Oil Refinery Pollution

[A_7]

I live over the Solent in sight of Fawley Oil Refinery. It was a lovely bright, still day recently and what ever was coming from the various chimneys was forming a huge cloud in the sky. I was just wondering if anyone knew what these gasses might be. I have tried to find out via the interweb but without success. Just curious if I need to be concerned or not. Ta. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[StugeronSteve]

Ring the Environment Agency, they should be able to tell you from pollution inventories. If it's white it is probably just steam, although I have seen lovely thick black clouds before, probably as something is started up.

 

[BrendanS]

Have a look here
http://www.exxonmobil.co.uk/files/PA/UK/FAWLEY_cr2003.pdf

The bits you are interested in are:

Products of combustion – oxides of nitrogen and sulphur, and carbon dioxide – are produced when fuel oil and gas are burned to generate heat and power. They are similar to the chemical compounds produced by a domestic central heating boiler <snip>..........emissions reduced by 15 percent in 2003, compared with 2002. At 39 tonnes per day, theywere well within the allowable limit of 50 tonnes a day averagedover a three-month period. Emissions of nitrogen oxides were also down, and well within the consent limit. These improvements have been achieved in part by theinstallation of a £60 million cogeneration unit on the site. Thecombined heat and power (CHP) plant burns fuel at an efficiency of75 per cent, twice that of a conventional power station. Fawley has been one of two Environment Agency testbeds toverify the accuracy of our emissions reporting. The study, whichinvolved placing air samplers along the site boundary, showed thatwe have been overstating the level of some emissions.

 

[Nickel]

Whatever it is, anything that orange is obviously bad in my view! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[TrueBlue]

Orange? Orange? - that's Bromine; very nasty - or perhaps time expired mobile phones.