Section 096-117-4 - Quality Assurance/Quality Control RequirementsA. Initial and replacement performance specification testing for a CEMS shall be conducted as follows. (1) For a CEMS, either the performance specification testing in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B or 40 CFR Part 75 applies.(2) For a CERMS, either the performance specifications of 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B, Specification 6 or 40 CFR Part 75 Appendix A applies.(3) All performance specification testing shall be performed within 180 days of the CEMS initial installation. For a facility using a CEMS: (a) Like-kind replacement analyzers can be used to serve as a backup for a certified analyzer, for up to a 720 hour period of interim monitoring per calendar year without having to meet the Part 60 initial certification requirements. A like-kind replacement analyzer is defined as the same make and model (regardless of series identification) as the analyzer it is replacing. This analyzer would use the same probe and sample interface as the certified CEM. In order for the data to be considered valid the analyzer must pass a Cylinder Gas Audit (CGA) prior to each use as required in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix F after the analyzer is installed in the monitoring location. It also must comply with the daily QC requirements of 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B. If after 720 hours the like-kind replacement analyzer isn't certified, then the emissions data collected beyond that point is considered invalid. The like-kind replacement analyzers may not be used to report data at the affected unit or stack for more than 720 hours in a 12 month period, unless the CEMS passes all certification procedures at the installed location.
(b) Replacement analyzers that are not like-kind, require performance specification testing that must be completed within 30 days of being installed. This grace period may not be utilized more than once every 12 month period for any particular analyzer. .(c) Performance specification testing must be conducted within 90 days of a CEMS replacement installation if the emissions unit has been inoperative for 12 or more consecutive months.(d) Continuous EPA reference method testing is allowed as an alternative to performing the specification testing.(4) Written summaries of test results must be submitted to the Department within thirty (30) days of the completion of the test. If specific EPA reference method reporting deadlines allow longer, this Chapter defers to the EPA deadline. If any of the options of Section 4(A) (3) (a), (b), (c) or (d) of this Chapter are used,the Bureau must be notified in writing within 48 hours. This information shall also be included in the quarterly report along with the number of hours that the option has been used.B. A CEMS is subject to the following audit requirements. (1) QA Plan. Each source owner or operator shall develop and maintain a copy of its written procedures, henceforth known as the QA program for implementing its quality control procedures for each CEMS within six (6) months of the initial startup of each CEMS installed. The owner or operator shall keep a complete copy of its QA plan including updates in a readily accessible location for a period of at least six years and shall make these records available to the Department and EPA upon verbal or written request.(2) Annual QA Program Review. Each source owner or operator shall review the QA plan and all data generated by its implementation at least once each year and revise or update the QA program, as necessary, based on the results of the annual review. The revised QA program must be available for on-site review by the Department and EPA at any time.(3) Revisions to QA Plan. The Department may request revision of the QA program at any time based on the results of emission report reviews, inspections, audits, review of the QC procedures, or any other information available to the Department and EPA.(4) Quarterly Reporting of Out-of-Control Periods. Pursuant to Section 7 of this Chapter, the Department shall be informed in the quarterly reports of all out-of-control periods, as defined in Section (2)(O) of this Chapter. This includes out-of-control periods as the result of the CD, CGA, RATA, RAA, quarterly audit, ACA, SVA, RCA, or RRA tests.(5) QA/QC Procedures Specific to CEMS Monitoring of Commonly Monitored Gaseous Emissions. For a CEMS monitoring gaseous emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, total reduced sulfur, ammonia, volatile organic compounds, oxygen, or carbon dioxide, the quality assurance requirements and procedures described in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix F or 40 CFR Part 75, Appendix B, as applicable shall apply. All requirements specified in 40 CFR Part 60, Procedure 1 of Appendix F or 40 CFR Part 75, Appendix B, as applicable, shall be met with the following clarifications:(a) CEMS Calibration Drift Test Requirements. A calibration drift test must be conducted while the source is in operation. It must be passed at two concentration values daily. After the initial performance demonstration, an off-line CD test may be used to validate data if it is followed within 26 hours by an on-line CD test. To be considered acceptable; neither the on-line nor the off-line CD test is allowed any unscheduled adjustment in between the two tests. The test may not result in an out-of-control specification. (Monitor adjustment is allowed immediately after a CD test.) If a source fails to conduct and pass the required daily calibration drift test, then the data is considered invalid starting at the end of that day and until a passing test is completed. There is a grace period allowed if the daily calibration drift test is missed due to an emissions unit outage. In this case the data can be considered valid if a passing daily calibration drift test is performed within the first eight hours of operation in the next unit operating day.
Units using multiple span monitors must perform the CD testing on all ranges that are reasonably expected to be used during that unit operation day.
(b) CEMS Cylinder Gas Audit Requirements. The source owner or operator shall conduct and pass Cylinder Gas Audits (CGA) every calendar quarter that a RAA or RATA is not conducted. The audit must be conducted while the source is in operation unless the Department waives this requirement. If during a calendar quarter the emission unit has not operated for at least 168 unit operating hours, then the CGA may be postponed until a quarter that exceeds the 168 unit operating hour threshold. After four successive calendar quarters have elapsed without a CGA then the operator has a grace period of 168 unit operating hours in which to perform a successful audit or the data from the CEMS will be invalid from that point until a successful RATA, RAA or CGA can be conducted.
The Department may require written notification of the CGA scheduled date at any time. Unless waived by the Department, the source owner or operator shall provide verbal notification to the Department of the date of the CGA or linearity test ten (10 calendar) days prior to the testing and shall permit the Department to observe the testing;
Units using multiple span monitors must perform the CGA or linearity testing, as appropriate, on all scales that are reasonably expected to be used during the quarter; unless specifically exempt from this requirement per 40 CFR Part 75.
(c) CEMS Relative Accuracy Audit Option. A Relative Accuracy Audit (RAA) as defined in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix F, may be performed in place of a CGA. For a CEMS where a CGA cannot be performed, a RAA or other audit procedures approved by the Department shall be performed in place of the CGA;(d) CEMS RATA Quarterly Test Requirements. RATAs must be conducted at least every fourth successive calendar quarter. If the emission unit has not had 168 unit operating hours in a quarter, then that quarter shall be excluded in determining the deadline for the next RATA. If the RATA has not been completed by the end of the eighth calendar quarter since the quarter of the last RATA, then the RATA must be completed within a 720 unit operating hour grace period following the end of the eighth successive elapsed calendar quarter; or the data from the CEMS will be invalid from that point until a successful RATA can be conducted. If an emission unit is shutdown during a quarter in which a RATA is due, before the RATA can be completed, then there is a grace period of 30 operating days before the data from the CEMS will be considered invalid.
Where the Department determines through the licensing process that it is technically infeasible to conduct a RATA, a CGA may be substituted for any RATA required under this paragraph or subsection 4(B) (6) of this Chapter, unless the compliance monitor is subject to NSPS, NESHAPS or the Acid Rain Program standards. Unless waived by the Department, the source owner or operator shall notify the Department thirty (30) days in advance of the planned RATA and shall permit the Department to observe the procedure.
(e) CEMS Time Shared Gaseous Audit Requirement. For a time-shared gaseous CEMS (one analyzer measuring the pollutant concentration of more than one gas stream), audits must be conducted on each gas stream.(6) CEMS Audit Requirements for Other Gaseous Pollutants. For a CEMS monitoring other types of gaseous emissions not listed in Section 4(B) (5) in this Chapter (for example, mercury and other emerging pollutants of concern), audits shall be performed in accordance with Department and EPA procedures. The source owner or operator may obtain written Department approval of alternate audit procedures and frequency intervals by submitting documentation to the Department demonstrating that the proposed audit procedures are consistent with those presented in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B, and Appendix F.(7) CERMS Audit Requirements. For a CERMS, the owner or operator must follow all the audit requirements listed in section 4(B) (5) in this Chapter. A CD test must be performed for both the gaseous portion of the system and the flow rate portion of the system as described in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B, Specification 6.(8) COMS Audit Requirements (a) Daily COMS Drift Test Requirements. A zero calibration drift test and an upscale calibration drift test as described in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B, Specification 1, Section 8 shall be conducted daily (while the source is in operation). After the initial performance demonstration, an off-line CD test may be used to validate data if it is followed by an on-line CD test within 26 hours. Neither the on-line nor the off-line CD test, with no unscheduled adjustment in between, shall test out-of-control. (Monitor adjustment is allowed immediately after a CD test.) If a source fails to conduct the required daily calibration drift test then the data is considered invalid starting at the end of that day and until the test is successfully completed, except that if the daily calibration drift test is missed because of an emissions unit outage, the data may be considered valid if a successful daily calibration drift test is performed within the first eight hours of operation in the next unit operating day.(b) Quarterly COMS Audit Requirements. Quarterly audits shall be performed with the monitor in place in accordance with the procedures contained in EPA-450/4-92-010, April 1992, "Performance Audit Procedures for Opacity Monitors", or equivalent procedures previously approved in writing by the Department. Audits must be conducted every operating calendar quarter. The audit must be conducted while the source is in operation unless the Department waives this requirement. If during a quarter the unit has not had 168 unit operating hours then the audit may be postponed until a quarter that exceeds the 168 unit operating hour threshold. After four successive calendar quarters have elapsed without an audit then the operator has a grace period of 168 unit operating hours in which to perform a successful audit or the data becomesinvalid from that point until a successful audit can be conducted.(c) Annual COMS Drift Test Requirements. An annual seven (7)-day length zero/upscale drift (Operational Test Period) and system response time checks test as defined in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B, Specification 1, Section 3 shall be performed and reported to the Department following the procedures set forth in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B, Specification 1, Section 8.1. (d) COMS Calibration Attenuator Requirements. A minimum of three (3) calibration attenuators (low, mid, and high) shall be used in the audits described in this Section, as specified in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B, Specification 1, Section 8.1(3). The calibration attenuators shall produce outlet pathlength corrected, single-pass opacity values shown in ASTM D 6216-98, section 7.5. For those sources to which any subpart of 40 CFR Parts 60, 63, or 75 is not applicable, selection of the opacity monitor span value shall be 100%. The attenuator values shall be 10-20% for the low range, 20-30% for mid range, and 30-60% for the high range for sources with standards greater than or equal to 20% opacity and 5-10% for the low range, 10-20% for mid range, and 20-40% for the high range for sources with standards less than 20% opacity.(e) COMS Audit Protocol. For opacity monitors installed on or after February 7, 2001, and subject to NSPS, Acid Rain or NESHAPS, the values of the calibration attenuators used in the audits described in Section 4(B)(8) above shall be checked at least twice annually (no closer than four months apart) using the same specifications cited below. Facilities may use more than one set of certified attenuators during the year. The date of certification of the attenuators must be no more than six months before the date of the quarterly COMS audit. For all other opacity monitors the values of the calibration attenuators used in the above audits shall be checked at least once every twelve (12) months with a spectrophotometer meeting the specifications of 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B, Specification 1, Section 6.3; or with a secondary instrument, as defined and described in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B, Specification 1, Section 7.2. If the measured value of the calibration attenuators differs from the calibrated value by more than ± 2 percent opacity, the calibration attenuators shall be recalibrated or replaced until the measured value does not differ from the calibrated value by more than ± 2 percent opacity.
(f) COMS Quarterly Audit Notification Requirements. The source owner or operator shall perform quarterly audits described in Section 4(B) (8) (b) of this Chapter and the annual drift test and response time test described in Section 4(B) (8) (c) of this Chapter. The source owner or operator shall notify the Department, in writing, thirty (30) days in advance of the planned audit or test and shall permit the Department to observe the procedure.(9) Particulate Matter (PM) CEMS Audit Requirements (a) Quarterly PM ACA Audits. Conduct an ACA (and a SVA, as applicable), at least once each calendar quarter unless a RRA or RCA is conducted during that quarter. If during a quarter the unit has not had 168 unit operating hours then the audit may be postponed until a quarter that exceeds the 168 unit operating hour threshold. After four successive calendar quarters have elapsed without an audit then the operator has a grace period of 168 unit operating hours in which to perform a successful audit or the data becomes invalid from that point until a successful audit can be conducted. The audits shall be performed with the monitor in place in accordance with the procedures contained in 40 CFR part 60 Appendix F, Procedure 2, section 10.3. (b) Frequency of PM RRA or RCA Audits. Conduct a RRA or a RCA at the frequency specified in the applicable regulation or facility operating permit. The RRA shall be performed with the monitor in place in accordance with the procedures contained in 40 CFR part 60 Appendix F, Procedure 2, section 10.3. The RCA shall be performed with the monitor in place in accordance with the procedures contained in 40 CFR part 60 Appendix B, PS-11, section 8.6, except the minimum number of runs required is 12 instead of the 15 specified in PS-11.(c) PM Alternative Audit Procedure Options. Alternative audit procedures may be substituted for the ACAs upon approval by the Department and EPA.(10) Quarterly CEMS Audit Timing. All required quarterly audits may be done anytime during each calendar quarter, but successive quarterly audits shall occur no closer than sixty (60) days apart unless waived by the Department and EPA.(11) CEMS Audit Reporting Requirements. Within thirty (30) days of the completion of a CEMS audit, the source owner or operator shall submit a written report summarizing the results of the audit in accordance with the following:(a) For a CERMS, gaseous or PM CEMS audit, the report format shall conform to that presented in 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix F, Procedure 1, Section 7; and(b) For a COMS audit, the report format shall conform to that presented in "Performance Audit Procedures for Opacity Monitors" EPA-450/4-92-010, April 1992, or equivalent procedures previously approved in writing by the Department.(12) CEMS Audit Accuracy Verification Requirements. The Department may choose to conduct an independent CEMS audit to verify the accuracy of a source's CEMS.06- 096 C.M.R. ch. 117, § 4