What are the on-going QA test requirements in Part 75 for units reporting

Year-round reporting of emissions data is required for all Acid Rain Program units, all CAIR SO2 Trading Program units, and for certain NOx Budget Program and CAIR NOx Trading

Program units (see Section 8.5, below). For CEMS, the on-going QA test requirements for year- round reporters are summarized in Table 17. Table 17 shows that routine QA testing of CEMS is required at four basic frequencies:

C Daily; C Weekly; C Quarterly; and

C Semiannual or Annual.

Calibration error checks of all monitors and interference checks of flow monitors are required daily. For Hg CEMS with converters, system integrity checks are required weekly. Gas monitor linearity checks, flow-to-load ratio tests, and leak checks (for DP-type flow monitors) are required quarterly. RATAs are required either semiannually or annually, depending on the type of

monitor and/or the results of the tests (see Section 8.6, below).

For Appendix D fuel flowmeters, the basic frequency for the required accuracy tests is annual. For Appendix E systems, NOx emission testing is required once every five years, in order

to develop new correlation curves.

Table 18 summarizes the on-going QA requirements for sorbent trap monitoring systems.

Table 17: On-Going QA Test Requirements for Year-Round Reporters

Perform this type of QA test....

On these continuous monitoring systems....

At this frequency....

With these qualifications and exceptions....

Calibration error test Gas and flow monitors Daily C Calibrations are not required when the unit is not in operation.

Interference check Flow monitors Daily C Check is not required when the unit is not in operation.

System integrity check (single-level)

Hg CEMS with converters Weeklya _{C Not required if daily calibrations are}

done with a NIST-traceable source of oxidized Hg

Linearity check Gas monitors Quarterly C Required only in “QA operating quarters”b _{and only on the range(s)}

used during the quarter---but no less than once a year

C 168 operating hour grace period available

C Not required if SO2 or NOx span is

< 30 ppm

C For Hg monitors, you may perform a 3-level system integrity check using oxidized Hg standards, in lieu of this test

System integrity check (3-level)

Hg CEMS with converters Quarterly C For Hg monitors, you may perform a linearity check using elemental Hg standards, in lieu of this test Flow-to-load ratio or

gross heat rate test

Flow monitors Quarterly C Required only in “QA operating quarters”

C Non load-based units are exempted C Complex configurations may be

exempted by petition under §75.66 Leak check Differential pressure-type

flow monitors

Quarterly C Required only in QA operating quarters

C 168 operating hour grace period available

Table 17 (cont’d)

Perform this type of QA test....

On these continuous monitoring systems....

At this frequency....

With these qualifications and exceptions....

RATA and Bias test

Gas and flow monitors

(Bias test applies to SO2, NOx,

Hg, and flow monitoring systems, only)

Semiannual or Annualc

C Not required for SO2 monitors if the

unit exclusively burns very low sulfur fuel, or burns higher-sulfur fuel for < 480 hours per year

C 720 operating hour grace period available

C For Hg monitoring systems, the RATA frequency is always annual

Flowmeter Accuracy test Fuel flowmeter systems

Once every four “fuel flowmeter QA operating quarters”d

C The optional “fuel flow-to-load ratio” or “gross heat rate” test in Appendix D, section 2.1.7 may be used to extend the interval between flowmeter accuracy tests to up to 20 quarters

Primary element visual inspection

Orifice, nozzle, and venturi- type fuel flowmeters that are certified by design

Once every 3 years

(12 calendar quarters)

C The optional fuel flow-to-load ratio or gross heat rate test may be used to extend the interval between visual inspections to up to 20 quarters

NOx emission rate

testing

Appendix E systems Once every 5 years (20 calendar quarters)

---

a _{“Weekly” means once every 168 unit operating hours}

b _{That is, a quarter with at least 168 hours of unit operation}

c _{Depending on the % relative accuracy obtained in the previous test, the next RATA is required either}

“semiannually” (within 2 QA operating quarters) or “annually” (within 4 QA operating quarters), not to exceed 8 calendar quarters between successive tests.

d

Table 18. Quality Assurance/Quality Control Criteria for Sorbent Trap Monitoring Systems

QA/QC Test or

Specification Acceptance Criteria Frequency

Consequences if Not Met

Pre-test leak check #4% of target sampling rate Prior to sampling

Sampling shall not commence until the leak check is passed Post-test leak check #4% of average sampling rate After sampling Sample

invalidateda Ratio of stack gas flow

rate to sample flow rate

Maintain within ± 25% of initial ratio from first hour of data collection period

Every hour throughout data collection period

Case-by-case evaluation

Sorbent trap section 2 breakthrough

#5% of Section 1 Hg mass Every sample Sample invalidateda Paired sorbent trap

agreement

#10% Relative Deviation (RD)

Every sample Sample invalidateda Spike recovery study Average recovery between

85% and 115% for each of the 3 spike concentration levels

Prior to analyzing field samples and prior to use of new sorbent media

Field samples shall not be analyzed until the percent recovery criteria has been met

Multipoint

analyzer calibration

Each analyzer reading within ± 10% of true value and r2 $0.99

On the day of analysis, before analyzing any samples

Recalibrate until successful

Analysis of independent calibration standard

Within ± 10% of true value Following daily calibration, prior to analyzing field samples

Recalibrate and repeat independent standard analysis until successful

Spike recovery from section 3 of sorbent trap

75-125% of spike amount Every sample Sample invalidateda RATA RA #20.0%

or Mean difference # 1.0 :g/dscm for low emitters

For initial certification and annually thereafter

Data from the system are invalidated until a RATA is passed

Dry gas meter calibration

(At 3 orifice settings initially, and 1 setting thereafter)

Calibration factor (Y) within ± 5% of average value from the initial (3-point)

calibration

Prior to initial use and at least quarterly thereafter

Recalibrate the meter at three orifice settings to determine a new value of Y

Temperature sensor calibration

Absolute temperature measured by sensor within ± 1.5% of a reference sensor

Prior to initial use and at least quarterly thereafter

Recalibrate. Sensor may not be used until specification is met.

Table 18 (cont’d)

QA/QC Test or

Specification Acceptance Criteria Frequency

Consequences if Not Met

Barometer calibration Absolute pressure measured by instrument within ± 10 mm Hg of reading with a mercury barometer

Prior to initial use and at least quarterly thereafter

Recalibrate. Instrument may not be used until specification is met

a

_{And data from the pair of sorbent traps are also invalidated}