CONTAMINATION OF ATMOSPHERE BY USSR ENTERPRISES WHICH PRODUCE AND REFINE HIGH SULFUR CONTENT PETROLEUM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330212-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 26, 2011
• Sequence Number: 212
• Publication Date: July 28, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION CoNFIDENTIA>DONFID[NTIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT Scientific; Sociological
HOW
PUBLISHED Monthly periodical
WHERE
PUBLISHED Moscow
DATE
PUBLISHED Dec 1948
LANGUAGE Russian
THIN DOCONCNT CONTAINS IN ONNATION AI/NCTNO TNN NATIONAL DNININ
01 TNN ONITOD OTATNO WITHIN TNN NUKING OF OOTIONAOO ACT 00
O. O. C. NI AND OO.AO ANONOOD. ITS TNANONINION ON TNN NITNLATION
0- ITS CONTONTO IN ANY ^ANNON TO AN UNAUrNOMIXID MASON 15 PRO'
HIBITSD iY LOU. NOPNODOCTON OF THIN TORN IS CNONINITOO.
CONTAMINATION OF ATMOSPHERE BY USSR ENTERPRISES
WHICH PRODUCE PLED REFINE HIGH SULFUR CONTENT PETROLEUM
B. P. Gurinov
F. I. Dubrovskaya
Industrial hygiene,
petroleum refining
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1948
DATE DIST. d-e Jul 1950
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
Gigiena i Sanitariya, Vol XIII, No 12, 1948
The lack of experimental data for the checking of established GOST norms
on sanitation protective zones for enterprises producing and refining high sul-
fur content petroleum, and also the complaints of people living near the Second
Baku petroleum enterprise, caused the Institute imeni Erisman to undertake a
sti'.dy of the sources and intensity of contamination of the air by hydrogen sul-
fide around this enterprise. Tha oil wells located near one of tie towns of
Bashkir ASSR and one of the petroleum-refining plants of Povolzh'ye, the crude
oil for which contains a large quantity of sulfur and free hydrogen sulfide (up
to 0.5 percent) were studied.
The study of the petroleum-refining plant region was made in the fall of
1946 and summer of 1947 and that of the oil fields-in the summer of 1947.
The refining plant is located in a flat, sparceIly planted region. The liv-
ing quarters are located to the northeast of the plant about 500 meters from
the edge of the grounds and 1,200 meters from the working units. The living
quarters are on the leeward side of the plant.
Sources of the escape of gases into the air, hydrogen sulfide in parti-
cular, we;e: (a) reservoirs for stocks of raw materials and intermediate prod-
ucts,. (b) combined unit for straight distillation, cracking, reforming, and
alkali purification of the cracking distillate, (c) multiple leaks of the sy--
tem due to corrosion of metals, (d) overflow of petroleum in an underground
reservior, (e) drainage of water, and (f) a device for measuring the level of
liquid products.
Petroleum with a high sulfur content is very corrosive and causes frequent
breaks in the hermetic system. Therefore, the grounds of the plant are system-
atically contaminated by hydrdggn sulfide, which was confirmed by analyses of-
samples of air taken from the gound.s of the plant between the production units.
In various samples, the concentration of hydrogen sulfide exceeded the limits
allowed in the production units. The data on the distribution of hydrogen sul-
fide vertically'in the air over this plant, obtained by Engineer Gamarnikov of
the Institute imeni Erisman, were of great interest. He took samples of air
from levels of one to 22 meters on outer platforms of a cracking column. They
CLASSIFICATION
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showed that hydrogen sulfide was present on all the levels with a maximum of
from one to 7 milligrams per cubic meters at heights of one to 10 meters and
only traces at 11 meters or greater.
To make a collection of objective data on the distribution of hydrogen
sulfide in the surrounding region, zones of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 kilometers
were set up on the leeward side of the plant.
The samples were taken with the aid of the usual aspirator, and were drawn
through two successive compound petrie absorbers, filled with a 2-percent solu-
tion of sodium arsenite. The samples were 90-100 liters and were drawn through
at the rate of 30 liters per hour, and then the hydrogen sulfide was determined
by the Polezhayev method. The samples were taken during the hours of 0800 to
2100. At the test points, observations of meteorological conditions, such as
wind direction and velocity, temperature, and humidity, were made at the same
time as the samples were taken. During the tests the weather was dry, the tem-
perature was from 20 to 30 degrees centigrade, and the wind velocity was from
4 to 5 meters per second with gusts of 10-12 meters per second.
Hydrogen sulfide was found in 148 of the 179 tests (82.7 percent).
In the zones 0.5, 0.8, and 1.5 kilometers from the plant, 100 percent of
tests showed hydrogen sulfide. Some of the tests in the one-kilometer zone did
not show hydrogen sulfide but this was probably due to the fact that the entire
plant was not operating that day and the wind direction had changed.
In the 2- and 2.5-kilometer zones the percent of positive results was re-
duced to 76 and 60, respectively.
The average concentration in the zones near the plant (up to the 2-kilometer
zone) decreased gradually (for the 0.5-kilometer zone it was 0.35 milligram per
cubic meter, and for the 1.5--kilometer zone it was 0.17 milligram per cubic meter)
and only in the 2.5- and 3-kilometer zones did it remain at nearly the same level,
0.06 and 0.04 milligram per cubic meter.
The maximum single concentration in the 0.5-, 1.5-, and 2.5-kilometer zones
remained fairly constant, around 0.8 milligram per cubic meter, and only at a
distance of 3 kilometers did it drop somewhat. But even in this zone, the maxi-
mum hydrogcn sulfide found was more than half that of the other zones and one
twentieth of the limits allowed for the working units.
Thus, the GOST 2-kilometer sanitation protective zone for petroleum enter-
prises, established by laboratory research of the Institute imeni Erisman, was
completely confirmed and, in any case, it could not be reduced.
. Data from an inquiry of people living within the radius of 3.5 kilometers
of the plant agreed fully with the laboratory research.
The living quarters of the plant are in a zone 1.2 to 1.8 kilometers from
the main source of the escape of gases in the fractioning process. Of the ap-
proximately 300 people questioned, 276 said they noticed the smell of hydrogen
sulfide; 60 percent stated they felt ill upon noticing the smell of hydrogen-
sulfide, most of them suffering from dizziness, headaches, and nausea.
Besides this by personal investigation by questioning the people living in
in the quarters, it was established that with a southwest wind the smell of hy-
drogen sulfide was very noticeable in the streets and in the quarters, even with
the windows closed.
The second object of the study was the distribution in the immediate neigh-
borhood of one of the towns of an oil field, at which was produced a crude oil
that contained a great deal of sulfur (up to 3.7 percent) and free hydrogen sul-
fide (up to 0.5 percent). During the production, transportation, and processing
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CON ENTIA'L? ONFiDE iAJ
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of the crude oil, a petroleum gas composed of hydrogen sulfide and hydrocar-
bons is released into the-air.
Not all the Gil wells are connected to the gas-collecting system, and
therefore part of the wells release the gas directly into the air. There
were over 100 of these wells in 1947. They released into the air nearly 7
tons of gas daily. There were also inactive wells in the field which were
not hermetically sealed and, as a result, the petroleum gas was released
from them in the same way.
Near the oil field studied there were also two petroleum refineries at
which the sources of hydrogen sulfide were the reservoirs of crude oil and
intermediate products and also individual production units.
Besides these sources, there were some lesser ones, such as pumps for
tanks, compressor systems, oil and gas pipe systems, and lines for feeding
oil and petroleum products into cisterns. On the grounds of the oil field,
there is a lake which has been strongly contaminated by crude oil.
Petroleum gas from the wells is conducted in gas lines under vacuum to
a refining plant, where it is treated to remove the hydrogen sulfide at a
"Teyloks" unit. The gas then goes into town under 1--2 atmospheres; pres-
sure, where it is diluted for illumination purposes. The removal of hydro-
gen sulfide from the gas at the "Teyloks" unit was shown to be inadequate
by our tests, which are represented in the following table.
.tunount of Hydrogen Sulfide Before and After Purification of Gas
(in %)
Date
Before
Purification
After
Purification
Percent of
Purification
1. Aug 47
6.51
2.70
59'
2. Aug 47
4.95
2.87
1'.3
3. Aug 47
4.79'
2.34
51
4. Aug 47
3.30
1.95
41
5. Aug 47
4.29
3.33
20
'
6. Aug 47
3.24
1.63
..:,
50
From the table it can be seen that the gas for illumination purposes
has a hydrogen sulfide content of from 1.6 to 3.33 percent and the percent
of removal of hydrogen sulfide varies from 20 to 60 percent with an average
than 90 percent.
be possible to attain a significantly larger percentage of removal of not less
quent breaks occur in the hermetAcally sealed illuminating gas lines, which
result in escape of the gas into the air at various points.
oil refinery. The distance from the wells to the plant living quarters was
200-300 meters. The distance from the center of the city to the wells is
nearly one kilometer. The city and the majority of the living quarters are
to the 'north and northeast of the field and the refinery, and the prevailing
larly contaminated by hydrogen sulfide.
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As a result of the strong corrosive properties of hydrogen sulfide, fre-
In this test, the living quarters were quite close to the oil field and
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To gather laboratory data on the contamination of the air of the town
by hydrogen sulfide, samples of air were taken from 21 points in all the
main living quarters and various streets of the town. Of the more than 300
samples taken, 260 showed the presence of hydrogen sulfide.
The meteorological conditions during the time of the tests were as fol-
lows: in the initial period the weather was changeable with some precipita-
tion, the temperature was 13 to 22 degreees centigrade, the wind was from the
south at velocities of 2 to 6 meters per second with gusts of up to 10 meters
persecond; in the latter period the weather was mostly sunny with some storms,
the temperature was 17 to 26 degrees centigrade, the wind was from the north
at 1 to 5 meters per second.
In two of the habitation points, a large percentage of negative tests
were found (40 to 47 percent). This was due to the considerable change in
the wind direction. '
For a few days during the time of the tests, the supply of gas in the
city was shut off. This presented an opportunity to check the role of the
illuminating gas lines in the contamination of the air. Hydrogen sulfide
was found in 43.7 percent of the samples taken at that time, while it was
found in the same places in 90 percent of the samples and in greater con-
centrations when the gas was not turned off. This gives a basis for re-
garding the city gas system as a substantial source of the air contamina-
tion.
A study of the air indoors, at the same time the samples were taken in
the streets and yards, confirmed the significance of the gas system in the
contamination of the air, since the hydrogen sulfide was. found inside in con-
centrations considerably exceeding the concentrations on the streets.
It was shown by our investigations that contamination of the city air
was more pronounced during mists than during clear weather. This increased
contamination during mists was observed in 70 percent of all the samples,
but during clear weather only 28 percent of the samples taken had the higher
concentrations. Furthermore, not a single negative sample was obtained dur-
ing mists.
An inquiry among the more than 200 people revealed that residents of
the city and those in the living quarters of the plant often noticed the
smell of the hydrogen sulfide and were ill because of it.
The presence in the region of petroleum production of two petroleum
refining plants which release considerable amounts of gas into the air,
hampers the determination of the distance the hydrogen sulfide is carried
from the oil field, and the determination of the size of the necessary san-
itation protective zones. Therefore, we conducted a study in regions of an-
other oil field, tie petroleum gas of which contains nearly 12 percent of
hydrogen sulfide.
In the vicinity of this field, within a radius of 1.5 kilometers, we
took 25 samples and in all of them we found hydrogen sulfide.
The physiological effect of the observed small concentreUons of gas,
of the order of hundredths or tenths of a milligram per cubic meter, has
not been studied up to now and, therefore, the evaluation of the data re-
ceived on the contamination of the air must be based on other considera-
tions, for example: the unpleasant odor of the hydrogen sulfide 'poi3ons'
the air of the living quarters, deprives the people of comfort necessary
from a hygienic standpoint, with the normal ventilation of the residence..
results,in shallow breathing by everyone, and causes a number of minor ail-
ments.
ag j
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CoIDCONFIDENTIAL
Although the air samples in all our studies were taken when there was a
noticeable and sometimes strong odor of hydrogen sulfide in the. air, the con-
centrations we found were several times lower than those at which the odor of
hydrogen sulfide becomes apparent. This is explained by the fact that our sys-
tem of relatively long air sampling (2 hours) gives, due to the fluctuation of
the winds, a lower average concentration of the gas.
To reduce the contamination of the air by hydrogen sulfide the following
measures are recommended:
At oil fields: (1) hermetic sealing of the equipment of active wells
regardless of the amount of the escaping gas, and sealing of inactive weD.4;((2)
hermetic sealing of equipment of the reservoirs; (3) improvement of the main-
tenance of gas lines and gas equipment; (4) maximum removal of hydrogen,sul-
fide from gas which is to be used for illumination purposea; and (5) prohibi-
tion of the drainage of petroleum into ponds, lowlands, etc.
At refineries, it will be necessary to: (1) remove the sulfur from the
petroleum products at the various stages of the process of refining by means
of alkali treatment, stabilization, etc., and (2) hermetically seal the res-
ervoirs and gas lines. etc.
The data of the investigation lead to the conclusion that at plants
refining petroleum with a high sulfur content, the zone separating the tech-
nological units and reservoir yards from the living quarters, should be, even
on the windward side, at a distance of not less than 2,000 meters.
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CONFIDENTIAL
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