FORCE Technology is developing a new technology for measurement of diffuse emissions that is less time-consuming compared to the traditional measurement technique. Major cost savings can be achieved through the use of a wind-directional sampling technique.
FORCE Technology has developed a new method of measurement which both facilitates and reduces the costs of measurement of air emissions from diffuse sources. The new technology reduces the number of measuring points drastically as well as the time needed for the technicians need to set up and operate the technical equipment. In addition, the time required to analyse the incoming data is significantly reduced. All in all, it means that the costs for measurement of diffuse emissions can be kept at a lower level than previously.
"FORCE Technology is now able to provide more cost-effective measurements, and that is news which will be of interest to most industrial plants with air emissions from diffuse sources", says Karsten Fuglsang, R&D Co-ordinator, from FORCE Technology.
Wind direction sensor
The newly developed technique uses wind sensors that turn the measurement equipment on and off based on pre-programmed criteria. It is a clear improvement of the traditional technique where manual operation was required to activate the measuring equipment when the wind was blowing in the right direction.
"Today, we can activate collection sites automatically, and as a result of the new technology we can reduce the number of collection sites as our equipment can measure at selected sites for longer periods of time. It also increases the representativity of individual samples", says Karsten Fuglsang.
VOC and PAH emissions
The wind directional technique has been tested at Koppers Denmark A/S in Nyborg where diffuse emissions of VOC and PAH were measured. Here, measurements were collected from only four measuring points where the traditional equipment and technique would have required up to 20 measuring points. Measurements were made in two campaigns of up to two weeks.
"We were about to make new measurements at our distilling plant for tar and naphthalene and remembering how cumbersome it had been in the 1990s when we last made these measurements, the task seemed unmanageable. FORCE Technology’s new method of measurement has proved to be both simpler and more cost-effective. It means a lot to us that we are able to provide the authorities with good and valid measurements, and therefore we made an agreement with the authorities and obtained approval of the new method of measurement in advance. In our opinion FORCE Tehnology has been a constructive co-operation partner – both during the planning phase and during the actual measuring process", says Kirsten Tønnesen, Environment and Quality Manager at Koppers Denmark A/S.
Other areas
Karsten Fuglsang also points out that the new technology will find its way into measurement of other substances such as dust (PM10).
"Well proven and documented methods of measurement can be used for sampling, and it is just a question of using different collection filters for the various measuring tasks", he says.
