Air Quality Testers...What things affect the Quality of the Air?

Air quality testers, air quality analyzers and air quality monitors can test for more things than you would imagine.

Pollution, such as chemicals, particulates, germs and other biological substances. Meteorological parameters including temperature, wind and humidity certainly have their effects as well.

We may apply a hypothetical approach to the situation while incorporating factual data. Data pertaining to scientific principles or regulatory policies, as appropriate.

Employing appropriate techniques enables consultants to achieve the desired reductions in air quality predictions. Bear in mind, though, that the worst air quality offenders are cars and trucks in most locales.

Actually the EPA government officials and various other state, provincial and national agencies, depending on their location, regulate these plants. The industries are required to submit many types of applications for approvals and other detailed reports.

When your empirical data become a source of concern within your organization... When it compares unfavourably to related regulations, the pressure is on. You need to rectify the situation.

Maybe consulting services such as those provided by the experienced air quality testers at Calvin Consulting (in Calgary, Alberta), our modellers or other air professionals would help.

We also validate data obtained by other air quality testers, and regulatory compliance services are available as well.

List of Air Quality Services

Regulatory Compliance
Sometimes the laws industry must comply with are quite tough. Calvin Consulting Group Ltd., CCGL, helps you abide by these regulations by:

• Preparing renewal and amendment applications for plant approvals
• Preparing registrations and revisions for code of practice requirements
• Preparing well-flare applications for the governing board, such as ERCB (aka EUB) in Alberta or OGC in British Columbia
• Power generating station approvals
• Air reporting (monthly and annual) to the provincial Department of Environment
• Wastewater reporting
• Regulatory consulting and executive summaries for senior management

Air Quality Management
Stationary sources of air pollution need to be controlled. Air quality management helps achieve that end:

• Air quality modelling by qualified meteorologists
• air quality reporting for your regional agency
• Quality assurance plans to meet provincial or state requirements, such as those spelled out in the AENV Air Monitoring Directive
• Climate summaries, used for design purposes
• Air quality monitoring systems, AQM - design and testing
• Ambient air quality testers for hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds, VOCs

Emissions Management
Large industrial facilities that produce more than 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas, annually have special regulations to follow in many jurisdictions. For Canadian companies we offer:

• National Pollutant Release Inventory, NPRI Reporting
• National greenhouse gas reporting
• Reporting for gas emitters regulation
• Reporting for CEPA Section 71
• Reporting for Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, CAPP, Stewardship
• Leak detection and repair, LDAR programs for fugitive emissions
• Preparing equipment lists and emission inventories
• Continuous emissions monitoring system - Quality assurance plans, CEMS QAPs
• CEMS also require Cylindar Gas Audits, CGAs
• Relative accuracy test audit, RATA, consulting for on-site third party situations

Flare Stack Design and Performance
How high do you make your elevated chimney? We determine that based on how and where you will use it. Your air quality impact depends on it, so consider things such as:

• Site location and stack design
• Assessment of flare efficiency
• Stack tip design
• Combustion modelling
• Regulatory approval dispersion modelling

Risk Management
The way to manage uncertainty? Use a structured approach. Use risk assessment strategies and mitigation to reduce risk to an acceptable level. This company does these things:

• Quantitative risk management
• Layer of protection analysis, LOPA
• Safety integrity level, SIL
• Process hazard analysis, PHA
• Hazard and operability studies, HAZOPs

EHS Management Systems
Industrial sites need to be safe, environmentally responsible and healthy work environments. This becomes attainable through everybody's understanding of their own responsibilities and compliance with the relevant regulatory requirements. Calvin makes this possible by:

• Developing environmental health and safety management systems, EHSMS
• Preparing field staff handbooks for environmental procedure
• Preparing glovebox EHS handbooks for contractors
• Developing oilfield operations safe work standards manuals
• Developing remote area emergency response plans, ERPs

Audits
Nothing is much good if it is not evaluated. Our air quality testers check personnel, products, processes and systems to determine the reliability and validity of information. We help with:

• Annual audits to meet CEMS code
• Audits to meet requirements outlined in the air monitoring directive
• Rist management audits
• Corrective action plan preparation - audit consulting
• EHSMS audits

Environmental Impact Assessments
Is your project about to impact the environment? How? Identify, predict, evaluate and mitigate likely negative effects before commitments are made. More and more environmental impacts need to be taken into account for any development. What does Calvin Consulting do?

• Multi-disciplinary environmental impact assessments, EIAs and project management
• EIA Technical third party reviews

Training Courses
Do you need province-specific training for air permitting and compliance requirements? Especially your plant operators? What recent regulatory devlopments does your workforce need training for? Calvin provides:

• Environmental awareness training
• Regulatory compliance training
• CEMS training
• Dispersion modeling training
• Health and safety awareness training for all staff

You can get quicker, more detailed answers by telephoning Ann Jamieson, CCEP of Calvin Consulting at (403) 547-7557 or her cell at (403)560-7698. Reach us by email, using info @ CalvinConsulting.ca (remove spaces) if needed.

By the way, CCEP stands for Certified Canadian Environmental Professional on your project

For a good perspective on this subject, look at this introductory online Air Quality Meteorology Course. For the kind of knowledge air quality testers may use, look for more information under section 2 "Course Description".

Have a quick look at the most recent Calgary, Edmonton and other Alberta air quality index values.

Here is an opportunity to receive articles regularly with no cost or effort on your part. Atmospheric topics by email every month. They may cover airmodels, weather, air quality testers and other meteorology courses and topics. Here are a few previous issues of the ezine.

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