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THE ONTARIO HYDRO METHOD FOR SPECIATED MERCURY MEASUREMENTS: ISSUES AND CONSIDERATIONS
Citation:
Ryan*, J V. AND R. M. Keeney. THE ONTARIO HYDRO METHOD FOR SPECIATED MERCURY MEASUREMENTS: ISSUES AND CONSIDERATIONS. Presented at Symposium on Air Quality Measurement Methods and Technology, RTP, NC, April 19 - 22, 2004.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
The Ontario Hydro (OH) method has been developed for the measurement of total and speciated mercury emissions from coal-fired combustion sources. The OH method was initially developed to support EPA's information collection request to characterize and inventory mercury emissions from the nation's coal-fired power plants. The OH method has since been finalized as an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) method and has been adopted by EPA as a reference method for total mercury in the recently proposed regulatory actions for the utility industry. Concerns exist regarding the quality of the OH measurement for certain applications. The reliability of the measurement of mercury species is a concern under certain high particulate matter sampling locations. The lower limit of in-stack measurement quantitation levels with respect to well-controlled combustion facilities is also an area of concern. Issues relative to sample preparation and analytical treatments have also been raised. Through additional application and experimentation, these issues have been further investigated and characterized. Experimental data support application of the OH measurements to concentrations less than 0.1 micrograms/cubic meter. Experimental data also support application of the OH method to other combustion sources, including hazardous and municipal waste combustors.