APPENDIX J. FLOW RATE STABILITY
EPA Regulations 40 CFR part 53.43 (July 1987) require measurement of flow rate stability
during the testing of an instrument for reference or equivalency. This test is permanently
incorporated into the PQ100 firmware. The flow rate through the instrument is measured and
stored automatically while the run is in progress. The initial flow rate is measured one minute
after the instrument has stabilized the flow rate (The flow rate is stable when the PQ100 visual
display shows the actual flow rate instead of "Q--.-"). The flow rate is then sampled once every
hour thereafter until the completion of the run with a maximum capability of 30 readings after
the initial.
NOTE: THE RUN MUST BE CONTINUOUS IN ORDER FOR THE READINGS TO BE
TRUE. IN OTHER WORDS, IF A RUN IS HALTED FOR ANY REASON THE PQ100 MUST
BE RESET TO INSURE THAT THE READINGS ARE STORED IN THE PROPER
SEQUENCE.
The Flow Rate Stability Report is generated after a run is completed and the data has been
downloaded as previously described by the PQ Software. The report is shown as a second page
after a run has been "Screened". The option of obtaining a printout is given for each screen after
viewing the data.
The following is a description of the equations used to calculate flow rate stability as shown in
the report;
_ F(1) + F(2) + F(3) + .... F(n)
F = ---------------------------------
n
where;
_
F = Average Flow Rate in Liters per Minute
n = Total number of readings taken
F(1) = Initial Flow Rate reading 1 minute after flow has stabilized
F(2) = Flow Rate 1 Hour after Initial Flow Rate reading
F(n) = Flow Rate (n-1) Hours after Initial reading
The first EPA indicator of flow rate stability is the percent of difference between average flow
rate and initial flow rate.
_
F - F(1)
= -------- x 100
F(1)
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General