Automated gaseous criteria pollutant audits
- California Air Resources Board, Sacramento, CA (United States)
The Quality Assurance Section (QAS) of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) began performing automated gaseous audits of its ambient air monitoring sites in July 1996. The concept of automated audits evolved from the constant streamlining of the through-the-probe audit process. Continual audit van development and the desire to utilize advanced technology to save time and improve the accuracy of the overall audit process also contributed to the concept. The automated audit process is a computer program which controls an audit van`s ambient gas calibration system, isolated relay and analog to digital cards, and a monitoring station`s data logging system. The program instructs the audit van`s gas calibration system to deliver specified audit concentrations to a monitoring station`s instruments through their collection probe inlet. The monitoring station`s responses to the audit concentrations are obtained by the program polling the station`s datalogger through its RS-232 port. The program calculates relevant audit statistics and stores all data collected during an audit in a relational database. Planning for the development of an automated gaseous audit system began in earnest in 1993, when the CARB purchased computerized ambient air calibration systems which could be remotely controlled by computer through their serial ports. After receiving all the required components of the automated audit system, they were individually tested to confirm their correct operation. Subsequently, a prototype program was developed to perform through-the-probe automated ozone audits. Numerous simulated ozone audits documented the program`s ability to control audit equipment and extract data from a monitoring station`s data logging system. The program was later modified to incorporate the capability to perform audits for carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons, methane, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide.
- OSTI ID:
- 682195
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-980632-; TRN: IM9942%%180
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 91. annual meeting and exhibition of the Air and Waste Management Association, San Diego, CA (United States), 14-18 Jun 1998; Other Information: PBD: 1998; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 91. annual meeting and exhibition. Bridging international boundaries: Clean production for environmental stewardship; PB: [5000] p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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