Continuous Emission Monitoring, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER 15QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAMS FOR CEM SYSTEMS

A quality assurance (QA) program is necessary for a CEM system to provide quality data on a continuous basis. Without the institution of a quality assurance program, a source's CEM data may not be of adequate quality to meet regulatory requirements and can be easily questioned. A quality assurance program is basically a management program developed to assure that quality control activities are performed. A CEM quality assurance program should be designed so that objectives for the following are met:

• Representativeness
• Accuracy
• Precision
• Availability
• Comparability

Representative samples are obtained by following EPA standardized procedures for equipment installation and measurement. Assuring that those procedures have been followed begins with the purchase of the monitoring equipment and continues in its day‐to‐day operation. Quality control activities, such as daily calibration and quarterly audits, are the procedures conducted to assure that the data generated from the system are both accurate and precise. Other program objectives are designed to provide high system availability and data comparability from plant to plant.

Quality assurance programs are mandated under Appendix F of 40 CFR 60 (U.S. EPA 2020c). Similar requirements are included in the 40 CFR 75 acid rain CEM rules (U.S. EPA 2020d), which are somewhat more stringent than those of Appendix F. In Canada, quality assurance requirements are incorporated in the ...