2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
Industrial Profile: Petroleum Refineries Sector
September 2019
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2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
CONTENTS
PETROLEUM REFINERIES SECTOR 1
Highlights 1
About this Sector 1
Who Reports? 1
Reported Emissions 2
Reported Process Emission Sources 2
Petroleum Refineries Sector: Emission Trends 2016-2017 6
Petroleum Refineries Sector: Longer-Term Emission Trends 6
Calculation Methods Used 8
Data Verification and Analysis 9
Glossary 10
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2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
PETROLEUM REFINERIES SECTOR
Highlights
• The Petroleum Refineries Sector is the second-highest
ranked sector in terms of GHG emissions per facility, with
an average of 1.23 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent (MMT CChe), behind only Power Plants.
• The Petroleum Refineries Sector is the fourth-largest
greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting industrial sector among
stationary sources behind Power Plants, Petroleum and
Natural Gas Systems, and Chemicals, respectively.
All emissions presented here
are as of 8/19/2018 and
exclude biogenic carbon
dioxide (CCh). All GHG
emission data displayed in
units of CChe reflect the
global warming potential
(GWP) values from the
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change's Fourth
Assessment Report (IPCC
AR41.
• The largest source of emissions in the Petroleum Refineries Sector is stationary fuel
combustion, representing about two-thirds of GHG emissions in 2017.
• Emissions from this sector have remained fairly consistent over the past six years,
decreasing by 0.4% from 2011 to 2017, with a low of 172.6 MMT CChe in 2012 to a high of
179.3 MMT CChe in 2016.
• In 2017, 62% of the emissions from the Petroleum Refineries Sector came from facilities in
Texas, Louisiana, and California.
About this Sector
The Petroleum Refineries Sector consists of facilities that produce gasoline, gasoline blending stocks,
naphtha, kerosene, distillate fuel oils, residual fuel oils, lubricants, or asphalt (bitumen) by the
distillation of petroleum or the re-distillation, cracking, or reforming of unfinished petroleum
derivatives. Petroleum refineries emit GHGs from various processes, including but not limited to,
venting, flares, and fugitive leaks from equipment (e.g., valves, flanges, pumps).
In addition to emissions from petroleum refining processes, this sector includes combustion
emissions from stationary combustion units, except for electricity generating units (Subpart D), the
emissions of which are included in the Power Plant Sector. Emissions from hydrogen production
plants located at refineries are included in the Non-Fluorinated Chemicals Sector. Emissions from
industrial waste landfills and industrial wastewater treatment at these facilities are included in the
Waste Sector. Most petroleum refineries also report as suppliers of petroleum products and a few
petroleum refineries also report as suppliers of CO2.
Who Reports?
As shown in Table 1, refineries began reporting to the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
(GHGRP) in 2010. The refineries required to report to the GHGRP include all of the refineries in the
US and all of the GHG emissions from the sector (see Table 2). In 2017, as shown in Tables 3 and 4,
144 facilities in the Petroleum Refineries Sector reported GHG emissions of 177.4 MMT CChe. The
Petroleum Refineries Sector reflects 1.9% of the facilities reporting direct emissions to the GHGRP.
In 2017, the Petroleum Refineries Sector represented 2.7% of total U.S. GHG emissions.1
1 The total U.S. GHG emissions are 6,456.72 MMT CChe, as reported in the Inventoiy of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and
Sinks: 1990-2017. EPA 430-R-19001. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Available:
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventorv-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2017.
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2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
Table 1: Petroleum Refineries Sector - Reporting Schedule by Subpart
Subpart
Source Category
Applicability
First Reporting Year
Y
Petroleum refineries
All facilities
2010
Table 2: Petroleum Refineries Sector - GHGRP Coverage (as of Reporting Year 2017)
Source Category
GHGRP Coverage
of Industry
Estimated Percent of
Industry Facilities
Covered by GHGRP
Estimated Percent of
Industry GHG Emissions
Covered by GHGRP
Petroleum refineries
All facilities
100%
100%
Table 3: Petroleum Refineries Sector- Number of Reporters (2015-2017)
Petroleum Refineries Sector
Number of Reporters
2015
2016
2017
Petroleum refineries
144
144
144
Reported Emissions
Table 4: Petroleum Refineries Sector- Emissions (2015-2017)
Sector
Emissions (MMT C02e)
2015
2016
2017
Petroleum refineries
175.3
179.3
177.4
Reported Process Emission Sources
Figure 1 shows the Petroleum Refineries Sector emissions by source for 2017. The largest sources of
GHG emissions at petroleum refineries are stationary fuel combustion units (e.g., steam boilers,
process furnaces, process heaters). The Petroleum Refineries Sector also reports process emissions
from catalytic cracking and reforming units, fluid and delayed coking units, coke calcining units,
asphalt blowing operations, blowdown systems, storage tanks, equipment leaks, loading operations,
flares, sulfur recovery plants, and process vents. Table 5 shows total reported emissions from
process emissions and fuel combustion.
Table 5: Petroleum Refineries - Emissions from Fuel Combustion and Other Processesa b
Fuel Type
Total Reported Emissions (MMT C02e)
2015
2016
2017
Fuel combustion
120.9
122.8
122.0
Process emissions
54.4
56.5
55.1
Sorbentc
**
**
**
a Emissions from fuel combustion are defined here as emissions reported under Subpart C. Emissions from other processes
are reported under Subpart Y.
b Emission values presented may differ slightly from other publicly available GHGRP data due to minor differences in the
calculation methodology. Sums of individual rows might not match totals sector emissions due to individual rounding.
c Does not include sorbent emissions monitored by a continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS].
** Total reported emissions are less than 0.05 MMT CChe.
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2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile Petroleum Refineries Sector
I FIGURE 1: 2017 PETROLEUM REFINERIES SECTOR: EMISSIONS BY
* SOURCE3'b
Sulfur Recovery Units
Flares 1-5%
2.4%
Catalytic
Cracking/Reforming
22.6%
Combustion
73.1%
a Emissions from fuel combustion are defined here as emissions reported under Subpart C, and emissions from other
processes are reported under Subpart Y.
b "Other Sources" include coke calcining units, process vents, uncontrolled blowdown systems, asphalt blowing operations,
equipment leaks, delayed coking units, storage tanks, loading operations, and emissions from sorbent use.
Table 6 shows the total reported combustion emissions in the Petroleum Refineries Sector by fuel
type. The predominant fuel used by refineries, fuel gas, is a byproduct off-gas from refining
processes that is captured and used as a fuel.
Table 6: Petroleum Refineries Sector - Combustion Emissions by Fuel Type3
Fuel Type
Total Reported Emissions
(MMT C02e)b
2015
2016
2017
Coal
**
**
**
Natural gas
21.9
22.1
21.9
Petroleum products
0.8
0.8
0.7
Other fuelsc
98.2
99.9
99.3
T otal Combustion
120.9
122.8
122.0
a In cases where CO2 emissions were reported at the unit level (i.e., CEMS-monitored sources], fuel-level CO2 emissions
were calculated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA] based on other data directly reported by facilities, as
well as default emission factors.
b Sums of individual fuels might not match totals due to individual rounding.
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2011-2017 GHGRP industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
s Excludes biogenic CO2. The primary fuel contributing to emissions from the Other Fuels category for the Petroleum
Refineries Sector is fuel gas. Fuel gas is categorized under the "Other fuels-gaseous" category within Table C-l to
Subpart C of Part 98.
** Total reported emissions are less than 0.05 MMT C02e.
Figure 2 shows the locations of direct-emitting facilities in the contiguous United States.
FIGURE 2: REFINERIES SECTOR: EMISSIONS BY RANGE AND
f LOCATION (2017)
(9
o
0°
%
o
Petroleum Refineries Emissions, 2017
O 500,000-2,000,000
O 2,000,000-5,000,000
Q 5,000,000-10,000,000
O
O
O
8
O
o
o
c0
*
O O
O
Oo
3 •
®
3 &
O Oo
o
(9
o
| Data Source: 2017 Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program |
Circle sizes in Figure 2 correspond to the quantity of emissions reported by that facility. Petroleum
refineries are also located in Alaska, Hawaii, and, the U.S. Virgin Islands (https://www¦epa.gov/ghgreDorting/
ghgrp-refineries).
Readers can identify the largest-emitting facilities by visiting the Facility Level Information on the Greenhouse
Gases Tool (FLIGFIT) website (https://ghgdata.epa.gov/ghgp/main.do).
Figure 3 shows the GHGRP emissions from the Petroleum Refineries Sector by state for 2017, In
2017, 62% of the emissions from the Petroleum Refineries Sector came from facilities in Texas,
Louisiana, and California.
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2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
FIGURE 3: REFINERIES SECTOR: EMISSIONS BY STATE
(2017)a
2017 Emissions (million metric tons C02e)
o
10
20
30
40
50
60
Texas
Louisiana
California
Illinois
Washington
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Oklahoma
New Jersey
Indiana
Minnesota
Kansas -H
Delaware
Mississippi
Kentucky
Utah ~U
Montana
Wyoming
Alaska
Tennessee
Alabama
Hawaii
New Mexico
Michigan
Colorado
North Dakota
Arkansas
Wisconsin -|
West Virginia -]
Virgin Islands-|
Nevada -
a Represents total emissions reported to the GHGRP from this sector. States not shown had no petroleum refining sector
emissions reported to the GHGRP in 2017.
Click here to view the most current information using FLIGHT.
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2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
Petroleum Refineries Sector: Emission Trends 2016-2017
Emissions in the Petroleum Refineries Sector decreased by approximately 1.1% from 2016 to 2017,
with the number of reporters over those two years remaining the same.
Petroleum Refineries Sector: Longer-Term Emission Trends
Figure 4 and Table 7 show that GHGRP emissions in the Petroleum Refineries Sector have remained
in a relatively narrow range from 2011 to 2017. Emissions have ranged from a low of 172.6 MMT
CChe in 2012 to a high of 179.3 MMT CChe in 2016. The number of facilities reporting under this
sector has slightly declined, ranging from 150 in 2011 to 144 in 2017, with a low of 142 in 2014.
The U.S. Gross Inputs to Refineries data from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information
Administration (EIA) observed a 10.6% increase in the daily average atmospheric crude input from
2011 to 2017, and a 2.9% increase from 2015 to 2017. As a result, the declining number of facilities
points to a steadily increasing average refinery capacity, as the result of expansions at existing
refineries over time.
0
FIGURE 4: ANNUAL REPORTED DIRECT EMISSIONS FROM THE
REFINERIES SECTOR AND EIA U.S. GROSS INPUTS TO REFINERIES
' (2011 2017)
210+-
¦17000
co
¦16000"!
co
o
J3
CD^
5'
CD
190-
o
CO
CO
o
¦ 15000 w
0
=3
Q_
CD
0
180 f-
"O
CD
O
0
*<
¦14000
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
a EIA data source: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=mgirius2&f=a.
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2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
Table 7: Petroleum Refineries Sector - Emissions by GHG (MMT CCtee)3
Petroleum Refineries Sector
Reporting Year
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Number of facilities
150
147
146
142
144
144
144
Total emissions (MMT CChe]
178.2
172.6
174.3
175.3
175.3
179.3
177.4
Emissions by GHG
C02
176.8
171.3
173.0
174.0
173.9
178.0
176.1
Methane
0.85
0.82
0.80
0.78
0.82
0.81
0.81
Nitrous oxide
0.47
0.49
0.50
0.50
0.51
0.52
0.51
aTotals may not sum due to independent rounding.
Figure 5 shows the average emissions per reporter for the Petroleum Refineries Sector compared
with the average emissions per reporter for all direct emitters. The Petroleum Refineries Sector is
the second-highest ranked sector in terms of GHG emissions per facility, with an average of
1.23 MMT CC>2e, behind only the Power Plants Sector. Figure 6 and Table 8 display the percentage of
facilities reporting at different emission ranges for the Petroleum Refineries Sector and all GHG
direct emitters, which show a larger percentage of refineries reporting emissions in higher emission
ranges than those reported by all GHGRP direct emitters.
©FIGURE 5: AVERAGE EMISSIONS PER REPORTER FROM THE
PETROLEUM REFINERIES SECTOR (2017)
2017 Emissions (million metric tons C02e)
Petroleum Refineries- 1.23
GHGRP Average. n „q
(Direct Emitters Only)
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4
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2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
©FIGURE 6: PERCENTAGE OF FACILITIES IN THE REFINERIES SECTOR AT
VARIOUS EMISSION RANGES (2017)
45%-
»40% ¦
135%- I
1 30%- ¦ I
1* ¦ - ||
120%-
l I
iLlilillili
0-0.025 0.025-0.05 0.05-0.1 0.1-0.25 0.25-1 >1
2017 Emissions Range (million metric tons C02e)
Table 8: Petroleum Refineries Sector - Number of Reporters by Emission Range (2017)
Petroleum Refineries Sector
Emission Range (MMT C02e)
0-0.025
0.025-0.05
0.05-0.1
0.1-0.25
0.25-1
> 1
Total refineries sector
11
4
10
16
44
59
Calculation Methods Used
Table 9 summarizes the calculation methods used by facilities in the Petroleum Refineries Sector.
Emission Calculation Methodology from Stationary Fuel Combustion Units
For fuel combustion emissions, facilities must generally follow the applicable tier methodology
prescribed in Subpart C (general stationary fuel combustion sources) to calculate CO2, methane, and
nitrous oxide emissions. However, the Petroleum Refineries Sector has more stringent requirements
for fuel gas, and thus the vast majority of fuel gas combustion emissions have to be calculated using
Subpart C's Tier 3 calculation methodology. The calculation methodologies for Subpart C are
explained here.
| Pelmeries Sector
GHGRP (AI Direct Emitters)
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2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
Table 9: Petroleum Refineries Sector Emission Calculation Methodologies
Type of Emissions
Methodology
Percent of Emissions Monitored by Method
(by type)
2015
2016
2017
Process Emissions
CEMS
18.0%
18.4%
18.5%
Measurement data
68.4%
68.5%
67.9%
Engineering estimates or
emission factors
13.6%
13.1%
13.6%
Combustion Emissions
CEMS (Tier 4)a
0.3%
0.2%
0.2%
Measured carbon content, and, if
applicable, molecular weight
(Tier 3)
84.5%
85.4%
86.4%
Measured high-heating values
(HHVs) and default emission
factors (Tier 2)
11.9%
11.2%
10.6%
Default HHVs and emission
factors (Tier 1)
3.3%
3.1%
2.7%
a CEMS emissions include CO2 from fossil fuel combustion and, if applicable, CO2 from sorbent.
Emission Calculation Methodologies for Process Emission Sources
Process vents. The major source of process vent emissions at petroleum refineries - catalytic
cracking, fluid coking, and catalytic reforming units - have the following options for calculating CO2
emissions:
• CEMS - Operate a CEMS in the final exhaust stack.
• Monitoring - Large catalytic cracking units and fluid coking units must monitor exhaust gas
oxygen, CO2, and, if necessary, CO concentrations continuously, or no less frequently than
hourly, prior to the combustion of other fossil fuels. Catalytic reforming and smaller (i.e., less
than 10,000 barrels per stream day) catalytic cracking and fluid coking units have the option
to measure these parameters at least daily or use an emission factor (see below).
• Emission factor - Catalytic cracking units and fluid coking units with rated capacities less
than 10,000 barrels per stream day can calculate emissions using a coke burn-off factor and
the carbon content of the coke (either the measured or default value). Catalytic reforming
units, regardless of size, can also use a coke burn-off factor.
Other process emission sources. The calculation methodologies include direct measurements,
engineering calculations, process knowledge, and emission factors.
Data Verification and Analysis
As a part of the reporting and verification process, EPA evaluates annual GHG reports with
electronic checks. EPA contacts facilities regarding potential reporting issues and facilities resubmit
reports as errors are identified. Additional information on EPA's verification process is available
here.
As discussed above, EPA also used an outside dataset from the Department of Energy's EIA to
evaluate emissions reported to the GHGRP. This dataset may be accessed here. Specifically, the
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2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
U.S. Gross Inputs to Refineries data observed a 10.6% increase in the daily average atmospheric
crude input from 2011 to 2017, and a 2.9% increase from 2015 to 2017.
Glossary
CEMS means continuous emissions monitoring system.
CChe means carbon dioxide equivalent, which is a metric used to compare the emissions from various
GHGs based upon their GWP. The CO2 for a gas is calculated by multiplying the tons of the gas by the
associated GWP.
Direct emitters are facilities that combust fuels or otherwise put GHGs into the atmosphere directly
from their facility. Alternatively suppliers are entities that supply certain fossil fuels or fluorinated
gases into the economy that - when combusted, released, or oxidized - emit GHGs into the
atmosphere.
Distillate fuel oil means a classification for one of the petroleum fractions produced in conventional
distillation operations and from crackers and hydrotreating process units. The generic term
"distillate fuel oil" includes kerosene, kerosene-type jet fuel, diesel fuels (No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4), and
fuel oils (No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4).
FLIGHT refers to EPA's GHG data publication tool, named the Facility Level Information
on Greenhouse Gases Tool fhttp://ghgdata.epa.gov"l.
Fuel gas means gas that is generated as a byproduct at a petroleum refinery or petrochemical plant
and that is combusted separately or in combination with any type of gas.
GHGRP means EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (40 CFR Part 98).
GHGRP vs. GHG Inventory: EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) collects and
disseminates annual GHG data from individual facilities and suppliers across the U.S. economy. EPA
also develops the annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (GHG Inventory) to
track total national emissions of GHGs to meet U.S. government commitments to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change. The GHGRP and Inventory datasets are complementary;
however, there are also important differences in the data and approach. For more information,
please see https://www.epa.gov/ghgreporting/greenhouse-gas-reporting-program-and-us-
inventory-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks.
IPCC AR4 refers to the Fourth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the
Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team,
Pachauri, RK. and A. Reisinger (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 2007. The IPCC AR4 values also
can be found in the current version of Table A-l in Subpart A of 40 CFR Part 98.
MMT means million metric tons.
Naphtha is a generic term applied to a petroleum fraction of crude oil that is the raw material for
gasoline.
Petroleum products mean all refined and semi-refined products that are produced at a refinery by
processing crude oil and other petroleum-based feedstocks, including petroleum products derived
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2011-2017 GHGRP Industrial Profile
Petroleum Refineries Sector
from co-processing biomass and petroleum feedstock together, but not including plastics or plastic
products. Petroleum products may be combusted for energy use, or they may be used either for non-
energy processes or as non-energy products. Fuel gas is included in the petroleum product fuel
category for all sectors other than petrochemical production. For petrochemical production, fuel gas
is classified separately.
Residual fuel oil refers to fuel oils No. 5 and No. 6.
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