Air Quality

TRC and SGS Galson began installing and calibrating around 4,300 IAQ sensors and 135 Outdoor Air Quality (OAQ) sensors across …

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected TRC to assist in the development of scientifically valid data for the measurement …

TRC Air Consulting team’s task was to identify exactly how much the emissions exceeded the NAAQS.

Challenge Guam is a U.S. Territory subject to U.S. environmental regulations including the Clean Air Act. In Guam, there are 11 power plants, three of which are residual oil-fired boilers, four are diesel fired combustion turbines and the rest are diesel fired reciprocating engines. These oil-fired power plants have been in operation since World War II. The larger units burn residual fuel oil with sulfur contents of 1 to 2% and the smaller units burn Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) fuel oils, the only fuels that are available. Since 1990, the results of air dispersion modeling estimated that the emissions from these plants exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) in the elevated terrain areas. In 2010 the situation became more crucial as the NAAQS was lowered. Additionally, EPA began to increase requirements on fossil fuel electric generation which applied coal fired limits to oil fired units and increased regulations of diesel engines.

Emission test reports in less than five business days after the completion of field work.

Challenge Compression engines are fundamental to the reliable operation of natural gas pipelines. Depending on their design, these engines are subject to New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP).  Both NSPS and NESHAP establish emission testing requirements for engines that power pipeline compressors.  With thousands of engines in service, the management of engine test programs is a daily challenge for pipeline operators, requiring them to consistently schedule, review and submit testing reports to regulators. Pipeline operators can face penalties if reports are submitted late, so timely processing is critical. Traditionally, emission testing companies travel to test locations, test engines along the pipeline, and then return the field data to an office for reduction and reporting. In some cases, this approach has left pipeline operators insufficient time for internal review and in other cases, resulted in late reports. To meet regulatory requirements, achieve compliance objectives and avoid negative public and shareholder exposure, pipeline operators need an improved and modernized reporting process. TRC can deliver digital versions of emission test reports in less than five business days after the completion of field work – 25 days sooner than the industry-standard 30 days.