Considering fugitive emissions during the conceptual design stage

Abstract

The industrialized nations of the world have all placed increased emphasis on the control of industrial emissions, to protect the atmosphere. Many types of emissions result from process streams, and as such, can be controlled by operators with the right engineering interventions. However, a considerable proportion of emissions are unanticipated fugitive emissions [ 1]. Fugitive emissions are defined as a chemical, or a mixture of chemicals, in any physical form, released as a result of an unanticipated or spurious leak in an industrial site [ 2,3,4]. Such leaks occur because of discontinuities in the solid barrier that is intended to maintain containment.