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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Software for CAA compliance

Journal Article · · Power; (United States)
OSTI ID:6545702

Because of the enormous amount of emissions data that must be collected and reported quarterly to EPA, software is becoming as essential as hardware in the compliance procedure. This article reports on some problems being encountered and their solutions. By November 15, 1993, 50 some electric utilities affected by Phase 1 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAA) Title 4 had begun continuous emissions monitoring (CEM) to meet the requirements of 40CFR75. By January 1, 1995, roughly 100 Phase 2-affected utilities must implement their CEM programs to comply with the same regulations. In both cases, software for the data-acquisition and handling system (DAHS) is the overarching challenge. The quantity of CEM data that must be reported quarterly by a DAHS, in computer-readable form, is enormous. Each day, the DAHS for a typical Phase 1 unit generates 225 records of CEM data in EPA's prescribed format, consisting of 690 critical data fields. Thus, in an average quarter, a utility with five units will submit to EPA a quarterly report comprising over 100,000 records and 310,000 critical data fields. Only with quality DAHS software can these reports be generated.

OSTI ID:
6545702
Journal Information:
Power; (United States), Journal Name: Power; (United States) Vol. 138:12; ISSN POWEAD; ISSN 0032-5929
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English