601N00001
The Monitor
The Newsletter of the ETV
Advanced Monitoring Systems (AMS) Pilot
Volume 3, Number 1
January 2000
AIL Systems, Inc. 's RAM 2000
Boreal Laser's Gas Finder 2.0
Opsis Inc. 's AR-500 series
Next Test:
Optical Open-Path Monitors
Beginning this month, the AMS pilot will be verifying commercially
available optical open-path monitors from four companies. The test
will be conducted at field locations selected to accommodate
participating companies and will continue into March.
Companies whose monitors are scheduled for testing during January,
February, and March are:
* AIL Systems, Inc. Contacts: Ruby Pritchard or William Walter
455 Commack Road, Deer Park, NY 11729-4591; phone 800-264-
7477; e-mail wwalter@ail.com; web www.ail.com
* Boreal Laser Contact: Jim Bauer
13, 51127 RR 255; Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada T7Y1A8;
phone 780-987-4382; e-mail jbauer@boreal-laser.com; web
www.boreal-laser.com
* Opsis, Inc. Contact: Paul Stenberg
1165 Lindavista Drive, Suite 112
San Marcos, CA 92069; phone 619-752-3005;
e-mail paulsf86@prodigy.net; web www.opsis.se
* ThermoEnvironmental Contact Dr. Dirk Appel
8 West Forge Parkway; Franklin, MA 02038-3136; phone 508-520-
0430; e-mail dappel@thermoei.com; web www.thermoei.com
Optical open-path monitors are used at facilities concerned about the
concentrations of volatile organic or inorganic pollutants emitted into
the air. These instruments continuously monitor target compounds
over path lengths from tens to thousands of meters and provide early
warning of potential noncompliance conditions or emergency release
situations. In contrast, "grab sample" analysis by standard methods
takes more time, addresses only a single point in space, and is non-
continuous.
The monitors to be tested rely on a light source (ultraviolet, visible, or
infrared) and a detector that, used together, identify and quantify the
levels of targeted chemicals in the atmosphere. Testing involves
challenging these monitors with gas samples under realistic operating
conditions.
See next page for additional information.
The AMS pilot is one of 12 pilots in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental
Technology Verification Program. ETV was established to accelerate the development and com-
mercialization of improved environmental technologies through third-party verification testing and
reporting of the technologies' performance. The ETV process provides purchasers and permitters
with an independent assessment of the technology they are buying or permitting and facilitates multi-
state acceptance. For further information, contact Helen Latham at Battelle, 505 King Ave., Columbus,
Ohio 43201-2693; Phone 614-424-4062; Fax 614-424-5601; E-maillathamh@battelle.org.
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ThermoEnvironmental's DO/AS 2000
Vendors Invited
To Join Test
The AMS pilot is considering conducting a
verification test for portable, on-board devices
that monitor emissions from vehicle tailpipes
while the vehicle is on the road. These
instruments can be placed in the vehicle to
perform the test, in contrast to the current
practice of operating the vehicle on a
stationary dynamometer,
On-board emission monitors offer the
potential for more realistic emission
measurements than can be obtained from
dynamometer testing in a laboratory.
Interested vendors should contact Tom Kelly
at Battelle (phone 614-424-3495 or e-mail
kellyt@battelle.org).
Upcoming Events
March 9-10, 2000
Meeting of AMS Pilot's Air Stakeholder
Committee, Denver, CO
March 23-24, 2000
Meeting of AMS Pilot's Water
Stakeholder Committee, Charleston, SC
March 12-17, 2000
PITTCON©00, New Orleans, LA
June 18-22, 2000
A&WMA 93rd Annual Meeting &
Exhibition, Salt Lake City, UT
Optical Open-Path Monitor Performance
Characteristics to be Verified
Performance characteristics to be verified during the test of
optical open-path monitors include:
* Detection limit
* Concentration linearity
* Accuracy
* Precision
* Interference effects.
The test procedures will involve providing a range of known
concentrations of various target compounds to each monitor.
Measurements will be made with different path lengths (the
distance the light travels from the monitor's light source to its
detector), integration times, source intensities, and numbers
of replicated measurements to assess the verification factors
listed above.
Testing will take three days and will require each participating
vendor's technology to detect three different compounds.
For example, for the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR)
monitors, testing for tetrachloroethylene will take place on
day one, cyclohexane on day two, and ethylene on day three.
The test/QA plan, which provides details of the testing
procedures for the optical open-path monitors, is available on
the ETV web site at
http://www.epa.gov/etv/test_plan.htm#07.
Note to Vendors
For additional information about upcoming verification
tests, please contact the following Battelle staff:
General information about all AMS verification
tests-Tom Kelly, 614-424-3495 or keUyt@battelle.org.
On-line turbidimeters, fine particulate monitors,
portable water analyzers-Ken Cowen, 614-424-5547 or
cowenk@battelle.org.
Optical open-path monitors-Jeff Myers, 614-424-7705
or myersjd@battelle.org.
Visit the AMS pilot on the Web at
http://www.epa.gov/etv/07/07_main.htm.
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