Podcast: Why fugitive emissions are sabotaging plant efficiency and how to stop them
Key takeaways
- Unchecked fugitive emissions can cause safety hazards, regulatory fines, and equipment downtime in industrial facilities.
- Zero-emissions sealing systems can retrofit existing pumps and valves without major redesigns, improving compliance affordably.
- Many assume some leakage is normal, but modern sealing technologies now make near-zero emissions a realistic goal.
- Condition monitoring tools help detect seal wear early, enabling preventive action before leaks and failures occur.
In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Laura Davis, the editor in chief of New Equipment Digest, and Chris Tindell, regional business manager at SEPCO, delve into the growing challenge of fugitive emissions in industrial facilities. The conversation explores why these hard-to-detect leaks pose serious risks to safety, compliance, and operational efficiency. Chris shares insights on modern sealing technologies and digital monitoring tools that help plants move toward zero emissions without costly overhauls. Together, they highlight practical steps facility leaders can take to reduce emissions and extend equipment life.
Below is an edited excerpt from the podcast:
NED: So, to begin our topic today, what exactly is meant by fugitive emissions, and why are they such a growing concern for industrial facilities today? What are the risks if they go unchecked?
CT: Well, fugitive emissions are basically unintentional leaks. Usually, gases like hydrocarbons that escape from equipment like pumps, valves, and compressors. They're a big concern today because of stricter environmental regulations and safety risks, and just growing awareness of their impact on air quality and climate change. If left unchecked, they can lead to serious fines, operational downtime, and even harm to workers and the surrounding community.
NED: Yeah, I mean, you don't want to overlook those things, especially the money aspect. And then you've got the downtime that just costs you more money. So, that's good to know. So SEPCO developed an award-winning solution a few years ago that tackles this issue head-on. Could you explain what makes this solution different than past technologies or traditional methods, and how it changes operations for the better?
CT: Yes, so it's our Ecoseal. It's a zero-emissions sealing solution that captures leakage at the source, and it combines an engineered packing set with a pressurized barrier—air, nitrogen, or steam—to stop emissions from escaping into the atmosphere. And what makes it stand out is that it can be retrofitted into existing applications like valves, reciprocating pumps—and it can be done without major modifications. It gives plants a very practical, cost-effective way to meet their emissions goals without redesigning equipment.
NED: That's great. I mean, being able to easily retrofit legacy equipment is perfect. With this solution, is there a real-world example you can walk us through? Maybe a facility that avoided fines or major emissions incidents by using the solution.
CT: Sure. One of the Gulf Coast refineries that we work with—they were struggling to stay in compliance with LDAR (leak detection and repair regulations)—and after installing the Ecoseal (this was one of our first customers with this; they helped us in the design and implementation process), after installing the Ecoseal on just a few of their high-leakage pumps—reciprocating pumps that were found in their flare systems, which include flare knockout systems that capture heavier hydrocarbons as gases are transferred out to the to the flare systems—they saw results. The emissions dropped to zero. They were no longer detectable and they avoided fines. The maintenance team also saw fewer packing adjustments on the reciprocating rod pumps and less cleanup, and the feedback was great. It worked and saved time and money.
NED: That's great. So, people or companies who have not used the solution yet, or maybe just don't know, what would you say are some of the biggest misconceptions or commonly overlooked issues that plant managers or EHS managers might have when it comes to sealing technologies and emissions? What should facility leaders be thinking about if they want to reach that zero or near-zero emissions?
CT: Oh, that's a great question. I guess one of the common misconceptions is that sealing is a minor issue, or that a little leakage is normal, because, especially in packing applications, they are designed to leak and to emit. And there are standards that have been in place to try to control the emissions, to lower rates in parts per million (PPM) measured by sniffing and testing around the valves and around the pumps. It just became normal; It was the crack in the wall. It was something that, I guess the truth is, sealing systems are often the biggest contributor to fugitive emissions, especially on older equipment, and I think it's common for people to think that they cannot hit zero emissions. But with today's technology, it's absolutely possible. The key is knowing where your biggest risks are and using solutions, modern or more current technologies, that are both reliable and measurable, and zero is possible.
NED: That's some great insight. I think I'd have to agree about most people probably think that that's a one-off or a fantasy to reach that. Speaking of tech, how do you see the role of digital tools, like condition monitoring, evolving in the push toward zero emissions?
CT: Yeah. Well, the digital tools are key to achieving zero emissions. The technologies that are used for testing the environment around hydrocarbon valves and pumps—looking for leak rates—that technology has been around a while, and that's helped us to measure and quantify leak rates and then to determine solutions to better control those rates. Sensors that track vibration, temperature, pressure—they give early warning of other symptoms. Other problems that are occurring in mechanical equipment that will ultimately lead to the accelerated wear and failure of not only mechanical seals, but especially packing [seals], and these sensors actually help us detect the problems early and react before the actual leak happens. And really, at SEPCO, when we developed the SEC system (the smart environmental control system), we did that for just this reason: it gives us a simple go/no-go signal that's based on pressure changes inside of packing sets. And that's especially useful in the Ecoseal where emissions are captured. So you can no longer test for hydrocarbon leaks, because it's zero detectable. And there's no visible leakage because we capture any leakage from the packing set, and we route that back to the flare. So our SEC control systems become important. It tells us exactly when to adjust the packing to extend the life and maintain the zero emissions detectable.
About the Podcast
Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast offers news and information for the people who make, store and move things and those who manage and maintain the facilities where that work gets done. Manufacturers from chemical producers to automakers to machine shops can listen for critical insights into the technologies, economic conditions and best practices that can influence how to best run facilities to reach operational excellence.