Cooper Environmental Services, LLC9403, SW Nimbus Ave , Beaverton, Oregon, United States

Cooper Environmental Services (CES) has the unique capability to measure and interpret elements using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) in a fully-automated fashion. Using this core technology, CES was the first to commercially manufacture an XRF-based multi-metals continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) in the world. This automated XRF technology is also used to measure and interpret elements in ambient air, and will soon be adapted to a multi-metals water monitoring system. Beyond manufacturing, CES offers a myriad of other services and knowledge to serve the needs of air quality issues.

AMBIENT MONITORING

Although particulate matter (PM) is listed as a criteria pollutant by the US EPA, PM measurements alone do not tell the whole story. Multiple studies show that PM-toxicity can vary drastically due to the presence of toxic metals and provide direct links between airborne particulate metals and adverse health effects. CES’ Xact™ Ambient Metals Monitor provides the necessary PM speciation to accurately assess the presence of toxic metals for protection of human health and the environment.

CEMS STACK MONITORING

Mercury (Hg) CEMS stack monitors typically require frequent calibration and tuning, while providing limited monitoring data. CES’ Xact CEMS provides accurate measurement for both particulate and vapor-phase Hg, while simultaneously providing measurements for other hazardous metals, such as lead and arsenic. In addition, the Xact CEMS does not require frequent calibration. In some cases, the additional elemental measurements can be used to optimize a stack’s scrubber system, hence lowering operating costs.

The Quantitative Aerosol Generator (QAG) creates an aerosol of known concentration by nebulizing a solution. The resulting droplets are carried out of generation area to a drying chamber where they are dried to salt particles. Depending on the application for the salt particles the size can be varied to a number mean between 0.1 and 2 µm in diameter. The aerosol exiting the drying chamber contains a known concentration of analytes that is calculated from the QAG’s input parameters. This reference aerosol produced by the QAG is process traceable to NIST (National Institute for Science and Technology) standards and can be used to challenge and evaluate the accuracy, precision, and linearity of measurement methods such as the Xact™ series monitors during certification and RATA.

FEATURES

• Quantitative aerosol traceable to NIST Standards
• Simultaneous for one or more elements
• Wide range: ng/dscm to mg/dscm
• Automatic mass loss reporting
• Single operator with minimal input requirements

APPLICATIONS

Possible applications include evaluation, verification, audits, and certification of metals and PM measurement systems. It is applicable to both metal and non-metal species, as well as generic PM aerosols 

APPROVED BY US EPA FOR MULTI-METAL CEMS AUDITS AND CERTIFICATIONS

Stability has been demonstrated through repeated use in the laboratory and in the field for over five years. The QAG can be operated by one user with minimal parameter inputs and control. The QAG is able to generate aerosols of most inorganic analytes including most hazardous elements in stack and fugitive emissions, as well as those present in the ambient environment. This instrument is the first quantitative aerosol generator to be approved by EPA for evaluating, validating and certifying continuous multi-metals CEMS used for compliance demonstration. The QAG greatly simplifies the certification and auditing of multi-metal CEMS and eliminates the need to compare multi-metal CEMS results to less precise and less accurate traditional multi-metal reference methods, such as EPA Reference Method 29.