CEM CEM

CEM - Abstract

Abstract Title: The impact of ever-decreasing emission limit values on process control, emission monitoring and calibration
Presenter Name: Mr Ryan Goater
Company/Organisation: PCME
Country: United Kingdom

Abstract Information :

Increased awareness of the impacts on pollution on the environment are requiring Global Regulators to introduce ever-tightening regulatory control. Taking Europe ass an example, the major industrial processes are regulated via a series of Directives, such as the Industrial Emission Directive and key sectors are regulated via a specific reference documents: Best Available Techniques Reference (BREF) notes and Best Available Techniques Conclusions (BATC).

A common theme is the lowering of emission limits values (ELVs) and the use of optimised emission control techniques, such as the use of bag filters as Best Available Techniques (BAT). For some industrial sectors the ELVs have dropped by a factor of ten over the past decades and are frequently in single-digit mg/m3 ranges for BAT Associated ELVs (BAT-AELs).

To meet the lower ELVs, the process operator must utilise a variety of proven techniques and solutions, whilst considering whether their emission monitoring and reporting systems are still correct for their needs. The process operator must ensure that the filter unit is working under optimum performance conditions, as relatively small leaks or malfunctions could affect breaches of the ELV. It therefore becomes necessary to ensure effective filter performance monitoring solutions are utilised, to maintain the desired filter functionality.

Integral to demonstrating compliance with the lower ELVs is to ensure that high quality emissions monitoring is utilised. The uncertainty attached to the results from the Standard Reference Method (SRM) used for calibrating particulate CEMS greatly increases as the emission concentrations decrease into single-digit values and in turn this presents a challenge when seeking to calibrate the monitoring device. Practicable solutions are required for the Process Operator to achieve emission control and for the Regulator to assess whether environmental compliance has been achieved.

The presentation will highlight examples where the new ELVs are being introduced, describe the need for increased environmental control by ensuring filtration plant is effectively managed, with solutions for effective emission monitoring and reporting, even under low dust concentrations.