CEMS - Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems - Requirements

Requirements for CEM systems have their basis in the Clean Air Act amendments for Acid Rain Regulations developed in 1980. The Federal requirement being general and a basic minimum that many states have adopted for their own regulations. Some states, however, with more serious emissions problems - usually due to heavier concentrations of industry and population - have imposed even stricter regulations. CEM regulations will involve the Federal EPA regulations, your state and local air quality control regulations, and they will be site specific per industry and magnitude of the total combustion equipment at the site. Operating permits are usually issued as to total tons of various pollutant emissions per year allowable.

For point of reference, the most recent regulations are spelled out in section 40 CFR of part 75 of the Federal Register for emissions. These regulations require extremely accurate measurement and very reliable continuous emissions monitoring systems. These are the units customized to each applications operating permit and manufactured by Southern Technologies Inc. Typically, these applications are larger boilers, kilns, and dryers of one sort or the other.

Southerns experienced design & applications personnel can advise you regarding the most practical CEM system that complies with the Federal, State and Local Air quality regulations for your particular application.

Continuous Emission Monitoring systems present several major problems that must be addressed by an appropriate design of the gas handling system in order to assure accurate and reliable data for compliance reporting. The very nature of the gaseous emissions sample is wet, corrosive, and heavily laden with particulates, that frequently cause stoppages in the sample collection probe and sampling system. This in itself is a challenge for the sample conditioning designer. Through the proper selection of materials in contact with the sample, both in its wet and dry state, it is possible to design sample conditioning systems to insure long term operation without the deterioration caused by the corrosive aspects of the sample. Incorporation of high volume bypass filtering techniques with computer control back purging, assures unattended maintenance free operation.