Vapor (or vapour) recovery is the process of recovering the vapors of gasoline or other fuels, so that they do not escape into the atmosphere. This is often done (or required by law) at filling stations, in order to reduce noxious and potentially explosive fumes and pollution.
The negative pressure created in the (underground) tank by the withdrawal is usually used to pull in the vapors. They are drawn-in through holes in the side of the nozzle and travel through special hoses which have a return path.
Vapor recovery is also used in the chemical process industry to remove and recover vapors from storage tanks. The vapors are usually either environmentally hazardous, or valuable to be recovered. The process consists of a closed venting system from the storage tank ullage space to a vapor recovery unit (VRU) which will recover the vapors for return to the process or destroy them, usually by oxidation.
