Section 215.183  Open Top Vapor Degreasing

a)         Operating Requirements:  No person shall operate an open top vapor degreaser unless:

1)         The cover of the degreaser is closed when workloads are not being processed through the degreaser;

2)         Solvent carryout emissions are minimized by:

A)        Racking parts to allow complete drainage;

B)        Moving parts in and out of the degreaser at less than 3.3 m/min (11 ft/min);

C)        Holding the parts in the vapor zone until condensation ceases;

D)        Tipping out any pools of solvent on the cleaned parts before removal from the vapor zone; and,

E)        Allowing parts to dry within the degreaser until visually dry.

3)         Porous or absorbent materials, such as cloth, leather, wood or rope are not degreased;

4)         Less than half of the degreaser's open top area is occupied with a workload;

5)         The degreaser is not loaded to the point where the vapor level would drop more than 10 cm (4 in) when the workload is removed from the vapor zone;

6)         Spraying is done below the vapor level only;

7)         Solvent leaks are repaired immediately;

8)         Waste solvent is stored in covered containers only and not disposed of in such a manner that more than 20% of the waste solvent (by weight) is allowed to evaporate into the atmosphere;

9)         Water is not visually detectable in solvent exiting from the water separator; and

10)       Exhaust ventilation exceeding 20 cubic meters per minute per square meter (65 cubic feet per minute per square foot) of degreaser open area is not used, unless necessary to meet the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (29 U.S.C. Section 651 et seq.)

b)         Equipment Requirements:  No person shall operate an open top vapor degreaser unless:

1)         The degreaser is equipped with a cover designed to open and close easily without disturbing the vapor zone;

2)         The degreaser is equipped with the following switches:

A)        A device which shuts off the sump heat source if the amount of condenser coolant is not sufficient to maintain the designed vapor level; and

B)        A device which shuts off the spray pump if the vapor level drops more than 10 cm (4 in) below the bottom condenser coil; and

C)        A device which shuts off the sump heat source when the vapor level exceeds the design level.

3)         A permanent conspicuous label summarizing the operating procedure is affixed to the degreaser;

4)         The degreaser is equipped with one of the following devices:

A)        A freeboard height of 3/4 of the inside width of the degreaser tank or 91 cm (36 in), whichever is less; and if the degreaser opening is greater than 1 square meter (10.8 square feet), a powered or mechanically assisted cover; or

B)        Any other equipment or system of equivalent emission control as approved by the Agency.  Such equipment or system may include a refrigerated chiller, an enclosed design or a carbon adsorption system.

(Source:  Amended at 3 Ill. Reg. 30, p. 124, effective July 28, 1979)