Title 40

SECTION 63.746

63.746 Standards: Depainting operations.

§ 63.746 Standards: Depainting operations.

(a) Applicability. Each owner or operator of a new or existing depainting operation subject to this subpart shall comply with the requirements in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(3) of this section, and with the requirements specified in paragraph (b) where there are no controls for organic HAP, or paragraph (c) where organic HAP are controlled using a control system. This section does not apply to an aerospace manufacturing or rework facility that depaints six or less completed aerospace vehicles in a calendar year.

(1) The provisions of this section apply to the depainting of the outer surface areas of completed aerospace vehicles, including the fuselage, wings, and vertical and horizontal stabilizers of the aircraft, and the outer casing and stabilizers of missiles and rockets. These provisions do not apply to the depainting of parts or units normally removed from the aerospace vehicle for depainting. However, depainting of wings and stabilizers is always subject to the requirements of this section regardless of whether their removal is considered by the owner or operator to be normal practice for depainting.

(2) Aerospace vehicles or components that are intended for public display, no longer operational, and not easily capable of being moved are exempt from the requirements of this section.

(3) The following depainting operations are exempt from the requirements of this section:

(i) Depainting of radomes; and

(ii) Depainting of parts, subassemblies, and assemblies normally removed from the primary aircraft structure before depainting.

(b)(1) HAP emissions - non-HAP chemical strippers and technologies. Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(2) and (b)(3) of this section, each owner or operator of a new or existing aerospace depainting operation subject to this subpart shall emit no organic HAP from chemical stripping formulations and agents or chemical paint softeners.

(2) Where non-chemical based equipment is used to comply with paragraph (b)(1) of this section, either in total or in part, each owner or operator shall operate and maintain the equipment according to the manufacturer's specifications or locally prepared operating procedures. During periods of malfunctions of such equipment, each owner or operator may use substitute materials during the repair period provided the substitute materials used are those available that minimize organic HAP emissions. In no event shall substitute materials be used for more than 15 days annually, unless such materials are organic HAP-free.

(3) Each owner or operator of a new or existing depainting operation shall not, on an annual average basis, use more than 26 gallons of organic HAP-containing chemical strippers or alternatively 190 pounds of organic HAP per commercial aircraft depainted; or more than 50 gallons of organic HAP-containing chemical strippers or alternatively 365 pounds of organic HAP per military aircraft depainted for spot stripping and decal removal.

(4) Each owner or operator of a new or existing depainting operation complying with paragraph (b)(2), that generates airborne inorganic HAP emissions from dry media blasting equipment, shall also comply with the requirements specified in paragraphs (b)(4)(i) through (b)(4)(v) of this section.

(i) Perform the depainting operation in an enclosed area, unless a closed-cycle depainting system is used.

(ii)(A) For existing sources, pass any air stream removed from the enclosed area or closed-cycle depainting system through a dry particulate filter system, certified using the method described in § 63.750(o) to meet or exceed the efficiency data points in Tables 2 and 3 of § 63.745, through a baghouse, or through a waterwash system before exhausting it to the atmosphere.

(B) For new sources, pass any air stream removed from the enclosed area or closed-cycle depainting system through a dry particulate filter system certified using the method described in § 63.750(o) to meet or exceed the efficiency data points in Tables 4 and 5 of § 63.745 or through a baghouse before exhausting it to the atmosphere.

(C) Owners or operators of new sources that have commenced construction or reconstruction after June 6, 1994 but prior to October 29, 1996 may comply with the following requirements in lieu of the requirements in paragraph (b)(4)(ii)(B) of this section:

(1) Pass the air stream through either a two-stage dry particulate filter system or a waterwash system before exhausting it to the atmosphere.

(2) If the coating being removed contains chromium or cadmium, control shall consist of a HEPA filter system, three-stage filter system, or other control system equivalent to the three-stage filter system as approved by the permitting agency.

(iii) If a dry particulate filter system is used, the following requirements shall be met:

(A) Maintain the system in good working order;

(B) Install a differential pressure gauge across the filter banks;

(D) Take corrective action when the pressure drop exceeds or falls below the filter manufacturer's recommended limits.

(iv) If a waterwash system is used, continuously monitor the water flow rate, and read and record the water flow rate once per shift.

(v) If the pressure drop, as recorded pursuant to § 63.752(e)(7), is outside the limit(s) specified by the filter manufacturer or in locally prepared operating procedures, whichever is more stringent, shut down the operation immediately and take corrective action. If the water path in the waterwash system fails the visual continuity/flow characteristics check, as recorded pursuant to § 63.752(e)(7), or the water flow rate, as recorded pursuant to § 63.752(d)(2), exceeds the limit(s) specified by the booth manufacturer or in locally prepared operating procedures, or the booth manufacturer's or locally prepared maintenance procedures for the filter or waterwash system have not been performed as scheduled, shut down the operation immediately and take corrective action. The operation shall not be resumed until the pressure drop or water flow rate is returned within the specified limit(s).

(5) Mechanical and hand sanding operations are exempt from the requirements in paragraph (b)(4) of this section.

(c) Organic HAP emissions - organic HAP-containing chemical strippers. Each owner or operator of a new or existing organic HAP-containing chemical stripper depainting operation subject to this subpart shall comply with the requirements specified in this paragraph.

(1) All organic HAP emissions from the operation shall be reduced by the use of a control system. Each control system that was installed before the effective date shall reduce the operations' organic HAP emissions to the atmosphere by 81 percent or greater, taking into account capture and destruction or removal efficiencies.

(2) Each control system installed on or after the effective date shall reduce organic HAP emissions to the atmosphere by 95 percent or greater. Reduction shall take into account capture and destruction or removal efficiencies, and may take into account the volume of chemical stripper used relative to baseline levels (e.g., the 95 percent efficiency may be achieved by controlling emissions at 81 percent efficiency with a control system and using 74 percent less stripper than in baseline applications). The baseline shall be calculated using data from 1996 and 1997, which shall be on a usage per aircraft or usage per square foot of surface basis.

(3) The capture and destruction or removal efficiencies are to be determined using the procedures in § 63.750(g) when a carbon adsorber is used and those in § 63.750(h) when a control device other than a carbon adsorber is used.

[60 FR 45956, Sept. 1, 1996, as amended at 63 FR 15020, Mar. 27, 1998; 63 FR 46533, Sept. 1, 1998; 80 FR 76184, Dec. 7, 2015]