BS EN 14181 - Understanding and Implementing the Standards
BS EN 14181 - Stationary source emissions - Quality assurance of automated measuring systems (AMS) is an extremely significant and demanding standard for sites operating under the Waste Incineration Directive (WID) and the Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD).
The standard is split into four main sections, as follows:
- QAL1 – Desktop verification of suitability for any specific application.
- QAL2 – In-depth commissioning and independent validation.
- QAL3 – Ongoing quality assurance programme.
- AST – Annual Surveillance Test, an ongoing re-validation programme.
The Main Points
QAL1 - Pre-sale
Under BS EN 14181, before a Continuous Emissions Monitoring (CEM) / Automated Measurement System (AMS) can be installed it must first be proven to be suitable for the intended application; this process is called QAL1.
MCERTS product certification at an appropriate range (1.5 or 2.5 times the daily average emission limit value, WID & LCPD respectively) is taken as evidence of compliance with the QAL1 requirements.
QAL2
A QAL2 is the full-scale validation of the AMS and requires a minimum of 15 valid parallel measurements to be made over at least 3 days. The monitoring must be carried out evenly throughout the period for all determinands continuously measured.
This process requires close co-operation of the Operator, the supplier of the AMS and Environmental Compliance Ltd.
QAL3 - Ongoing Operation And Maintenance
The QAL3 section of BS EN 14181 governs the ongoing quality assurance of the AMS and the data it generates. This essentially requires a zero and span be carried out to ensure that the accuracy and reliability of data is acceptable.
Annual Surveillance Test (AST)
An AST is used to between QAL2 tests to demonstrate that the AMS functions correctly, its performance remains valid and that the calibration function and variability derived during the QAL2 remains as previously determined.