June 2010
PIBS # 1310e03

Cette publication technique n'est disponible qu'en anglais.

© Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2009
This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes with appropriate attribution.

Ontario Ministry of the Environment
Standards Development Branch
40 St. Clair Avenue West, 7th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M4V 1M2
Telephone: 416-327-5519

1.0 Preface

The information provided in this document is based on field experience and existing practices and aimed at providing consistency in the emission measurements from stationary sources. This document provides a set of guidelines and required methodologies for the measurement of emissions of air contaminants from stationary sources when such emissions are required for the purpose of determining compliance with the Environmental Protection Act and the Regulations thereunder. Where a Director may exercise discretion relating to the measurement of emissions of air contaminants from stationary sources, this guideline sets out minimum expected standards that the Director will apply in exercising his or her discretion in considering each situation on a case-by-case basis.

Readers may reproduce any part of this Code for non-commercial purposes with appropriate attribution. Copies may be obtained from the MOECC website.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this Code, it should not be construed as legal advice. In the event of conflict with requirements identified in the Regulation, which is being referenced, then the regulatory requirements shall determine the appropriate approach.

Note: Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement for use by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.

2.0 Acknowledgements

This document has been prepared by the working group on Source Testing which was composed of representatives of the Standards Development Branch, Ontario Ministry of the Environment. We appreciate the comments provided by environmental consulting organizations in Ontario as well as input from the Operations Division in the Ministry.

Introduction

The Ontario Source Testing Code (OSTC) specifies methods and procedures for the measurement of emissions of air contaminants (pollutants) from stationary sources when such emission data are required for the purpose of determining compliance with the Environmental Protection Act of the Province of Ontario and the regulations thereunder. Strict adherence to the procedures described and reference methods listed is required to eliminate the possibility of a test being rejected by the Ministry of the Environment due to variations from the procedures described in this Code.

For the purpose of this Code:

Ministry
means the Ontario Ministry of the Environment
Director
means any Ministry employee appointed by the Minister pursuant to Section 5 of the Environmental Protection Act, and acting within the designated Region where source testing is being conducted
Provincial Officer
means the Provincial Officer as defined by the Environmental Protection Act
Source Assessment Specialist
means a Ministry specialist in source testing procedures from the Standards Development Branch, Technology Standards Section.

This Code was developed to provide consistency in emission measurements from stacks, ducts and area sources in order to accurately estimate emissions from the source. The Code is intended to provide accuracy, consistency, uniformity and compatibility in stationary source emission measurements among industry users and source testing consultants. This Code applies only to emission measurements from stationary sources that have batch, cyclic or continuous processes.

It will also provide guidance to industry, consultants and Ministry staff when conducting emission testing survey(s) related to the development of emission factor(s) for unique processes and assessing emissions for use in emissions inventories and Emission Summary and Dispersion Modelling (ESDM) reports completed in support of Ontario Regulation 419/05 (O. Reg. 419/05).

It should be noted that in cases where a Director may exercise discretion with respect to measurements of emissions of air contaminants from stationary sources, to the extent that this document sets out that something is “required” or “shall” be done or sets out a “requirement”, it does so only to identify minimum expected standards the application of which remain subject to the discretion of the Director.

The Code is divided into nine parts and is intended to facilitate the stationary source emission testing for the user.

Part A: Provides an overall guidance and procedures to be followed including quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) for conducting stationary source emission tests and reporting protocols.

Part B: Specifies procedures and methods for selecting a gas sampling location and determining the number of sampling points required for a stack test (Method ON-1).

Part C: Describes how to calculate stack gas velocity and volumetric flow rate (Method ON-2).

Part D: Specifies methods to be used for calculating the molecular weight of dry stack gas (Method ON-3).

Part E: Describes the methods for the determination of moisture in stack gas (Method ON-4).

Part F: Specifies procedures for determining the particulate concentration of stack gas (Method ON-5).

Part G: Specifies procedures for determining odour emissions from stationary sources (Method ON-6).

Part H: Specifies procedures for determining the particulate matter size distribution of stack gas (Method ON-7).

Attachments: The attachments include a listing of all reference source testing methods and a guidebook to prepare a pre-test plan document.