SOURCE TESTING ASSOCIATION I Annual Guide 2017


MCERTS bulletin: Requirement to provide compliant monitoring locations and facilities for stack emissions monitoring


Requirement to provide compliant monitoring locations and facilities for stack emissions monitoring


Many industrial sites have emissions to air from chimney stacks. The Operator is often required to monitor these emissions to ensure they are kept below emission limit values specifi ed in their Permit to operate.


The Operator’s Permit may require them to use continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMs) and / or manual (periodic) monitoring. For both approaches it is essential to have the right monitoring location and facilities. To ensure this happens it is necessary to include the specifi cations for the monitoring location and facilities at the planning / design stage of the plant. It is very diffi cult and expensive, if not impossible, to retrofi t suitable sampling locations and facilities once the plant has been built.


Part of a Permit application (or Variation for a newly extended plant) will require an assessment of the monitoring location and facilities. Those involved in the design and construction of the plant should seek advice and provisional approval about the monitoring arrangements, as early as possible during the design stage of the plant.


For advice on CEMs, the equipment installers and system designers should be consulted. For advice on manual (periodic) monitoring, an experienced stack emissions monitoring person, preferably someone who is MCERTS certifi ed to Level 2, should be consulted. It is also strongly advised that provisional approval is obtained from the Environment Agency.


Key references The monitoring location and facilities required are specifi ed in:


EN 15259 – Air Quality – Measurement of stationary source emissions – Requirements for measurement sector and sites and for the measurement objective, plan and report.


Environment Agency Technical Guidance Note M1 Sampling requirements for stack-emission monitoring. Available from www.mcerts.net


Feedback


If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this bulletin please contact Rupert Standring at rupert.standring@environment-agency.gov.uk


Table 2. Flow-stability criteria Angle of gas fl ow


Flow direction Minimum velocity Gas velocities variations


≤±15° from stack longitudinal axis No local negative fl ow


Dependant on the method used (for Pitot tubes a differential pressure larger than 5 Pa)


Ratio of highest to lowest local gas velocities less than 3:1


Sampling facilities for gas concentrations only


The fl ow-stability criteria do not have to be met when sampling gas concentrations, providing the gases are well mixed at the sample location. However, in practice, meeting the recommended locations given in Table 1 will help satisfy the requirements for gases.


Sampling facilities for CEMs


When designing a plant that requires CEMs to be installed, access and facilities are required to enable calibration by periodic monitoring, routine maintenance and functional checks to be done.


As CEMs require calibration by periodic monitoring the access and facilities should as a minimum comply with the requirements given for particulates and gases respectively.


Measurement ports


Measurement ports should be considered at the design stage of new plants, as installing ports after a plant is built may be diffi cult and costly (or impossible if protective linings are present).


In summary the access ports:


• must be big enough for the insertion and removal of the equipment used. It is recommended that access ports have a minimum diameter of 125mm, except on stacks smaller than 0.7m diameter. For small stacks a smaller port may be appropriate.


• must be installed at a suitable height to the platform, so that the equipment can be manoeuvred. A working height of approximately 1.2m to 1.5m is recommended.


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