Air Emission Monitoring & Control Flashcards
7 cards from real CEA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Air Emission Monitoring & Control flashcards as text
What is 'fugitive emissions' in the context of air quality regulation?
Answer: Air pollutants that escape from a process through means other than a stack, vent, or flue
Fugitive emissions are air pollutants that escape from equipment leaks, open surfaces, or unpaved roads rather than through designed emission points like stacks or vents.
Which EPA regulation governs Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programs for equipment at petroleum refineries and chemical plants?
Answer: Both A and B depending on whether the source is new or existing
LDAR requirements appear under both NSPS (40 CFR Part 60) for new sources and NESHAP (40 CFR Part 63) for existing HAP-emitting sources, so both apply depending on source vintage.
A facility uses a thermal oxidizer to control VOC emissions. What is the primary mechanism by which the device destroys VOCs?
Answer: Combustion of VOCs at elevated temperatures in the presence of oxygen
Thermal oxidizers destroy VOCs by combusting them at high temperatures (typically 1,400–1,800°F) in the presence of excess oxygen, converting them to CO2 and water.
Under the EPA's Title V Operating Permit program, what is the significance of the 'major source' threshold of 100 tons/year?
Answer: Sources above this threshold must obtain a Title V permit and meet enhanced monitoring requirements
Stationary sources emitting 100 tons/year or more of any regulated pollutant (or lower thresholds in nonattainment areas) must obtain a comprehensive Title V operating permit with federally enforceable conditions.
What is the purpose of performing a traverse-point sampling pattern (e.g., 12-point or 24-point grid) during a stack emissions test?
Answer: To account for non-uniform velocity and pollutant concentration profiles across the stack cross-section
Multi-point traverse sampling accounts for variations in gas velocity and pollutant concentration across the stack cross-section, producing a representative average emission measurement.
Which document must a facility submit to EPA when it voluntarily discovers and discloses a violation under the EPA's Audit Policy (Incentives for Self-Policing)?
Answer: A written disclosure meeting specified criteria to qualify for penalty mitigation
Under EPA's Audit Policy, a facility must promptly disclose the violation in writing to EPA, meeting nine specific conditions to qualify for reduced or waived gravity penalties.
A wet electrostatic precipitator (WESP) differs from a dry ESP primarily because it:
Answer: Continuously wets the collection surfaces to wash collected particles away, preventing re-entrainment
WESPs irrigate collection surfaces with water, preventing the re-entrainment of collected particles that can occur in dry ESPs during rapping, making them effective for sticky or fine aerosols.