Making Flare Data Clean-up Transparent

A refinery was subject to a new regulation requiring them to change the way flare data was collected. Although they had a CEMS flare data acquisition system (DAS), the DAS would require very difficult modifications to obtain data compliant with the new rule. They needed to use a programmatic approach to improving its flare calculation data outside of the traditional DAS. The approach needed to be able to highlight the changes being made so they could be inspected and overridden if necessary. This approach needed to also incorporate meter data that is typically not data substituted by a DAS.

Approach:
JBE created a fit-for-purpose Excel tool that flagged seven data change types with easy to interpret color-coding to show the before and after data values. The JBE approach addressed common data issues such as negative values, values above the meter span, periods of time when calibration was occurring, and erratic values during shutdowns. The JBE-developed tool allowed refinery staff to quickly identify and interpret inaccurate data so that it could be easily removed or changed.

Impact:

As a result of this approach, our client was able to achieve compliance with the new rule by the implementation date. Use of the JBE tool also significantly reduced the manual data review and adjustment time, freeing the environmental engineer for other priorities. The tool also reduced the chances for errors by the reviewer, likely resulting in fewer potential non-compliance incidents.