Regulations last checked for updates: Nov 22, 2024

Title 40 - Protection of Environment last revised: Nov 20, 2024
§ 63.842 - Definitions.

Terms used in this subpart are defined in the Clean Air Act as amended (the Act), in § 63.2, or in this section as follows:

Anode bake cycle means the period during which the regularly repeated sequence of loading, preheating, firing, cooling, and removing anodes from all sections within an anode bake furnace occurs one time.

Anode bake furnace means an oven in which the formed green anodes are baked for use in a prebake process. This definition includes multiple anode bake furnaces controlled by a common control device (bake furnaces controlled by a common control device are considered to be one source).

Center-worked prebake (CWPB) process means a method of primary aluminum reduction using the prebake process in which the alumina feed is added down the center of the reduction cell.

Center-worked prebake one (CWPB1) means all existing center-worked prebake potlines not defined as center-worked prebake two (CWPB2) or center-worked prebake three (CWPB3) potlines.

Center-worked prebake two (CWPB2) means all existing center-worked prebake potlines located at Alcoa in Rockdale, Texas; Kaiser Aluminum in Mead, Washington; Ormet Corporation in Hannibal, Ohio; Ravenswood Aluminum in Ravenswood, West Virginia; Reynolds Metals in Troutdale, Oregon; and Vanalco Aluminum in Vancouver, Washington.

Center-worked prebake three (CWPB3) means all existing center-worked prebake potlines that produce very high purity aluminum, have a wet scrubber for the primary control system, and are located at the NSA primary aluminum plant in Hawesville, Kentucky.

Continuous parameter monitoring system means the total equipment that may be required to meet the data acquisition and availability requirements of this subpart, used to sample, condition (if applicable), analyze, and provide a record of process or control system parameters.

High purity aluminum means aluminum produced with an average purity level of at least 99.9 percent.

Modified potroom group means an existing potroom group to which any physical change in, or change in the method of operation of, results in an increase in the amount of total fluoride emitted into the atmosphere by that potroom group.

Operating day means a 24-hour period between 12 midnight and the following midnight during which an affected source operates at any time. It is not necessary for operations to occur for the entire 24-hour period.

Particulate matter (PM) means, for the purposes of this subpart, emissions of particulate matter that serve as a measure of total particulate emissions and as a surrogate for metal hazardous air pollutants contained in the particulates, including but not limited to: Antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, manganese, nickel and selenium.

Paste production plant means the processes whereby calcined petroleum coke, coal tar pitch (hard or liquid) and/or other materials are mixed, transferred and formed into briquettes or paste for vertical stud Soderberg (VSS) processes or into green anodes for a prebake process. This definition includes all operations from initial mixing to final forming (i.e., briquettes, paste, green anodes) within the paste production plant, including conveyors and units managing heated liquid pitch.

Pitch storage tank means any fixed roof tank that is used to store liquid pitch that is not part of the paste production plant.

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) means any or all of the 209 possible chlorinated biphenyl isomers.

Polycyclic organic matter (POM) means organic matter extractable by methylene chloride as determined by Method 315 in appendix A to this part or by an approved alternative method.

Potline means a single, discrete group of electrolytic reduction cells electrically connected in series, in which alumina is reduced to form aluminum.

Potroom means a building unit that houses a group of electrolytic cells in which aluminum is produced.

Potroom group means an uncontrolled potroom, a potroom that is controlled individually, or a group of potrooms or potroom segments ducted to a common control system.

Prebake process means a method of primary aluminum reduction that uses an anode that was baked in an anode bake furnace, which is introduced into the top of the reduction cell and consumed as part of the reduction process.

Primary aluminum reduction plant means any facility manufacturing aluminum by electrolytic reduction.

Primary control system means the equipment used to capture the gases and particulate matter evacuated directly from the reduction cell and the emission control device(s) used to remove pollutants prior to discharge of the cleaned gas to the atmosphere. A roof scrubber is not part of the primary control system.

Primary emissions means the emissions discharged from the primary control system.

Reconstructed potroom group means an existing potroom group for which the components are replaced to such an extent that the fixed capital cost of the new components exceeds 50 percent of the fixed capital cost that would be required to construct a comparable entirely new potroom group, and for which it is technologically and economically feasible to meet the applicable emission limits for total fluoride set forth in this subpart.

Reconstruction means the replacement of components of a source to such an extent that:

(1) All of the major components of the source are replaced (for example, the major components of a potline include the raw material handling system, reduction cells, superstructure, hooding, ductwork, etc.); and

(2) It is technologically and economically feasible for the reconstructed source to meet the standards for new sources established in this subpart.

Roof monitor means that portion of the roof of a potroom building where gases not captured at the cell exit from the potroom.

Secondary emissions means the fugitive emissions that are not captured and controlled by the primary control system and that escape through the roof monitor or through roof scrubbers.

Side-worked prebake (SWPB) process means a method of primary aluminum reduction using the prebake process, in which the alumina is added along the sides of the reduction cell.

Soderberg process means a method of primary aluminum reduction in which the anode paste mixture is baked in the reduction pot by the heat resulting from the electrolytic process.

Startup of an anode bake furnace means the process of initiating heating to the anode bake furnace. The startup or re-start of the furnace begins when the heating begins. The startup or re-start concludes at the start of the second anode bake cycle if the furnace was at ambient temperature upon startup or when the anode bake cycle resumes if the furnace was not at ambient temperature.

Total fluorides (TF) means elemental fluorine and all fluoride compounds as measured by Methods 13A or 13B in appendix A to part 60 of this chapter or by an approved alternative method.

Toxicity equivalence (TEQ) means an international method of expressing toxicity equivalents for PCBs as defined in U.S. EPA, Recommended Toxicity Equivalence Factors (TEFs) for Human Health Risk Assessments of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and Dioxin-Like Compounds, EPA/100/R-10/005 December 2010.

Vertical stud Soderberg two (VSS2) means all existing vertical stud Soderberg potlines located at Columbia Falls Aluminum in Columbia Falls, Montana.

[62 FR 52407, Oct. 7, 1997, as amended at 70 FR 66284, Nov. 2, 2005; 80 FR 62414, Oct. 15, 2015]
authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401
source: 57 FR 61992, Dec. 29, 1992, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 40 CFR 63.842