§ 98.124 Monitoring and QA/QC requirements.
(a) Initial scoping speciation to identify fluorinated GHGs. You must conduct an initial scoping speciation to identify all fluorinated GHGs that may be generated from processes that are subject to this subpart and that have at least one process vent with uncontrolled emissions of 1.0 metric ton or more of fluorinated GHGs per year based on the preliminary estimate of emissions in § 98.123(c)(1). You are not required to quantify emissions under this initial scoping speciation. Only fluorinated GHG products and by-products that occur in greater than trace concentrations in at least one stream must be identified under this paragraph.
(1) Procedure. To conduct the scoping speciation, select the stream(s) (including process streams or destroyed streams) or process vent(s) that would be expected to individually or collectively contain all of the fluorinated GHG by-products of the process at their maximum concentrations and sample and analyze the contents of these selected streams or process vents. For example, if fluorinated GHG by-products are separated into one low-boiling-point and one high-boiling-point stream, sample and analyze both of these streams. Alternatively, you may sample and analyze streams where fluorinated GHG by-products occur at less than their maximum concentrations, but you must ensure that the sensitivity of the analysis is sufficient to compensate for the expected difference in concentration. For example, if you sample and analyze streams where fluorinated GHG by-products are expected to occur at one half their maximum concentrations elsewhere in the process, you must ensure that the sensitivity of the analysis is sufficient to detect fluorinated GHG by-products that occur at concentrations of 0.05 percent or higher. You do not have to sample and analyze every stream or process vent, i.e., you do not have to sample and analyze a stream or process vent that contains only fluorinated GHGs that are contained in other streams or process vents that are being sampled and analyzed. Sampling and analysis must be conducted according to the procedures in paragraph (e) of this section.
(2) Previous measurements. If you have conducted testing of streams (including process streams or destroyed streams) or process vents less than 10 years before December 31, 2010, and the testing meets the requirements in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, you may use the previous testing to satisfy this requirement.
(b) Mass balance monitoring. Mass balance monitoring was available for reporting years 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 only. See paragraph 2 of Appendix A of this subpart for the former mass balance method.
(c) Emission factor testing. If you determine fluorinated GHG emissions using the site-specific process-vent-specific emission factor, you must meet the requirements in paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(8) of this section.
(1) Process vent testing. Conduct an emissions test that is based on representative performance of the process or operating scenario(s) of the process, as applicable. For process vents for which you performed an initial scoping speciation, include in the emission test any fluorinated GHG that was identified in the initial scoping speciation. For process vents for which you did not perform an initial scoping speciation, include in the emission test any fluorinated greenhouse gas that occurs in more than trace concentrations in the vent stream or, where a destruction device is used, in the inlet to the destruction device. You may include startup and shutdown events if the testing is sufficiently long or comprehensive to ensure that such events are not overrepresented in the emission factor. Malfunction events must not be included in the testing. If you do not detect a fluorinated GHG that was identified in the scoping speciation or that occurs in more than trace concentrations in the vent stream or in the inlet to the destruction device, assume that fluorinated GHG was emitted at one half of the detection limit.
(2) Number of runs. For continuous processes, sample the process vent for a minimum of three runs of 1 hour each. If the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the emission factor calculated based on the first three runs is greater than or equal to 0.15 for the emission factor, continue to sample the process vent for an additional three runs of 1 hour each. If more than one fluorinated GHG is measured, the RSD must be expressed in terms of total CO2e.
(3) Process activity measurements. Determine the mass rate of process feed, process production, or other process activity as applicable during the test using flow meters, weigh scales, or other measurement devices or instruments with an accuracy and precision of ±1 percent of full scale or better. These devices may be the same plant instruments or procedures that are used for accounting purposes (such as weigh hoppers, belt weigh feeders, combination of volume measurements and bulk density, etc.) if these devices or procedures meet the requirement. For monitoring ongoing process activity, use flow meters, weigh scales, or other measurement devices or instruments with an accuracy and precision of ±1 percent of full scale or better.
(4) Sample each process. If process vents from separate processes are manifolded together to a common vent or to a common destruction device, you must follow paragraph (c)(4)(i), (c)(4)(ii), or (c)(4)(iii) of this section.
(i) You may sample emissions from each process in the ducts before the emissions are combined.
(ii) You may sample in the common duct or at the outlet of the destruction device when only one process is operating.
(iii) You may sample the combined emissions and use engineering calculations and assessments as specified in § 98.123(c)(4) to allocate the emissions to each manifolded process vent, provided the sum of the calculated fluorinated GHG emissions across the individual process vents is within 20 percent of the total fluorinated GHG emissions measured during the manifolded testing.
(5) Emission test results. The results of an emission test must include the analysis of samples, number of test runs, the results of the RSD analysis, the analytical method used, determination of emissions, the process activity, and raw data and must identify the process, the operating scenario, the process vents tested, and the fluorinated GHGs that were included in the test. The emissions test report must contain all information and data used to derive the process-vent-specific emission factor, as well as key process conditions during the test. Key process conditions include those that are normally monitored for process control purposes and may include but are not limited to yields, pressures, temperatures, etc. (e.g., of reactor vessels, distillation columns).
(6) Emissions testing frequency. You must conduct emissions testing to develop the process-vent-specific emission factor under paragraph (c)(7)(i) or (c)(7)(ii) of this section, whichever occurs first:
(i) 10-year revision. Conduct an emissions test every 10 years. In the calculations under § 98.123, apply the revised process-vent-specific emission factor to the process activity that occurs after the revision.
(ii) Operating scenario change that affects the emission factor. For planned operating scenario changes, you must estimate and compare the emission calculation factors for the changed operating scenario and for the original operating scenario whose process vent specific emission factor was measured. Use the calculation methods in § 98.123(c)(4). If the emission calculation factor for the changed operating scenario is 15 percent or more different from the emission calculation factor for the previous operating scenario (this includes the cumulative change in the emission calculation factor since the last emissions test), you must conduct an emissions test to update the process-vent-specific emission factor, unless the difference between the operating scenarios is solely due to the application of a destruction device to emissions under the changed operating scenario. Conduct the test before February 28 of the year that immediately follows the change. In the calculations under § 98.123, apply the revised process-vent-specific emission factor to the process activity that occurs after the operating scenario change.
(7) Subsequent measurements. If a continuous process vent with fluorinated GHG emissions less than 10,000 metric tons CO2e, per § 98.123(c)(2), is later found to have fluorinated GHG emissions of 10,000 metric tons CO2e or greater, you must conduct the emissions testing for the process vent during the following year and develop the process-vent-specific emission factor from the emissions testing.