1 / 26

PG&E’s Management of Oil-Filled Electrical Equipment (OFEE) and Other Materials Containing

PG&E’s Management of Oil-Filled Electrical Equipment (OFEE) and Other Materials Containing Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB ). PCB’s in Oil Filled Electrical Equipment. Mineral Oil : to insulate, suppress corona and arcing and, as coolant PCB: as dielectric* fluid

joella
Download Presentation

PG&E’s Management of Oil-Filled Electrical Equipment (OFEE) and Other Materials Containing

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. PG&E’s Management of Oil-Filled Electrical Equipment (OFEE) and Other Materials Containing Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)

  2. PCB’s in Oil Filled Electrical Equipment • Mineral Oil : to insulate, suppress corona and arcing and, as coolant • PCB: as dielectric* fluid *electric insulating by polarization as opposed to electrical obstruction

  3. POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS • Man-made organic chemicals, domestically manufactured beginning in 1929 • Used in many commercial applications • Insulating properties • Stability • Non-flammable

  4. Common Types of PCBs Mineral Oil Dielectric Fluids: • Mineral oil-filled electrical equipment may be contaminated from its origin of manufacture through servicing and/or rebuilding activities • Must be assumed to contain 50-499 ppm while in use or in storage for reuse if: • Manufactured prior to July 2, 1979 • PCB level is unknown

  5. Common Types of PCBs • Tar/Compound Dielectrics & Potting Agents: • Non-liquid type of substance contaminated with PCBs (sometimes at very high levels) that may be found in electrical equipment • Bushings, old light ballasts, PTs, CTs are examples that may be tar-filled

  6. Emerging PCB Issues: • PCB in Schools (New York, Oregon, Massachusetts) suspected at any location with pre-1979 light ballasts • Leaking light ballasts • Caulking material • Glazing material • Paint

  7. Potential Health Effects: • Probable Human Carcinogen • Causes cancer Animals • Non-cancer effects to the immune, reproductive, endocrine systems

  8. PCB Regulations • 40 CFR Part 761 = The PCB Mega Rule • Subpart A §761.2 – PCB concentration assumptions for use • Subpart B §761.2 – Prohibitions & Exceptions • §761.3 – Use Authorizations • §761.35 – Storage for reuse • Subpart C §761.4 – Marking requirements

  9. PCB Prohibitions and Exceptions • No persons may use any PCB, or PCB Item regardless of concentration, in any manner other than in a totally enclosed manner within the United States unless authorized under §761.30

  10. PCB Regulatory Information • Oil-Filled Electrical Equipment • Polychlorinated Biphynels • Federal and State Definition • Identification • Operating Procedures • Emergency Response • Level of Clean-up • Regulatory Reporting

  11. Federal and State Levels • PCB in mineral oil (or in any material) : • Federal level TSCA: >50 ppm • State level: 5-49 ppm

  12. Equipment that contains PCB’s

  13. Approximate number of PCB containing equipment • System Wide PGE has over 1,000,000 pieces of OFEE • Of those 1,000,000 Pieces approximately 33% are pre-1979 • Of those Pieces approximately 3% contain PCB’s > 5 ppm

  14. PGE Policy’s and Emergency Response

  15. PG&E Policy and Procedures • Our internal policy are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they meet the TSCA requirements.

  16. Our policies contain information on the following topics: • PCB Procedures: • Spill categories • Degree of response / Emergency Guides • Notification requirements • Cleaning requirements / Safety Equipment • Transportation and equipment re-use • Documentation and certification requirements • Personnel training • 24-hour hotline to reach Environmental Professional

  17. PCB Waste Management Requirements

  18. Federal Requirements: • TSCA – Class 1 TSCA permitted landfill – Waste Management Kettleman Hills – Not Accepting • RCRA • Not regulated by RCRA • California • 5ppm STLC, 50ppm TTLC • Soluble Threshold Limit Concentration (STLC) and Total Threshold Limit Concentration (TTLC) Regulatory Limits • Class 2 only if contaminating material is less than 50 ppm • Transformer Oil – • if less than 50 ppm oil is recycled • >50 oil is incinerated

  19. Summary • PG&E started addressing the issue of PCB in 1977 • PCB procedures are based on Federal and State regulations and they are reviewed or updated every year. • Personnel training conducted every two- years to all PG&E employees who might be assigned to handle PCB.

More Related