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Mobile Monitoring to Locate and Quantify Open Source Emission Plumes
Oral Presentation
Prepared by C. Cowherd1, S. Chakraborti2
1 - MRIGlobal, 425 Volker Blvd., Kansas City, MO, 64110
2 - MRIGlobal, 425 Volker Blvd., Kansas City, MO, 64110
Contact Information: ccowherd@mriglobal.org; 816-360-5346
ABSTRACT
Open sources are those that emit air pollutants to the atmosphere without passing through a confined flow stream like a stack or a duct. Traditionally inventoried open dust sources include paved and unpaved roadways, surface mining, agriculture and wind erosion. Across the nation, open sources account for the majority of directly emitted PM 10, and for emissions of gasses such as ammonia, biogenic species and other pollutants of regulatory concern. Besides the open sources associated with traditional emission inventory categories, interest has also developed in a range of other source activities associated with oil and gas recovery and with leaks in chemical processing operations. It should be noted that unlike the case for ducted sources, emission test methods for open sources have never been subjected to the extensive standardization required to support emission standards.
This paper explores the use of vehicle-mounted “continuous” pollutant concentration monitors for mapping the plumes crossing roadways downwind of emission release points at “ground level.” Analysis of lateral (cross-wind) structure can be used to evaluate plume configuration--clearly distinguishable plumes vs. overlapping plumes of more diffuse characteristics. In addition, knowledge of meteorological conditions during the monitoring period can be used to identify the locations of emission release points and to assess the magnitude of emissions. One of the key advantages of this approach is the ease of implementation in comparison with other monitoring strategies. The proposed approach requires only a light-duty test vehicle (and operator), a continuous pollutant monitor, a GPS unit, and a data logger for accumulating the instantaneous readings. In the case of mixed gas releases, a predominant pollutant such as methane can be used as a tracer. Information derived from this approach can be used to classify the importance of the sources within a study area based on the magnitude of cumulative impacts. This paper also assesses the accuracy of the mobile monitoring method in comparison with alternative test methods that utilize fixed platforms to quantify emissions from open sources.
Oral Presentation
Prepared by C. Cowherd1, S. Chakraborti2
1 - MRIGlobal, 425 Volker Blvd., Kansas City, MO, 64110
2 - MRIGlobal, 425 Volker Blvd., Kansas City, MO, 64110
Contact Information: ccowherd@mriglobal.org; 816-360-5346
ABSTRACT
Open sources are those that emit air pollutants to the atmosphere without passing through a confined flow stream like a stack or a duct. Traditionally inventoried open dust sources include paved and unpaved roadways, surface mining, agriculture and wind erosion. Across the nation, open sources account for the majority of directly emitted PM 10, and for emissions of gasses such as ammonia, biogenic species and other pollutants of regulatory concern. Besides the open sources associated with traditional emission inventory categories, interest has also developed in a range of other source activities associated with oil and gas recovery and with leaks in chemical processing operations. It should be noted that unlike the case for ducted sources, emission test methods for open sources have never been subjected to the extensive standardization required to support emission standards.
This paper explores the use of vehicle-mounted “continuous” pollutant concentration monitors for mapping the plumes crossing roadways downwind of emission release points at “ground level.” Analysis of lateral (cross-wind) structure can be used to evaluate plume configuration--clearly distinguishable plumes vs. overlapping plumes of more diffuse characteristics. In addition, knowledge of meteorological conditions during the monitoring period can be used to identify the locations of emission release points and to assess the magnitude of emissions. One of the key advantages of this approach is the ease of implementation in comparison with other monitoring strategies. The proposed approach requires only a light-duty test vehicle (and operator), a continuous pollutant monitor, a GPS unit, and a data logger for accumulating the instantaneous readings. In the case of mixed gas releases, a predominant pollutant such as methane can be used as a tracer. Information derived from this approach can be used to classify the importance of the sources within a study area based on the magnitude of cumulative impacts. This paper also assesses the accuracy of the mobile monitoring method in comparison with alternative test methods that utilize fixed platforms to quantify emissions from open sources.