Document nNvv4kna4w46VND0J4Zm0dJx2
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 5
77 WEST JACKSON BOULEVARD CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60604
SUBJECT: FROM: THRU: TO:
CLEAN AIR ACT INSPECTION REPORT Gateway Energy & Coke Company, LLC c/o SunCoke Energy, Granite City, Illinois
Carlo Demma, Physical Scientist (Env.) AECAB (MN/OH)
Brian Dickens, Section Supervisor AECAB (MN/OH)
File
BASIC INFORMATION
Facility Name: SunCoke Energy - Granite City Operations
Facility Location: 2585 Edwardsville Road, Granite City IL 62040
Date of Inspection: May 16, 2023
EPA Inspector(s): 1. Carlo Demma, Physical Scientist (Env.) 2. Valeria Apolinario, Environmental Engineer
Other Attendees: 1. Mark Chrissos, Environmental Engineer, SunCoke Energy 2. Ralph Kremer, General Manager, SunCoke Energy 3. Dan Alexander, Safety Manager, SunCoke Energy
Contact Email Address: mwchrissos@suncoke.com
Purpose of Inspection: EPA conducted this inspection to determine compliance with air pollution requirements of the Illinois State Implementation Plan (IL SIP), and SunCoke Company's Construction Permit No: 06070020. Gateway Energy & Coke Company, LLC c/o SunCoke Energy Company (SunCoke) are subject to requirements of a Consent Decree (CD) which was filed on June 26, 2013.
Facility Type: Stationary heat recovery coal carbonization facility.
Facility Name: SunCoke Energy Granite City Operations Facility Location: : 2585 Edwardsville Road, Granite City IL 62040
Date of Inspection: May 16, 2023
Regulations Central to Inspection: Facility is subject to 40 CFR Part 63, Subpart L. The common tunnel is required to have 0% leaks and must maintain negative pressure. SunCoke Company's Construction Permit No: 06070020 contains charging and pushing, quenching, and individual stack opacity limitations. The June 26, 2013 CD contains requirements for observing and stopping coke oven leaks.
Arrival Time: 1:45PM Departure Time: 6:00PM
Inspection Type: Unannounced Inspection Announced Inspection
OPENING CONFERENCE
Presented Credentials Stated authority and purpose of inspection Small Business Resource Information Sheet not provided. Reason: Not a small business Provided CBI warning to facility
The following information was obtained verbally from Mark Chrissos unless otherwise noted.
Process Description: SunCoke operates 120 ovens arranged in three 40-oven batteries at this site, labeled A, B, and C Battery. Coal is placed inside the one hundred twenty (120) nonrecovery coke ovens, and is then heated by recirculating combusted gas, but can also be supplemented by natural gas. The combusted flue gas is directed through heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) where the residual heat is extracted, and steam is produced. The batteries are referred to as "non-recovery" and are operated under constant negative pressure, with emissions controlled by one a lime spray dryer desulfurization unit and one baghouse that removes entrained ash. Carbon is injected into the gas stream upstream of the spray dryer absorber to remove mercury. All waste gas emissions exhaust through one main stack, and occasionally through some of the seven bypass vent stacks distributed over the three batteries. One HRSG typically serves 20 ovens when gas sharing is not available. The finished coke is pushed from the oven, quenched with water, screened to remove fine material and delivered to the customer.
Staff Interview: SunCoke is currently in the process of completing a HRSG repair on HRSG #7. EPA was informed that SunCoke's current coal quality was 0.9% Sulfer, 7% ash, and 26.99% VM. A full FGD maintenance outage is performed once every two years.
TOUR INFORMATION EPA Tour of the Facility: Yes Data Collected and Observations:
Page 2 of 8
Facility Name: SunCoke Energy Granite City Operations Facility Location: : 2585 Edwardsville Road, Granite City IL 62040
Date of Inspection: May 16, 2023 EPA completed a tour of the A, B, and C Battery, on both the ground and walking on top of the batteries, notating and photographing indicators of oven health. The main indicators are summarized below. The details of the battery inspection can be found in Appendix A and Appendix B.
EPA noted these types of coke oven batteries do not have topside port lids, offtake system(s), bypass/bleeder stacks, or collecting mains. All battery common tunnels read negative magnehelic differential pressures. EPA noted several instances of damage to the common tunnel and uptakes. EPA noted several damaged doors. The facility is subject to the IL SIP 35, IAC 212.443(d)(1), which states no person shall cause or allow visible emissions from more than 10 percent of all coke oven doors at any time. EPA noted several inspection bricks near sole flues were missing the Kaowool insulation wrap. EPA noted several pressure port openings on the battery where individual pressure gauges from a legacy project were removed and/ or damaged. EPA noted visible emissions from an inspection port, which was corrected immediately by adjusting damper position.
Photos and/or Videos: were taken during the inspection.
Field Measurements: were not taken during this inspection.
CLOSING CONFERENCE
Provided U.S. EPA point of contact to the facility
Requested documents: SunCoke's Coke Battery Work Practice Plan. All 2022 quarterly deviation reports to present day applicable report (Q1 of 2022 to Present Q of 2023). Daily visible emissions observations of charging control device.
Concerns: EPA pointed out multiple indicators of oven health and good air pollution control practices. EPA stated that additional opening and holes in the battery were not intended in the original design of the battery. SunCoke agreed to work expeditiously to resolve the issues.
DIGITAL SIGNATURES
Report Author: _________________________________
Section Supervisor: __________________________________
Page 3 of 8
Facility Name: SunCoke Energy Granite City Operations Facility Location: : 2585 Edwardsville Road, Granite City IL 62040
Date of Inspection: May 16, 2023 APPENDICES AND ATTACHMENTS 1. Appendix A. Digital Image Log 2. Appendix B. Oven Health Indicators Data
Page 4 of 8
Facility Name: SunCoke Energy Granite City Operations Facility Location: : 2585 Edwardsville Road, Granite City IL 62040
Date of Inspection: May 16, 2023
APPENDIX A: DIGITAL IMAGE LOG
1. Inspector Name: 2. Valeria Apolinario
2. Archival Record Location: Region 5 Digital Electronic Records Center
Image Number
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18
File Name
IMG_0395.JPG IMG_0396.JPG IMG_0397.JPG IMG_0398.JPG IMG_0399.JPG IMG_0400.JPG IMG_0401.JPG IMG_0402.JPG IMG_0403.JPG IMG_0404.JPG IMG_0405.JPG IMG_0406.JPG IMG_0408.JPG IMG_0409.JPG IMG_0410.JPG IMG_0411.JPG IMG_0412.JPG IMG_0413.JPG
Date and Time (incl. Time zone and DST)
2023:05:16 16:49:02
2023:05:16 16:49:06
2023:05:16 16:53:14
2023:05:16 16:55:07
2023:05:16 17:10:49
2023:05:16 17:14:54
2023:05:16 17:31:01
2023:05:16 17:33:17
2023:05:16 17:33:34
2023:05:16 17:42:08
2023:05:16 17:46:50
2023:05:16 17:54:23
2023:05:16 18:04:11
2023:05:16 18:11:14
2023:05:16 18:15:23
2023:05:16 18:29:55
2023:05:16 18:32:49
2023:05:16 18:32:54
Description of Image
Broken individual pressure gauge Broken individual pressure gauge Broken individual pressure gauge Broken individual pressure gauge
Damaged Coke Door Damaged Coke Door Damaged Coke Door Damaged Coke Door Damaged Coke Door Damaged Coke Door Damaged Coke Door Common tunnel hole/damage Inspection port damage Damaged individual oven pressure sensor Common tunnel damage Uptake seal shifted / improperly seated Uptake seal shifted / improperly seated Uptake seal shifted / improperly seated
Page 5 of 8
Facility Name: SunCoke Energy Granite City Operations Facility Location: : 2585 Edwardsville Road, Granite City IL 62040
Date of Inspection: May 16, 2023
APPENDIX B: OVEN HEALTH INDICATORS DATA
Common Tunnel & Uptakes
Oven Observation Location
C-107
C/S
B-65
P/S
A-14
C/S
B-60
C/S
A-22
C/S
B-57
C/S
Time 3:55 PM 4:55 PM 5:25 PM
n/a n/a n/a
NOTE HOLE IN COMMON TUNNEL HOLE IN COMMON TUNNEL; Photo HOLE IN COMMON TUNNEL POOR UPTAKE SEAL; SHIFTING; SULFER SMELL; Photo (2) HOLE IN COMMON TUNNEL; Photo POOR UPTAKE SEAL AT TOP AND BOTTOM; SHIFTING; Photo
Magnehelic Differential Pressure
Magnehelic Differential Pressure
Observation (d/P)
Location Time
-0.036 C-81
-0.07 C-120
-0.146 B-41
-0.202 A-1
-0.048 B-80
3:29 PM 3:53 PM 5:00 PM 5:20 PM 5:41 PM
Door Degradation Oven Observation B-54 A-26 A-11 A-29 A-28 A-27 B-53 B-71 C-88 C-89 C-92 C-97 C-105 C-108 C-112
Location C/S C/S C/S P/S P/S P/S P/S P/S C/S C/S C/S C/S C/S C/S C/S
NOTE DOOR JAM; LEFT SIDE; Photo DOOR JAM; LEFT SIDE; Photo CURRENT/ON-GOING REPAIR LINTEL DAMAGE; Photo LINTEL DAMAGE; RIGHT SIDE; Photo DOOR JAM; LEFT SIDE; Photo DOOR FRAME; RIGHT SIDE; Photo DOOR; LEFT SIDE; Photo DOOR JAM; RIGHT SIDE DOOR JAM; LEFT SIDE DOOR JAM; LEFT SIDE DOOR JAM; RIGHT SIDE TOP OF DOOR; RIGHT SIDE TOP OF DOOR; LEFT SIDE TOP OF DOOR; RIGHT SIDE
Inspection Bricks Oven Observation A-19 A-36 B-43
Location P/S P/S P/S
NOTE MISSING KAE-WOOL ON INSPECTION BRICK; LEFT SIDE; Photo MISSING KAE-WOOL ON INSPECTION BRICK; LEFT SIDE MISSING KAE-WOOL ON INSPECTION BRICK; BOTH SIDES
Page 6 of 8
Facility Name: SunCoke Energy Granite City Operations Facility Location: : 2585 Edwardsville Road, Granite City IL 62040
Date of Inspection: May 16, 2023
B-47
P/S
MISSING KAE-WOOL ON INSPECTION BRICK; RIGHT SIDE
B-51
P/S
MISSING KAE-WOOL ON INSPECTION BRICK; RIGHT SIDE
B-52
P/S
MISSING KAE-WOOL ON INSPECTION BRICK; LEFT SIDE
B-56
P/S
MISSING KAE-WOOL ON INSPECTION BRICK; RIGHT SIDE
B-62
P/S
MISSING KAE-WOOL ON INSPECTION BRICK; RIGHT SIDE
B-75
P/S
MISSING KAE-WOOL ON INSPECTION BRICK; BOTH SIDES
B-79
P/S
MISSING KAE-WOOL ON INSPECTION BRICK; BOTH SIDES
Individual Oven Sensor Issues
Oven
Observation
Location Time
C-117
C/S
n/a
C-116
C/S
n/a
C-115
C/S
n/a
C-114
C/S
n/a
C-112
C/S
n/a
C-113
C/S
n/a
C-109
C/S
n/a
C-107
C/S
n/a
C-106
C/S
n/a
C-103
C/S
n/a
C-102
C/S
n/a
C-100
C/S
n/a
C-99
C/S
n/a
C-98
C/S
n/a
C-95
C/S
n/a
C-86
C/S
n/a
C-82
C/S
n/a
C-88
C/S
n/a
C-89
C/S
n/a
C-90
C/S
n/a
B-58
C/S
n/a
B-61
C/S
n/a
A-1-56
C/S
n/a
A-59
C/S
n/a
A-62
C/S
n/a
A-66-70
C/S
n/a
A-76-80
C/S
n/a
NOTE SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN INDICATED POSITIVE READING; 0.7 at 3:53PM FLASHING O-L SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN FLASHING O-L SCREEN BROKEN INDICATED POSITIVE READING; 0.18 at 3:59PM SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN INDICATED POSITIVE READING; 0.02 at 5:31PM INDICATED POSITIVE READING; 0.17 at 5:35PM SCREEN BROKEN; 56 SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN SCREEN BROKEN; 5 SCREEN BROKEN; 5
Oven Sensor Port Openings
Oven
Observation Location Time
A-6
C/S
n/a
NOTE Photo
Page 7 of 8
A-8
C/S
A-16
C/S
A-18
C/S
A-22
C/S
A-24
C/S
A-26
C/S
A-31
C/S
A-32
C/S
A-33
C/S
A-35
C/S
A-37
C/S
A-39
C/S
A-40
C/S
B-42
C/S
B-43
C/S
B-44
C/S
B-46
C/S
B-48
C/S
B-52
C/S
B-54
C/S
B-55
C/S
B-56
C/S
B-57
C/S
B-58
C/S
B-59
C/S
B-60
C/S
B-61
C/S
B-74
C/S
B-77
C/S
C-118
C/S
Coke Oven Leaks Oven Observation B-41
A-22
Facility Name: SunCoke Energy Granite City Operations Facility Location: : 2585 Edwardsville Road, Granite City IL 62040
Date of Inspection: May 16, 2023
n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Location P/S
P/S
Time 4:59 PM
5:09 PM
NOTE Inspection port leaking VE's; video INSPECTION PORT PARTIALLY MELTED; NO VE
Page 8 of 8