Emission reduction in emergencies: when rapid response determines safety, environmental protection, and operational continuity

Emergencies at industrial facilities such as ports, tank farms, refineries, chemical and petrochemical plants, or during the transport of hazardous goods occur without warning. A pipeline leak, a gas tanker incident, a tank truck accident, derailed rail tank cars, or an unplanned plant shutdown – any of these situations can result in the uncontrolled release of gases and vapors, posing significant risks to human health and the environment within a very short period of time. The key priority is to capture escaping pollutants, treat them in a controlled manner, and prevent their release into the atmosphere.

Uncontrolled emissions can become particularly hazardous when dealing with volatile, flammable, toxic, or odor-intensive substances. This creates significant pressure to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible, treat the released emissions, empty damaged components, and secure ongoing operations at the same time. Mobile emission reduction and degassing solutions play a vital role in emergency response because they can be deployed directly at the incident site, independently of existing stationary infrastructure.

Mobile systems as temporary safety infrastructure

The greatest advantage of mobile emission treatment systems is their rapid availability and flexibility. Mobile units can be transported to an emergency site within just a few hours by trailer or container and integrated directly into existing processes. This is particularly important when no permanent gas treatment infrastructure is available or when stationary systems are out of service.

In emergency situations, mobile vapor combustion units can provide the controlled thermal treatment of gases, gas mixtures, and vapors. These systems achieve destruction efficiencies of more than 99.99% for substances in explosion groups IIA, IIB, and IIC, without open flame. As a result, pollutants can be captured and destroyed in a controlled manner rather than being released uncontrolled into the environment. This reduces safety risks while supporting compliance with environmental regulations and emission limit requirements.

Mobile emission treatment in emergency situations

Typical applications for mobile combustion chambers in emergency emission treatment include:

• Tank and pipeline degassing: In the event of leaks, damaged equipment, or unplanned maintenance work, tanks, pipelines, and connected systems often need to be completely emptied. Only after they have been rendered gas-free, repair work can safely begin. Rather than allowing gases and vapors to escape uncontrolled, mobile vapor combustion units enable the controlled capture and thermal treatment of these pollutants. Once the components are completely gas-free, repairs and further measures can be carried out safely.
• Emergency incidents and accidents: Following incidents involving damaged tank containers or other hazardous material accidents, protecting people and the environment becomes the top priority. Mobile vapor combustion chambers help to safely treat escaping pollutants, remove residual gas, prevent explosive atmospheres, and prepare affected tanks or systems for recovery, repair, or onward transportation. The mobile systems can be deployed for vessels, LNG tankers, inland waterway vessels, tank trucks, and tail tank cars, among others.
• VRU failures: When a stationary emission treatment system such as vapor recovery unit (VRU) unexpectedly fails, loading and unloading operations at ports, tank farms, and terminals can be severely disrupted. Mobile vapor combustion units can temporarily take over emission treatment duties, allowing operations to continue in a controlled manner until the stationary system is back online. This helps to avoid a complete shutdown, ensures operational continuity, and maintains supply security.
• Nitrogen purging: For reactive, flammable, or explosion-prone substances such as LNG or ammonia, inerting can create a safer environment. Purging with mobile nitrogen vaporizers reduces the risk of oxidation, ignition, and explosion. As an inert gas, nitrogen does not react with other products. When a vessel containing a flammable or explosion-prone substance is purged, the concentration inside the tank can be reduced below the lower explosive limit (LEL), allowing the substance to be safely displaced and removed.

Conclusion

Emission reduction in emergency situations protects people, the environment and critical infrastructure by enabling the controlled treatment of hazardous gases and vapors, even under extreme time pressure. Whether in response to accidents, leaks, VRU failures, or unplanned shutdowns, mobile degassing systems offer rapid deployment, exceptional flexibility, and a safe, sustainable solution. As such, mobile technologies are an essential component of effective industrial emergency management.

 

About ETS Degassing:

ETS Degassing is an expert in safe, clean and sustainable emission reduction and mobile degassing. As the successor to SIS and ENDEGS, companies that have been successful for over 18 years, ETS Degassing has extensive experience in the environmentally-friendly combustion of harmful emissions such as hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). The company’s mobile vapor combustion chambers burn all gases, gas mixtures and vapors in hazard groups IIA, IIB and IIC with a combustion efficiency of over 99.99%, without an open flame and completely odorless. ETS Degassing’s technologies play a key role in helping customers reduce their emissions and ensure compliance with even the strictest environmental regulations and legislation.