United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Industrial Environmental Research
Laboratory
Research Triangle Park NC 27711
Research and Development
EPA-600/S7-83-023 June 1983
4>EPA Project Summary
Audit of the Vulcanus
Incineration Ship Prior to the
August 1 982 PCB Burn
Mobile, Alabama
Frederick W. Sexton and Donald E. Lentzen
Systems and performance audits
were conducted of instrumentation a-
board the incineratorship MTVulcanus,
August 12-13,1982. Instrumentation
audited included the continuous emis-
sion monitoring system (CEMS) which
measured the concentrations of oxy-
gen (02), carbon monoxide (CO), and
carbon dioxide (€62) in the incinerator
effluent Alsoauditedwerefourthermo-
couples (which measured incinerator
wall temperatures) and a Method 5
sampling system (operated by TRW,
Inc.).
The audit disclosed that the CO mon-
itor produced measurements which
were 35.4 percent lower than expected;
performance of the O2 and C02 mon-
itors was satisfactory. A leak, detected
by the auditors in the starboard incin-
erator sampling system, was corrected
by the ship's personnel. The combus-
tion thermocouple readout meters per-
formed satisfactorily; however, the
portside Plastomatic* thermocouple
readout meter averaged 7.2 percent
less than expected, and the starboard
Plastomaticthermocouple readout me-
ter averaged 15.7 percent greater than
expected. Differences at 1200°C were
-5.2 and 9.7 percent, respectively. Re-
sults of the Method 5 dry gas meter
audit originally indicated that TRW's
meter was 11 percent less than ex-
pected. Recalculations by TRW reduced
the differences to less than 3 percent
'Plastomatic2000 system, provided by Withoff-Phillips,
Bremen, West Germany.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Industrial Environmental Re-
search Laboratory. Research Triangle
Park. NC, to announce key findings of
the research project that is fully doc-
umented in a separate report of the
same title (see Project Report ordering
information at back).
Introduction
The Vulcanus is a Singapore-registered
tanker which has been converted for in-
cinerating industrial waste at sea. This
ship has been operating for several years,
disposing of various chemical wastes gen-
erated mainly in the European community.
Industrial wastedisposal by incineration at
sea is also an option for American waste
management systems and thus is of in-
terest to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
In August 1982, the EPA had an oppor-
tunity to study (at sea) the incineration (by
the Vulcanus) of transformer oil contain-
ing polychlorinated biphenyls. Merrill D.
Jackson, head of the EPA investigative
team, was assisted in this study by others
from EPA and by TRW contract personnel
experienced in source testing and fugitive
emission evaluation.
Because of the special interest in this
project, the quality assurance officer for
EPA's Industrial Environmental Research
Laboratory at Research Triangle Park
(IERL-RTP) directed the Research Triangle
Institute (RTI) to independently evaluate
the ship's continuous emission monitor-
ing system, incinerator temperature mea-
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surement system, and the TRW sampling
train prior to the test burn. The RTI audit
team performed this evaluation August
11-13, 1982 while the Vulcanus was
docked at Chickasaw Harbor near Mobile,
AL
Results
The audit results are reported separately
for the three systems audited.
Continuous Emission
Monitoring System (CEMS)
The CEMS was audited by supplying
known concentrations of the pollutants of
interest directly to the CEMS' ceramic
probe, inside the incinerator. Table 1
summarizes the results. The results show
only the CO analyzer to be producing
unsatisfactory data. (Subsequent investi-
gation determined that C02 produced a
positive response in the CO analyzer.) Also
of note is the positive intercept for the 02
analyzer: the analyzer produced positive
readings while sampling the audit cylinder
containing nitrogen only. Examination of
the starboard sampling system disclosed
a leak between the Teflon sample line and
the incinerator wall mounting device. The
leak was subsequently corrected. No such
leak was detected in the portside sampling
system.
Temperature Measurement
System
The temperature of the incinerator wall
is monitored by a temperature measure-
ment system consisting of thermocouples
and readout meters. An audit of four
meters was conducted by delivering known
millivolt currents to the meters. Results of
the audit are presented in Table 2. The
results show the starboard Plastomatic
thermocouple readout meter (in the camera
box) read 15.7 percent higher on the
average than the input voltages. The cal-
culated error at a simulated temperature of
1200°C would be 9.7 percent for this
meter. Similarly, the portside Plastomatic
thermocouple readout meter read 7.2 per-
cent lower on the average than the input
voltages. The calculated error at a simu-
lated temperature of 1200°C at the port-
side Plastomatic would be-5.2 percent for
this meter.
TRW Dry Gas Meter
TRW used two Research Appliance
Corporation Method 5 sampling trains to
sample emissions from the starboard in-
cinerator. One of the two sampling sys-
tems was audited to determine the accura-
cy of the train's dry gas meter. The audit
results are presented in Table 3. Note that
Table 1. Summary of the Continuous Emission Monitoring System's Audit Results
Average
Difference
Monitor
S/N
MO4-478
M03-949
MO4-54
Parameter
02
C02
CO
(ppm)
3,900
6,200
•38.7
{%?
7.6
8.5
-35.4
Regression of monitor response
(Y) on audit cone. (X);
Y=mX + b
Slope
M
0.883
1.025
0.750
Intercept
(b)
0.74"
0.34
-6.6
Corr. Coeff.
(r)
0.9997
0.9969
0.9938
a Values reported are the averages of the percent differences calculated by:
(Analyzer Response - Audit Conc.j/Audit Cone. X 100 = Percent Difference.
bA leak in the starboard sampling system was identified and corrected.
Table 2. Summary of Temperature Measurement System Audit Results
Thermocouple Identity
Average Difference
m w
Portside Combustion TC
Camera Box Meter
Combustion Room Meter
Portside Plastomatic TC
Camera Box Meter
Starboard Combustion TC
Camera Box Meter
Combustion Room Meter
Starboard Plastomatic TC
Camera Box Meter
64"
39*
-52
59"
66"
+104
5.5"
3.8"
-7.2
5.2"
5.6"
+15.7
a Values reported are the averages of the percent differences calculated by:
(Analyzer Response - Audit Value)/Audit Value X 100 + Percent Difference.
bThe value reported is an absolute average, comprising positive and negative data points.
Table 3. Summary of TRW Dry Gas Meter (DGM) Audit Results
Linear Regression of TRW DGM Volume
Average (YJ on Audit Volume (X);
Difference Y= mX + b
Parameter
Volume
(Preliminary)
Volume
(Final)
(ft3)
-0. 183
-0.057
Slope
(%)a (m)
-10.7 0.890
-3. 1 0.956
Intercept
(b)
0.00
O.02
Corr. Coeff.
(r)
0.9997
0.9997
aValues reported are the averages of the percent differences calculated by:
(TRW DGM Volume - Audit Volume)/'Audit Volume X 100= Percent Difference
preliminary results show the TRW values
to be approximately 11 percent lower than
the RTI audit values. Examination of the
preliminary calculations determined that
TRW used an incorrect temperature con-
version when calculating standard volume,
and incorrectly applied the meter box
correction to the volume equation. Recal-
culating the data increased TRW's stand-
ard volume 7.6 percent
Audit data were recalculated using 20°C
(as opposed to 25°C) as standard tem-
perature and eliminating a water vapor
correction from the standard volume
equation.
Final results show that the TRW dry gas
meter reads 3.1 percent lower than the
audit meter.
Recommendations
Recommendations are given separately
for two of the three systems audited.
Continuous Emission Monitors
The discrepancy in the CO audit should
be resolved. To do this and to increase the
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accuracy of calibration of the remaining
two monitors, it is recommended that:
1. Maintenance be performed on the
CO analyzer, if possible, to "filter-
out" the positive interference of CC^.
If electronic adjustments are not
possible, a chemical C02 scrubber
such as Ascarite may be necessary
for scrubbing sample gases and cali-
bration gases immediately before
they enter the CO monitor.
2. The calibration system plumbing be
modified so that the calibration gases
pass through the scrubbers and
dryers exactly the same as do the
samples from the incinerators. The
existing plumbing should be retained
to permit two options: routing cali-
bration gases directly to the moni-
tors or through the scrubbers and
dryers. Such a check will verify that
the scrubbing system is not altering
the sample gas.
3. The monitors be activated at least 5
days before a test burn to allow the
detectors and associated electronics
to stabilize. Calibration responses
should be checked twice daily and
results logged. During a burn, cali-
bration should continue twice daily,
with results and time of calibration
logged.
4. The calibration standard be recertified
to verify the concentration of CO.
Thermocouple
The audit disclosed discrepancies be-
tween meters of the same thermocouple
as well as errors in accuracy. To correct
these discrepancies, it is recommended
that:
1. All meters of a given thermocouple
be checked for similar readings dur-
ing an actual burn or during calibra-
tion when a known voltage is passed
to the readout meters.
2. The voltmeter used by the ship's
electrician be recertified. During the
audit, the ship's voltmeter read input
voltages about 1 mV less than the
audit voltmeter. Certification of the
audit voltmeter to a National Bureau
of Standards traceable voltmeter
after the audit verified the meter to
be accurate and thus still traceable to
NBS standards.
F. W. Sexton and D. E. Lentzen are with Research Triangle Institute. Research
Triangle Park. NC 27709.
Merrill D. Jackson is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "A udit of the Vulcan us Incineration Ship Prior to the
A ugust 1982 PCB Burn. Mobile, A labama," (Order No. PB 83-193 698; Cost:
$8.50, subject to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
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