ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

May

25,

1978

SHELL OIL COMPANY,

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB 77—306

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY,

Respondent

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

(by Mr. Goodman):

On November 28,

1978,

Shell Oil Company

(Shell

Oil)

filed

a Petition for Variance before the Board from Rules

202 and 204

of Chapter

8:

Noise Pollution Regulations,

for noise

emissions

from its petroleum refinery located in Wood River, Madison

County,

Illinois,

The Agency filed its Recommendation on Janua~

19,

1978.

No

hearing has been held

in

this matter.

The Wood River refinery has a nominal crude oil processing

capacity of 295,000 barrels per operating day.

The refinery is

abutted on its south property line by South Foxana,

Illinois

which contains numerous Class A and Class B land uses

as those

uses are defined by Rules

201(a)

and

(b)

The noise emissions

from the Wood River refinery to this area exceed the limitations

of Rules

202 and 204,

Shell Oil included with it petition a

record of noise complaints received since l959~ Since that time,

the company has received

5 noise complaints,

all of which occurred

during upset or emergency conditions;

the most recent complaint

was received in

1971.

Furthermore,

the Agency

in its Recommend-

ation included the results

of a noise survey conducted

in the

vicinity of the refinery.

Of 178 inquiries sent out,

6 responses

were received

—

three

in favor of granting the variance and three

opposed.

The Agency also indicated it had received no unsolicited

complaints.

Since 1965,

Shell Oil has installed

19

vent silencers

to

eliminate noise from atmospheric

vents

on

various pressure sys-

tems.

Subsequent to passage of the Noise Regulations,

Shell Oil

30

—

289

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—2—

commenced and completed acoustical treatment of three process

heaters and the air blowers on the Catalytic Cracking Unit Number

One.

Shell Oil has determined that the remaining principal contri-

butors to the sound pressure levels

in South Roxana are the process

heaters of Catalytic Reformer Number Three

(CR-3), Hydrodesulfur-

izer

Unit

Number Two

(HDU-2), and Catalytic Reformer Number Two

(CR-2).

Shell Oil has undertaken a combination energy conservatior

noise abatement project which includes replacement of the burners

and addition of acoustically—treated plenums and blowers on the six

heaters at CR-3 and HDU—2.

Shell Oil indicates

in its petition

that the noise portion of these projects will cost approximately

$500,000 and will,

by June

30,

1979, eliminate approximately 99

of

the acoustical power presently being generated by these heaters.

The remaining major contributor,

CR-2,

is an old unit which was

unexpectedly reactivated because of current national energy

requirements and the gasoline lead reduction program.

Its furnace

is over

20 years old,

contains

96 burners,

six tiers high,

and

presents a complex acoustical treatment problem.

Shell Oil has

initiated a program to determine

if a practical solution to the

problem exists.

The study will be completed

in approximately

one to two years;

if a solution is found,

it will probably require

two to four years

to implement.

Shell Oil also indicates in its

petition that any new process facilities will be designed to mini-

mize the emission of sound.

Using an acoustical model,

Shell Oil evaluated the effect of

the already completed and the projected noise abatement measures

on the noise emitted

to South Roxana.

Shell Oil used its computer

model

to calculate contour lines showing compliance with Rule

202,

Class C to Class A land.

Using the results of Shell Oil’s evalua-

tion,

the Agency determined the approximate land area and number

of people affected by the current and projected noise abatement

measures, as shown in the following tables:

Area Affected by Noise_Emissions

in Violation of Rule 202 Now

~

nd Al~er

Furnace

Noise

Aba

Lemen L

Acres

Reduction

Before

LF

&

E

Reduction

86.1

Now

50.0

42

After

CR-3/HDU-2

Reduction

40.3

After

CR-2

Reduction

9.3

89

30

—

290

---

—3—

The

above

areas

are

not

indicative

of

any

particular

land use, but

only

of

total

land

area

of

whatever land use.

People Living

in Noise Contour Bands

Now and After Furnace Noise Abatement

People

Noise Contour Band;

dB(A)

55—60

60—65

65—70

Now

277

66

CR-3/HDU~-2 Reduction

211

13

CR-2

Reduction

142

7

0

The Board finds that

Shell

Oil has

in good faith attempted to

comply with the Noise Regulations and that the compliance plan pro-

posed will afford protection

to the residents

in the South Roxana

community.

The Board finds that denial of the requested variance

would impose an arbitrary and unreasonable hardship upon Shell Oil.

We will,

therefore, grant Shell Oil a variance from Rules

202 and

204 of Chapter

8 for a period of five years,

subject to the condi-

tions listed in the Order below.

This Opinion constitutes the findings of fact and conclusions

of law of the Board in this matter.

ORDER

It

is

the

Order

of

the

Pollution

Control Board that Shell Oil

Company

be

granted

a

variance from Rules 202 and

204

of Chapter

8

until June

30,

1979,

for the sound emitted from its Wood River

refinery to the area shown in Figure

2 of Appendix II to Shell’s

petition and until May 25,

1983,

for the area shown in Figure

3

of Appendix II, corrected

to zero wind conditions,

subject

to the

following conditions:

1.

Shell Oil’s sound emissions shall not exceed the

levels depicted as current levels

in Appendix IV

to its petition;

2.

The sound emitted from any new equipment, process

or facility at Shell Oil’s refinery shall at no

time exceed Rules 202 and 204 of Chapter

8;

30

—

291

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3.

Shell Oil shall submit reports

to the Agency

every

6 months commencing with the date of

this Order and ending on or before June

30,

1979,

detailing its progress on the CR-3/HDU-2

noise reduction program, described in its peti-

tion and shall forward to the Agency the new

plenum design as soon as it is completed;

4.

Shell Oil shall submit to the Agency every

6

months commencing with the date of this

variance detailing its progress on its CR—2

heater unit noise reduction program, described

in its petition,

including development of

further noise control techniques for the CR—2

heater unit or any alternative plans

for its

ultimate replacement.

5.

Within

45 days

of

the

adoption

of

this Order,

Shell Oil Company shall execute and forward to

both the Illinois

Environmental

Protection

Agency,

2200 Churchill

Road,

Springfield,

Illinois 62706 and

the

Pollution

Control

Board

a Certification of

Acceptance

and

Agreement to

be bound

to all terms

and

conditions of this

Order.

The

45 day period shall be held in

abeyance during any period this matter

is being

appealed.

The

form

of

said

Certification shall

be as follows:

CERTIFICATION

I

(We),

having read and

fully understanding the Order of the Illinois Pollu-

tion Control

Board

in

PCB

77-306 hereby accept said

Order

and

agree

to

he

bound

by all of the terms

and

conditions

thereof.

SIGNED

TITLE

DATE

Dr~ Satchell abstains.

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—5—

I,

Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution

Control Board,

hereby certify

the above Opinion and Order

were ado ted on the~~”~__day

of

1978 by a vote

of________________

Illinois Pollut.

Control Board