Are you in the market for CEMS? If you’re a facility manager, this guide can be quite helpful to you. Industrial facilities are required to abide by the regulations and standards as stipulated in the CEMS code of Australia. This code establishes the different requirements for performance, maintenance, design, and verification for air quality monitoring.
You need to find reliable Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems or CEMS. These systems are used to ensure that your operations are in compliance with state and federal regulations and air quality standards. It determines the levels of concentration of particulate matter or gas and then produces an emission rating.
What is Included in a Standard System?
Standard Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems consist of certain pieces of equipment. They include gas conditioning systems, a sample probe, calibration gas system, sample line, filter, and gas analysers.
These are the components of a standard CEMS that you should look for. They are useful for measuring moisture, flue gas opacity, and airflow. These are the components that you should look for first when you’re in the market for CEMS.
Dilution Extraction and Direct Extractive Systems
Of course, you should look beyond the standard components when selecting continuous emissions monitoring systems that will be a great fit for your facility. Two additional systems that you should look for include direct extractive and dilution extraction systems.
These two components are usually part of an overall system package. The combination of these extraction systems ensures reliable monitoring over time.
Direct extractive systems are more common, and almost every provider will offer this to you. However, if your facility also combusts fossil fuels, then your CEMS should include dilution extraction probes as well.
Dilution is necessary simply because flue gas can have a variety of characteristics that will make extracting samples more difficult. Samples can be sticky, wet, or hot. Diluting samples will also make transport more efficient.
An array of gas analysers will also be employed to measure exact particulate concentrations. Some of the techniques employed in the sample analysis include beta ray absorption, fluorescence, and ultraviolet absorption. The data that is collected by the analysers will then be passed on to a Data Acquisition and Handling System.
When inquiring about Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems, make sure to ask if the provider guarantees that their CEMS has passed relative accuracy test audits. Other things you should ask for are connectivity options and integration capabilities. Remember that each facility is unique, which will require various components to integrate seamlessly.
More Tips and Factors to Consider
There are some other factors to consider. With a little planning, you can avoid common problems with a system that requires continuous use. Consider the following tips:
- Make sure that the provider’s solution and systems are complying with your quality assurance plan (QAP). Sticking to your QAP will minimise the incidence of missing data, which is a safeguard against air quality violations.
- Make sure that the provider can conduct regular CEMS data reviews. Doing this will help ensure that all the components are running smoothly.
- Ensure the availability of calibration gas. This should be part of your facility’s scheduled quality checks.
- You should inquire about the availability of spare parts. You should make regular on-site inventories and check with the provider for possible parts that need to be replaced regularly.
- Inquire about the company’s system breakdown and malfunction response. Is it easy to contact them and have a team dispatched to your site?
Facility managers need to ensure that the CEMS that they deploy on their site can supply low maintenance and quality output. The systems should perform at optimal levels, even in the hardest on-site conditions.
Author Bio – Ester Adams is a farmer of words in the field of creativity. She is an experienced independent content writer with a demonstrated history of working in the writing and editing industry. She is a multi-niche content chef who loves cooking new things.
