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Dust and opacity monitoring

Background, legislation and

compliance

Derek Stuart
Ametek Process & Analytical instruments
derek.stuart@ametek.com

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Dust and Opacity Monitoring

• Smoke monitoring – visual methods
• Opacity monitoring
• Legislation in USA
– 40CFR60 Appendix B Performance Specification 1
– ASTM D6216
– Procedure 3 (draft)
• Legislation in Europe
– LCPD and WID
– EN13284 parts 1 and 2

• I won’t be telling you how the Model 4500 works!

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Terms for Particulate Matter (PM)

Los términos dependen del
tamaño y origen
• Smoke (fumar)
• Dust (polvo)
• Ash (ceniza)
• Soot (Hollin)
• Aerosol (aerosol)
• Fumes (vapores)
M Parker

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Define Dust
Partículas, de cualquier forma, estructura o
densidad, dispersas en la fase gaseosa en
las condiciones del punto de muestreo que
se pueden recolectar por filtración en
condiciones específicas luego del muestreo
representativo del gas a analizar, y que
permanecen aguas arriba del filtro y en el
filtro. después del secado bajo condiciones
Fly ash
Source: Southern Illinois University

específicas (BS EN 14181-1)

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Sources of Atmospheric Dust

Source: DEFRA

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Early Smoke Measurement

• 1890s: Ringelmann method
– Aimed to improve boiler efficiency
• Observer compares shade of smoke at
stack exit with printed card
• The earliest form of remote monitoring
• EPA Method 9 still uses trained observer!

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Ringelmann chart

20% 40% 60% 80%

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Continuous Emissions Measurements

Principal Technologies used

• Transmissometry
• Light scattering
• Charge transfer (e.g. triboelectric)

All are indirect measurements and must be

calibrated by reference to an isokinetic sample to
give output in mg.m-3
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Opacity measurement

Light Source Retroreflector

Detector
Stack

Measures fraction of light lost in crossing the stack

Op = I0 – I
I0

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Transmissometry

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Opacity and Dust

Dust conc

• Beer-Lambert law
Transmittance = exp (-k c l) = 1 - Opacity

const pathlength

Optical Density (OD) = -log (Transmittance)

= Kcl
Dust concentration = const x OD

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Opacity measurement - advantages

• Relates directly to visual methods

• Theory well-understood (Beer-Lambert law)
• Can calibrate using traceable optical filters
• Gives path-averaged concentration

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Opacity measurement - limitations

• Does not really measure the right thing!

We should be measuring the amount of dust omitted, not its opacity
• Lowest certified range 0 to 15 mg.m-3 at 5 m path
Model 4500 Premier is very stable and sensitive but cannot measure the lowest
dust concentrations

• Need to keep optics clean

• Sensitive to droplets

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Legislation - USA

• 40CFR60 Appendix B Performance Specification 1

– Detailed specs in ASTM D6216
– Emission limits in % opacity, typically 10% or 20% for coal-fired plant
– No need for correlation test
• EPA moving towards PM measurement with limits in mg.m-3
– Performance Specification 11 already in use
– Requires correlation test
– More valid measurement
– Developing slowly

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40CFR60 Appendix B Performance Specification 1

• PS-1 requires all Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems (COMS)

– Report opacity corrected to the stack outlet
– Meet ASTM D6216
– Be installed in accordance with guidelines
– Undergo post-installation testing

• Also specifies rules for calibration of audit filters

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Performance Specification 1

Not an easy document to read!

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Outlet Path Length Ratio (OPLR)

Path Length Correction Factor (PLCF)
• For traceability to Method 9, PS-1 requires opacity to be
reported at the stack exit
• Optical Path length Ratio (OPLR) is the ratio of measurement
path length to the stack exit path length

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Outlet Path Length Ratio (OPLR)

Path Length Correction Factor (PLCF)
• OPLR = Stack exit diameter (A)
2 x measurement pathlength (B)

• Related quantity Path Length Correction Factor

PLCF = 2 x OPLR

• Do not confuse with installation pathlength C

which is required for calibration

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Examples of OPLR

Parallel stack Tapering stack Narrow duct

OPLR = 0.5 OPLR < 0.5 OPLR > 0.5
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Warning!

Measurement uncertainties are proportional

to OPLR.
Where OPLR >> 0.5, the effects of any errors
will be significantly increased.

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PS-1 installation guidelines

•At least 4 duct diameters downstream from all particulate control equipment or flow disturbance
•At least 2 duct diameters upstream of a flow disturbance
•Where condensed water vapor is not present
•Accessible in order to permit maintenance.

If these are not possible, alternative

locations can be used as illustrated

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PS-1 Post-installation test

• Optical alignment check

• Calibration error check
– Uses three audit filters each inserted five times
• Response time check
• Averaging calculation test
• 168 hour conditioning period
• 168 hour zero and span calibration drift test

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ASTM D6216
“Consensus standard”
written by a group of users and manufacturers

Three editions:
• ASTM D6216-98 (1998).
– Original release
– Still referenced in PS-1
• ASTM D6216-03 (2003)
– Current version
– EPA accepts either this version or 1998
• ASTM D6216-07 (2007)
– Published 12 Nov 2007
– Includes standards for low-opacity monitors such as Model 4500 Premier

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ASTM D6216

Better layout than PS-1 but still hard to read

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Requirements of D6216

•Analyzer must meet defined performance standards

•Manufacturer must provide Certificate of Conformity
•Testing is the responsibility of the manufacturer

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Requirements of D6216
Specification Requirement
Spectral response 500 to 600 nm
Angle of view, angle of projection  4°
Supply voltage variations ±1.0 % opacity max. change
Thermal stability ±2.0 % opacity change per 22ºC
±2.0 % opacity for solar radiation level  900 W/m
2
Ambient light
Automated calibration checks Check of all active analyzer internal optics
Simulated zero check device
Upscale calibration check device
Status indicators
PLCF security 3 options
Output resolution 0.5 % opacity
Measurement frequency At least every 10 s
Response time 10 s to 95 % of final value
Calibration error 3 % opacity
Optical alignment indicator Clear indication of ±2 % opacity change
Calibration device repeatability 1.5 % opacity

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D6216 test frequency

Specification Frequency
Spectral response Annual
Angle of view, angle of projection Monthly
Supply voltage variations Monthly
Thermal stability Annual
Ambient light Annual
Automated calibration checks Every instrument
Simulated zero check device Every instrument
Upscale calibration check device Every instrument
Status indicators Annual
OPLR security Annual
Output resolution Annual
Measurement frequency Annual
Response time Every instrument
Calibration error Every instrument
Optical alignment indicator Every instrument
Calibration device repeatability Every instrument

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Linearity test
• Insert three calibrated filters five times each
• Check filter values depend on Emission Limit Value (ELV)
• After OPLR correction, filters must read
ELV < 20% ELV ≥ 20%
Low filter 5% to 10% 10% to 20 %
Mid filter 10% to 20 % 20% to 30%
High filter 20% to 40% 30% to 60%

• Sum of the absolute value of mean difference and 95 % confidence

coefficient for each of three test filters must be < 3% opacity

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Problem with PS-1

• Does not address ongoing QA/QC
– Method 203 was originally published in 1992
– Reopened for comment as 40CFR60 Appendix F Procedure 3 in 2001
– No progress since then in spite of pressure from ICAC
– No official guidance on whet retest is needed after servicing
– Land policy is to follow Procedure 3

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Legislation - Europe

• Emission limits set by Large Combustion Plant Directive and Waste

Incineration Directive

Type of fuel Emission limit value

Solid 50 or 100 mg.m-3
Liquid 50 mg.m-3
Gas 5 to 50 mg.m-3
Incinerators 10 mg.m-3
• Measurement standards in EN 13284 parts 1 and 2
• ELV in mg.m-3 so correlation tests essential

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Quality Assurance Levels

EN 13284:2 sets three Quality Assurance Levels

•QAL1: Type test by independent laboratory to show that the
analyzer can meet the required levels of sensitivity and reliability
•QAL2: Post-installation test to show that this particular installation
agrees with the defined reference method
•QAL3: Ongoing QA/QC testing to show that instrument is operating
correctly
•AST: Annual Surveillance Test. This is a mini-QAL2 test to show
that the installation is still giving acceptable data

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QAL1: Type test

• Laboratory and field tests needed
• Tests must be performed by a recognized laboratory
– TUV (Germany)
– NPL (UK)
• Results must be approved by an appropriate body
– UBA (Germany)
– SIRA (UK)

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QAL2: Correlation with a Reference Method

•All continuous dust concentration monitors use inferential methods

•Must calibrate using a reference method (RM)
•EN13284 defines the correlation procedure
•PS-11 in USA is similar
•Correlate 15 RM measurements with simultaneous CEMS
measurement to generate a calibration curve
•Statistical tests are required to demonstrate for accuracy of fit

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Correlation with a Reference Method

Measured by
Model 4500 0.3500

0.3000

0.2500
Optical Density

0.2000

0.1500

0.1000
Measured by Reference
Method
0.0500

0.0000
0 20 40 60 80 100
Dust density /mg.m-3

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EN 13284:1 Reference Method for Dust

• Absolute, gravimetric measurement

• Isokinetic sampling to obtain representative sample
• Measure volume of sample and mass of dust to obtain dust
concentration in mg.m-3
• Long sample times needed when dust concentration is low
• Repeatability 5% to 20% depending on skill of testers
• At low concentrations, negative concentration values are not
unknown!

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Isokinetic sampling train

Gas Meter

Drying Tower

Heated Probe
Flow Control
Pump

Heated Filter

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Isokinetic sampling train

Clean Air Engineering

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QAL3: Ongoing quality assurance

•Plot daily or weekly cal check values as CUSUM or Shewart chart

•Look for deviations from acceptable values

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Conclusions
• Opacity is used worldwide to measure dust emissions
• USA and Canada specify ELV in opacity units
• Most other countries use mg.m-3
• US COMS must meet PS-1 and ASTM D6216
• European PM-CEMS must meet EN 13284 part 2

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