxygen Process Furnaces for Which Construction is Commenced After June 11, 1973

§60.140 Applicability and designation of affected facility.

(a) The affected facility to which the provisions of this subpart apply is each basic oxygen process furnace.

(b) Any facility under paragraph (a) of this section that commences construction or modification after June 11, 1973, is subject to the requirements of this subpart.

§60.141 Definitions.

As used in this subpart, all terms not defined herein shall have the meaning given them in the Act and in subpart A of this part.

(a) Basic oxygen process furnace (BOPF) means any furnace with a refractory lining in which molten steel is produced by charging scrap metal, molten iron, and flux materials or alloy additions into a vessel and introducing a high volume of oxygen-rich gas. Open hearth, blast, and reverberatory furnaces are not included in this definition.

(b) Primary emissions means particulate matter emissions from the BOPF generated during the steel production cycle and captured by the BOPF primary control system.

(c) Primary oxygen blow means the period in the steel production cycle of a BOPF during which a high volume of oxygen-rich gas is introduced to the bath of molten iron by means of a lance inserted from the top of the vessel or through tuyeres in the bottom or through the bottom and sides of the vessel. This definition does not include any additional or secondary oxygen blows made after the primary blow or the introduction of nitrogen or other inert gas through tuyeres in the bottom or bottom and sides of the vessel.

(d) Steel production cycle means the operations conducted within the BOPF steelmaking facility that are required to produce each batch of steel and includes the following operations: scrap charging, preheating (when used), hot metal charging, primary oxygen blowing, sampling (vessel turndown and turnup), additional oxygen blowing (when used), tapping, and deslagging. This definition applies to an affected facility constructed, modified, or reconstructed after January 20, 1983. For an affected facility constructed, modified, or reconstructed after June 11, 1973, but on or before January 20, 1983, steel production cycle means the operations conducted within the BOPF steelmaking facility that are required to produce each batch of steel and includes the following operations: scrap charging, preheating (when used), hot metal charging, primary oxygen blowing, sampling (vessel turndown and turnup), additional oxygen blowing (when used), and tapping.

[39 FR 9318, Mar. 8, 1974, as amended at 51 FR 160, Jan. 2, 1986]

§60.142 Standard for particulate matter.

(a) Except as provided under paragraph (b) of this section, on and after the date on which the performance test required to be conducted by §60.8 is completed, no owner or operator subject to the provisions of this subpart shall discharge or cause the discharge into the atmosphere from any affected facility any gases which:

(1) Contain particulate matter in excess of 50 mg/dscm (0.022 gr/dscf).

(2) Exit from a control device and exhibit 10 percent opacity or greater, except that an opacity of greater than 10 percent but less than 20 percent may occur once per steel production cycle.

(b) For affected facilities constructed, modified, or reconstructed after January 20, 1983, the following limits shall apply:

(1) On or after the date on which the performance test under §60.8 is required to be completed, no owner or operator of an affected facility for which open hooding is the method for controlling primary emissions shall cause to be discharged to the atmosphere any gases that:

(i) Contain particulate matter in excess of 50 mg/dscm (0.022 gr/dscf), as measured for the primary oxygen blow.

(ii) Exit from a control device not used solely for the collection of secondary emissions, as defined in §60.141a, and exhibit 10 percent opacity or greater, except that an opacity greater than 10 percent but less than 20 percent may occur once per steel production cycle.

(2) On or after the date on which the performance test required by §60.8 is completed, no owner or operator of an affected facility for which closed hooding is the method for controlling primary emissions shall cause to be discharged into the atmosphere any gases that:

(i) Contain particulate matter in excess of 68 mg/dscm (0.030 gr/dscf), as measured for the primary oxygen blow.

(ii) Exit from a control device not used solely for the collection of secondary emissions, as defined in §60.141a, and exhibit 10 percent opacity or greater, except that an opacity greater than 10 percent but less than 20 percent may occur once per steel production cycle.

(c) On and after the date on which the performance test required by §60.8 is completed, each owner or operator of an affected facility subject to paragraph (b) of this section shall operate the primary gas cleaning system during any reblow in a manner identical to operation during the primary oxygen blow.

[39 FR 9318, Mar. 8, 1974, as amended at 43 FR 15602, Apr. 13, 1978; 51 FR 161, Jan. 2, 1986]

§60.143 Monitoring of operations.

(a) The owner or operator of an affected facility shall maintain a single time-measuring instrument which shall be used in recording daily the time and duration of each steel production cycle, and the time and duration of any diversion of exhaust gases from the main stack servicing the BOPF.

(b) The owner or operator of any affected facility that uses venturi scrubber emission control equipment shall install, calibrate, maintain, and continuously operate monitoring devices as follows:

(1) A monitoring device for the continuous measurement of the pressure loss through the venturi constriction of the control equipment. The monitoring device is to be certified by the manufacturer to be accurate within ±250 Pa (±1 inch water).

(2) A monitoring device for the continual measurement of the water supply pressure to the control equipment. The monitoring device is to be certified by the manufacturer to be accurate within ±5 percent of the design water supply pressure. The monitoring device's pressure sensor or pressure tap must be located close to the water discharge point. The Administrator must be consulted for approval in advance of selecting alternative locations for the pressure sensor or tap.

(3) All monitoring devices shall be synchronized each day with the time-measuring instrument used under paragraph (a) of this section. The chart recorder error directly after synchronization shall not exceed 0.08 cm ( ¹/₃₂ inch).

(4) All monitoring devices shall use chart recorders which are operated at a minimum chart speed of 3.8 cm/hr (1.5 in/hr).

(5) All monitoring devices are to be recalibrated annually, and at other times as the Administrator may require, in accordance with the procedures under §60.13(b).

(c) Any owner or operator subject to the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section shall report to the Administrator, on a semiannual basis, all measurements over any 3-hour period that average more than 10 percent below the average levels maintained during the most recent performance test conducted under §60.8 in which the affected facility demonstrated compliance with the mass standards under §60.142(a)(1), (b)(1)(i) or (b)(2)(i). The accuracy of the respective measurements, not to exceed the values specified in paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section, may be taken into consideration when determining the measurement results that must be reported.

[43 FR 15602, Apr. 13, 1978, as amended at 51 FR 161, Jan. 2, 1986; 54 FR 6667, Feb. 14, 1989]

§60.144 Test methods and procedures.

(a) In conducting the performance tests required in §60.8, the owner or operator shall use as reference methods and procedures the test methods in appendix A of this part or other methods and procedures as specified in this section, except as provided in §60.8(b).

(b) The owner or operator shall determine compliance with the particulate matter standards in §60.142 as follows:

(1) The time-measuring instrument of §60.143 shall be used to document the time and duration of each steel production cycle and each diversion period during each run.

(2) Method 5 shall be used to determine the particulate matter concentration. The sampling time and sample volume for each run shall be at least 60 minutes and 1.50 dscm (53 dscf). Sampling shall be discontinued during periods of diversions.

(i) For affected facilities that commenced construction, modification, or reconstruction on or before January 20, 1983, the sampling for each run shall continue for an integral number of steel production cycles. A cycle shall start at the beginning of either the scrap preheat or the oxygen blow and shall terminate immediately before tapping.

(ii) For affected facilities that commenced construction, modification, or reconstruction after January 20, 1983, the sampling for each run shall continue for an integral number of primary oxygen blows.

(3) Method 9 and the procedures in §60.11 shall be used to determine opacity. Observations taken during a diversion period shall not be used in determining compliance with the opacity standard. Opacity observations taken at 15-second intervals immediately before and after a diversion of exhaust gases from the stack may be considered to be consecutive for the purpose of computing an average opacity for a 6-minute period.

(c) The owner or operator shall use the monitoring devices of §60.143(b)(1) and (2) for the duration of the particulate matter runs. The arithmetic average of all measurements taken during these runs shall be used to determine compliance with §60.143(c).

[54 FR 6667, Feb. 14, 1989, as amended at 65 FR 61756, Oct. 17, 2000]