ClearingHouse for Inventories and Emission Factors
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office Of Air Quality
Planning And Standards
Research Triangle Park, NC 2771 1
EPA-454/C-97-006
Volume VIII, No. 4
Fall 1997
Table of Contents
(click on title)
New Oracle Database for National Emissions Trends .................... 2
Unpaved Roads: A Revised Equation .............................................. 3
New Version of TANKS is Available ................................................. 4
New and Revised Locating and Estimating Documents ................ 4
National Emission Trends (NET) Database and Report ................. 5
EIIP Seven Volume Set Available [[[ 5
Emission Inventory Conference: Southern-Style ............................ 6
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New Oracle Database for National Emissions Trends
by R. Lee Tooly, EFIG
The Emission Factor and Inventory Group (EFIG) has historically maintained the National Emission Trends
(NET) database. The NET data are used for policy analysis, control strategy determinations, and to commu-
nicate air pollutant emissions information to the public. Principal users of the NET data are EPA air pro-
grams, regional air quality modeling groups, members of the US Congress, and the general public. In order
to develop a national, county-level inventory for point, area, mobile, and biogenic emission categories, the
data are compiled from many different sources, using a blend of methodologies. The draft 1996 NET data
have been distributed to the state and local agencies to review as they compile 1996 periodic State Imple-
mentation Plan (SIP) emission inventories for ozone. Previous years of NET data are available on the NET
Viewer CD-ROM from the Government Printing Office (202-512-1800) for $15.00 (Stock No. 055-000-00559-
1). The National Air Pollutant Emission Trends Report is also available from GPO and on the Internet at
www.epa.gov/oar/emtrnd/.
Using the Oracle Relational Database Management System, EFIG is developing a new database to store
the NET inventory. The new Oracle NET database is expected to accept state and local inventory data
directly through use of several optional data formats, and to allow easier state and local agency, and general
public access to this national air emissions information. Organizing the national data in the Oracle database
will also help automate the annual compilation and distribution of the National Air Pollutant Emission Trends
Report.
Public Access
(Read-only)
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One of the primary design criteria be-
ing used to develop the Oracle NET
database is the Emission Inventory
Improvement Program (ElIP) Phase I
Data Model. The El IP data model is
a standard reference that represents
emission inventory data elements and
relationships needed for regional air
quality modeling and basic policy
analysis. The new database system
is being designed to initially accept
and load four optional data transfer
formats. The state and local agen-
cies have been asked to make their
1996 inventory data available in one
of the acceptable formats of their
choice. EPA will then load the data
sets into the new database. The op-
tional transfer formats are described
in the previously distributed Report-
ing Guidance for 1996 Periodic Emission Inventories, Chapter 3.0 (a copy can be obtained from the EPA
Regional Offices or on the web at www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/efig/ei/). One of the optional formats, the NET
Input Format, is not yet available but will be distributed once the Oracle database development is completed.
EFIG hopes to have a new production Oracle system in place by Spring 1998. As is customary with evolving
systems, the new system will operate in parallel with the old (current) system until the transition is complete.
Figure 1 illustrates the intended data flow into, and out of, the new Oracle NET database, and some of the
basic data management operations expected. This new data system architecture is being considered as
part of the AIRS re-engineering for emission inventories. The long range plan is to incorporate the NET
database into a replacement for the AIRS/AFS system. This new system will include a state/local agency
database and an EPA database for point, area, mobile and biogenic emissions. The shorter term move of
the NET to Oracle will serve as a pilot for the eventual replacement of AIRS/AFS.
Other EPA El Data Sources
Production
Oracle
NET
Pre-production
Landing Area
Figure 1: Oracle NET Database System
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Unpaved Roads: A Revised Equation for
Urban and Industrial Roads
by Ron Myers, EFIG
Unpaved roads are a significant component of the participate inventory. How-
ever there is some concern that the inventory may be in error due to either an
incorrect emission factor or the use of incorrect activity levels. Revision of the
AP-42 section on unpaved roads was undertaken since the existing emission
factor equation dates to 1979 and is primarily concerned with total particulate
emissions (TSP). In addition, a substantial amount of unpaved road test data
has been collected since that time and recent studies have indicated that a
single equation may be suitable for the two existing equations. The presence
of two different equations without a clear indication of the conditions for the application of each creates
difficulty in estimating emissions from unpaved roads. Recent work indicated that one of the existing equa-
tions needed to be revised to more accurately predict emissions.
This article presents some of the decisions that were made in the development of the new draft equation
which proposes to replace existing equations for unpaved roads. The development of this equation was
built upon findings from the available validated data sets. First, the decision was made to include all tests of
vehicles traveling over unpaved surfaces. This includes tests of very large off-road haul trucks used in the
mining industry and tests of roads controlled by watering. Then the decision was made to focus on PM-10
emission tests. These decisions had the effect of greatly expanding the historical database. Not only are
far more data available, but the data encompass a wider range of vehicle weights, travel speeds and road
characteristics.
Although a decision was made to combine the data sets, the decision was only tentative. To assess the
validity of combining the data for the various conditions, comparative analyses were performed. For the
initial analyses, the database was sorted by whether the test represented uncontrolled or watered conditions
and by the type of road (industrial vs. public unpaved road). There were two main objectives in this step. The
first objective was to determine simply whether the different portions of the database could be successfully
combined. The second objective was to determine whether an emission factor model resulting from the
large combined data would be consistent. The term "consistent" refers to (a) whether or not the same basic
set of correction parameters could be used to estimate emission levels and (b) whether or not the relation-
ships were similar between different subsets in the database.
Various road surface and vehicle characteristics that might have an impact on
the particulate emissions from unpaved roads were included in the analyses.
Those parameters most likely to influence the particle emissions, which are also
able to be measured practically, are considered for the emission equation devel-
opment. The measure of source activity includes the speed, weight and average
number of wheels of the vehicles traveling unpaved road. The roadway proper-
ties include moisture content and the silt content of the surface material.
When analyzed separately, the tests for uncontrolled and watered conditions and tests for industrial and
public unpaved roads were consistent. As a result, all of the data were combined for final equation develop-
ment. The supporting data include 180 tests. Of these tests, 137 were of uncontrolled roads and 43 were
of watered roads. Also, 101 tests had average vehicle weights of less than 50 tons and 79 tests had
average vehicle weights above 50 tons.
The draft unpaved road section and background report are available in the AP-42 "Draft Sections" area of
the CHIEF Website. Although the published comment period has passed, extensions to the middle of
December have been given to State and local agencies. The background report contains additional infor-
mation on the development of the equation beyond that which has been presented in this article.
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New Version of TANKS is Available
TANKS Version 3.1 is now available on the CHIEF Website for download and use. This PC model facilitates
calculation of volatile organic compound (VOC) and hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions from storage
of organic liquids using information in Section 7.1 of AP-42. Version 3.1 contains new loss factors for one
additional controlled slotted guidepole configuration and for internal floating roof bolted deck seams and
corrects minor software errors in Version 3.0. The model may be downloaded from the CHIEF Website at
www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/.
Subsequent to posting Version 3.1, it became apparent that one unintended software change could lead to
incorrect emission estimates which prompted the following notice to be issued to TANKS users:
Notice for TANKS 3.1 Users!
When estimating emissions from storage of refined liq-
uids (such as gasoline or crude oils), multiple com-
ponent liquid rather than single component liquid
should be selected on the liquid information screen.
The model is now programmed to use the same mo-
lecular weight for the liquid and vapor phases when
single component liquid is selected. This is correct
for pure compounds but will lead to errors when liquids such as gasoline or crude
oils are input as single component liquids since the liquid and vapor phases will have
different average molecular weights. We will be evaluating additional software changes
to limit confusion generated by the current software configuration.
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This may be the last of the DOS-based TANKS programs. By this time next year we expect to have a
Windows version of TANKS which will solve compatibility problems with newer operating systems and pro-
vide additional flexibility and enhancements for TANKS users.
Any software problems identified by users of TANKS 3.1 should be forwarded to Dennis Beauregard (E-mail
address: beauregard.dennis@epamail.epa.gov).
New and Revised . ..
Locating and Estimating Documents
A new document entitled Locating and Estimating Air Emissions from Sources ofDioxins and Furans
(EPA-454/R-97-003) is now available on the CHIEF Website. An update of an earlier Locating and
Estimating (L&E) document, entitled Locating and Estimating Air Emissions from Sources of Mercury
and Mercury Compounds (EPA-454/R-97-012), will be available shortly at the same location.
These L&Es contain the latest information on the emissions of their subject pollutants from stationary
point and area sources as well as mobile sources. The documents are designed to assist users in
identifying sources of hazardous air pollutant emissions and in developing estimates of emissions by
source category. National emission estimates by source category are also presented in the docu-
ments. To download these documents from the CHIEF Website, go to www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ and
click on the "L&E's (Air Toxics)" link.
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et your
copy of
r CHIEF
version 5.0
CD-ROM!
Only $15.00!
Order now from GPO:
Superintendent of
Documents
P.O. Box 371954
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954
Phone:(202)512-1800
Fax: (202)512-2250
(Stock No. 055-000-00580-0)
For more information,
or to order a copy
for your
governmental agency,
call Info CHIEF,
(919)541-5285.
National Emission Trends (NET)
Database and Report
by Sharon Nizich, EFIG
The 1997 National Air Pollutant Emission Trends Report is sched-
uled for publication in December 1997. This year's report is a com-
pendium of the latest air emission estimates for CO, NOx, VOC,
SO2, PM-10, and Lead derived from a variety of sources, including
the 1990 Ozone Transport and Assessment Group (OTAG), the 1990
Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission (GCVTC), 1990
through 1995 Aerometric Information Retrieval System, Facility
Subsystem (AIRS/AFS) database, and the 1996 Continuous Emis-
sions Monitoring (CEM) database from the Acid Rain Division.
The report also contains chapters on air toxics, greenhouse gases,
international emissions, biogenics, and an updated chapter of pro-
jections for criteria pollutants.
Trends in criteria pollutants for 1995-96 show small to moderate
decreases in CO, Lead, VOC and NOx, no change for non-fugitive
PM-10 sources, and a 3 percent increase for SO2. Increases in
SO2can be mainly attributed to increased energy demand.
To download a copy of the National Air Pollutant Emission Trends
Report, along with national emission summaries, visit the CHIEF
Website at www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/. Copies of the report will also
be available in February from the Government Printing Office (GPO)
at (202) 512-1800. Ask for publication number EPA-454/R-97-011.
In addition, the NET database will be available via Internet FTP and
in summary format on CD-ROM (includes years 1985 through 1996)
in Spring 1998. For more information, contact the Info CHIEF Help
Desk, (919) 541-5285 or E-mail info.chief@epamail.epa.gov.
EIIP Seven Volume Set Available
The entire Emission Inventory Improvement Program (EIIP)
seven-volume set of documents is now available. Totaling over
2,400 pages, the set is available in shrink-wrapped, three-hole
punched format. State, local agencies and EPA Regional Offices
should have already received copies. If an agency has not received
copies or if additional sets are needed, requests should be made to
the Info CHIEF Help Desk, (919) 541-5285.
Because of the expense associated with printing such large amounts
of material, it is not anticipated that the effort will be repeated in the
near future. The preferred route for obtaining documents is via the
Internet. Those interested in any of the EIIP documents, including
corrections to existing documents and additional chapters made
since the Summer 1997 printing, should obtain them from the EIIP
Website at www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/eiip/.
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The Emission Inventory Conference:
Southern-Style
by Roy Huntley, EFIG
The seventh annual Emission Inventory Conference, sponsored by the Air & Waste Management Associa-
tion, EPA, and the North Carolina DENR, was held at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Research Triangle Park,
NC from October 28-31, 1997. This conference was targeted toward those responsible for preparing emis-
sion inventories from sources in a geographic area and also toward agency personnel who review invento-
ries.
ATTENDANCE
Attendance was very good, with the following breakdown:
• Total - 305 registrants
• USEPA- 113,
• State and Local Agencies - 77,
• Consultants/Industry-68,
• States represented - 32
• Countries represented - 9 (7 European countries plus Canada and Hong Kong).
FOCUS OF THIS YEAR S CONFERENCE
The focus of the conference was "Planning for the Future". State inventories for the year 1996 are due to
the EPA in 1998, and persons attending the conference (and training sessions) were able to obtain the
latest information on EPA tools and guidance for emission estimation and the preparation of emission
inventories.
KEYNOTE
Dick Wilson, the Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Office of Air and Radiation, was the keynote speaker.
Dick stressed the historical importance of the recent National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) revi-
sions, noting that this was the first revision of the ozone standard in 20 years and the first revision of the PM
standard in 10 years. Dick also noted that accurate emission inventories will be crucial for the development
of workable control strategies.
ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS
On Wednesday night, we treated everyone to a Southern-style pig pickin'. The food was catered by the
Sheraton Imperial and was greatly appreciated by the North Carolina folks, who are used to sliced and
chopped pork barbecue, fried chicken, yellow cole slaw, potato salad, hush puppies, and banana pudding.
It was not without comment otherwise, but regardless of that, everyone enjoyed the bluegrass music and
dancing provided by the Apple Chill doggers. In between some of the clogging numbers, the doggers
rested their feet and watched us try some square dancing.
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Topics of the conference included the new NAAQS standards, the 1996 inventory that the states are ex-
pected to prepare, and the emission factor and activity coefficient needs for the future. The states generally
expressed the concern that the 1996 emission inventory would be difficult to prepare by 1998. To help,
OAQPS is recommending that the EPA's 1996 National Emission Inventory (NET) database be used by
states as a starting point for their 1996 inventory.
Accurate PM2.5 inventories are a goal for the future. The need for accurate emission factors for condens-
able and ammonia emissions was recognized. Also recognized was the need for improved emission factors
and activity coefficients for fireplaces, condensable emissions from combustion, animal husbandry sources
(NHs), windblown dust, and agricultural tilling.
(Cont'd. onp.7)
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E I Conference
(Cont 'd. from p. 6)
Topics of the emission factor papers included the update of utility NOx factors using Continuous Emissions
Monitoring (CEM) data from EPA's acid rain program, new methods for estimating flash vaporization emis-
sion from storage tanks, emissions from the quenching of hot steel with mineral oil, improved emission
factors from cattle feedlots, emission factors for the disposal old explosives by open burning or open deto-
nation, and emissions from the wood panel board manufacturing industry. In addition, there were several
papers on emission factor uncertainty, which is of interest not only to people involved with inventories, but to
the many people who use AP-42 emission factors as permit limits. Many people were surprised to learn that
a factor may be rated "A" because many data points support the factor, not because emissions are within
tight limits. In fact, the data for many "A" rated emission factors show a lot of variability.
NEXT CONFERENCE
All in all, the conference was a success, and we are looking forward to the next Emission Inventory
Conference, which will be held in December 1998 in New Orleans, LA.
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EFIG Welcomes New Staff!
The Emission Factor and Inventory Group is proud to welcome the recent arrival of two new staff
members, Greg Stella and Lewis Strong.
Greg Stella is an Irwin, PA native with a BS in Chemical Engineering from Johns Hopkins, and
he currently lives in Raleigh. He comes to EPA after a few years with contractors, and in EFIG,
he will be helping with the National Emission Trends (NET) project, working on web access to the
Emission Inventory Improvement Program, and working on a project to have SIPs address en-
ergy efficiency. Greg is interested in shepherding (after tracing his family roots to 15th Century
Italy), mountain bicycling, ice hockey, and New Orleans.
Lewis Strong recently retired
from the NC State University
Facilities Planning Dept.,
where he was involved with
heating, cooling, & plumbing
systems design and opera-
tion. He comes to EFIG as a
Senior Environmental Em-
ployee (SEE) and is working
on AP-42 revisions. Lewis is
a Raleigh native who lives
there still, and he has a de-
gree from NC State in Me-
chanical Engineering. His
other interests include
part-time farming and tinker-
ing with old cars & radios.
Lewis & Greg .. .
Before EFIG
After EFIG
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Info CHIEFs Most Frequently Asked Questions
Call (919) 541-5285 or email info.chief@epamail.epa.gov
if you have questions!
Q: I would like to run TANKS 3.1 on my Windows NT operating system, but it does not seem to
install properly. Is it possible to run TANKS 3.1 on Windows NT?
A: Yes, it is possible to run TANKS 3.1 on a Windows NT system, even though it is a DOS program.
When running TANKS on a DOS, Windows 3.x or Windows 95 environment, the program requires
that a FILE and BUFFER size statement be provided in the CONFIG.SYS system file, which is
found in the root directory (usually C:\). The statements should read FILES=80 (or higher) and
BUFFERS=40 (or higher). However, the Windows NT operating system does not store system
files in the root directory in the same way that DOS, Windows 3.x and Windows 95 do. Most
Windows NT systems store these files under the C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\ directory instead. Win-
dows NT also uses the .NT file extensions instead of .SYS or .BAT , so that the C:\CONFIG.SYS
file is really C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG.NT. In the other systems, the installation program will
automatically update the CONFIG.SYS file (it will notify
the user to this effect during installation). However, on NT
systems, the user must manually type in the FILES=80
and BUFFERS=40 statement in the CONFIG.NT. This
change should not require rebooting the computer, since
the NT system creates a virtual DOS environment, which
tricks the system into thinking that the computer was
rebooted (in other words, it reads the system files) as soon
as the DOS shell is run.
Q: I would like to run the National Emission Trends Viewer
(NET) CD-ROM on my Windows NT operating system. Is it
possible to do this?
A: Unfortunately, at this time, the National Emission Trends
Viewer CD-ROM (containing 1985-1995 data) will not run
on Windows NT. However, we are addressing this issue for
the next version of the NET Viewer CD-ROM so that it will
be compatible with Windows NT.
Call
Info CHIEF
(919) 541-5285
or e-mail
info.chief@epamail.epa.gov
[Emission Factor & Inventory Group!
\ The CHIEF Newsletter
Volume VIII, No. 4
Fall 1997
The CHIEF Newsletter is produced quarterly by the Emission Factor and
Inventory Group; Emissions, Monitoring, and Analysis Division; of EPA s
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. Its purpose is to enhance
communication within the emission factor and inventory community by pro-
viding new and useful information and by allowing for the exchange of in-
formation between and among its readers. Comments on the Newsletter
and articles for inclusion in it are welcome and should be directed to Emis-
sion Factor and Inventory Group (MD-14), US EPA, Research Triangle Park,
NC 27711; telephone (919) 541-5285.
The contents of The CHIEF Newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views
and policies of the Agency, neither does the mention of trade names or
commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
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