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Vapour Treatment systems

Solutions to control, combust or recover hydrocarbon and VOC vapours in loading, storage and process operations.
What is a vapour treatment system?
Vapour control to reduce emissions, minimise risks and treat hydrocarbon streams safely and efficiently.
A vapour treatment system is a solution designed to manage hydrocarbon and volatile organic compound (VOC) vapours generated in operations such as loading, unloading, storage, tank breathing or process ventilation. According to the project objective, these systems can destroy the vapours by controlled combustion or recover them to return the product to the system. In practice, they are used to reduce emissions, limit the formation of explosive atmospheres, improve operational safety and, where feasible, recover economic value from the treated vapour.

Types of vapour treatment systems

VCU (Vapour Combustion Unit)

Safe and controlled combustion of explosive or flammable vapours to reduce VOC and operate safely.
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VRU (Vapour Recovery Unit)

Recovery of hydrocarbon vapours to reduce VOC and return recovered product to the system.
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When is a vapour treatment system needed?
A vapour treatment system is needed to control VOCs, flammable vapours or hydrocarbons, either for safety, environmental compliance or product recovery by VCU or VRU.

Emissions of VOCs

Flammable vapour

Loading and unloading

Tank breathing

Degassing of equipment

Product recovery

Applications

Our vapour treatment systems are used in:

Tank loading

Loading vessels

Tank breathing

Degassing tanks

Degassing vessels

VOC emissions

Hydrocarbon vapours

Petrol vapour

Fuel terminals

Tank storage

We’ll be with you every step of the way

  • Process engineering

  • Technology selection

  • System design

  • Energy integration

  • Installation and commissioning

  • Maintenance and support

Frequently Asked Questions

The A VCU (Vapour Combustion Unit) treats vapours by controlled combustion, especially when there is a risk of flammability or explosive mixture and the goal is to destroy the vapour safely. The VRU (Vapour Recovery Unit) on the other hand, is designed to recover hydrocarbon vapours and pump the recovered product into the system, reducing emissions and taking advantage of economic value, without generating a direct carbon footprint.
These systems are designed to treat hydrocarbon vapours, VOCs and streams from tank loading, tank breathing, transfer and process ventilation where a mixture of gases and air can be within the flammability limits. Depending on the case, they can handle gasoline vapours, crude oil, distillates and other organic mixtures, provided that the design is adapted to composition, flow rate, pressure and flammability risk.
A VCU (Vapour Combustion Unit) is appropriate when the project needs safe combustion of flammable or explosive vapours, for example in degassing or when recovery is not the priority option and a solution with lower CAPEX is sought, for example when non-continuous flows are managed. A VRU is useful when the vapour has a recoverable value and the facility seeks to reduce emissions by recovering rather than destroying product, especially in tanks, terminals, and cargo operations.
Safety is central, especially in vapour combustion systems, because gases are being treated within flammability limits, which can result in a deflagration and detonation within the equipment and pipe.
Detonation flame arresters are installed at the entrance of equipment and, additionally, special anti-flashback burners are installed on combustion units.
A VRU recovers vapours instead of burning them. The system works with PSA and activated carbon, alternating beds to adsorb and regenerate hydrocarbon vapours continuously. Then the recovered product can be returned to the tank or system, reducing VOC and improving process balance.
The selection depends on the type of vapour, its concentration, flow rate, pressure, explosive risk, product recovery potential and the environmental objective of the project. Also influencing the continuity of operation, the need for support fuel, the presence of wet gas and integration with tanks and terminals.
The main advantages are reduced VOC emissions, improved operational safety, decreased risk of explosive atmospheres and, when a VRU is used, product recovery that would otherwise be lost, directly minimizing the carbon footprint by not emitting flue gas.

Do you need to treat or recover the vapours from your facility?

Our technical team can help you choose the most suitable solution, either combustion or vapour recovery, according to your process needs and environmental objectives.
Request technical advice