Mercury Sampling Solutions for Stationary Sources  

AS Technical Solutions is the European distributor of Apex Instruments Inc. The Apex Instruments, Inc. XC-6000EPC Automated MercSampler, is the industry standard for mercury sorbent trap monitoring systems. Designed for continuous sampling of vapor-phase mercury emissions from stationary combustion sources, the XC-6000EPC meter console is fully automated. Paired samples are extracted from the flue gas for the desired time period, from several minutes to several days. Samples are analyzed for determining time-averaged emissions. The XC-6000EPC simplifies sampling requirements by automating data acquisition, sample flow adjustments, leak checks, calculations, temperature control and calibrations. All raw data can be easily transferred to a Microsoft Windows XP-based PC through Ethernet, USB or an optional wireless interface. The meter console controls the sample flow rate proportionally to the stack flow rate and determines the standardized volume extracted through each sorbent trap. In addition to performing as an Appendix K primary system, this unique unit can be used as a back-up monitoring system (redundant or non-redundant) or to perform U.S. EPA Reference Method 30B relative accuracy testing audit (RATA), system certification testing or low mercury emitter determination testing.

Also manufactured by Apex Instruments for use with the XC-6000EPC are

dual sorbent trap heated sampling probes, heated sample transfer lines and Stirling gas coolers for conditioning the gas by removing moisture and scrubbing corrosives out of the gas stream before the gas enters the meter console.

To perform quarterly audits, Apex Instruments offers the AK-6000 Audit Kit with a secondary reference dry gas meter with optical encoder, digital quadrature totalizer (15-point calibration), handheld digital barometer, thermocouple sim ulator, thermometer, type K thermocouple, 6” thermocouple “Y” adapter and vacuum insulated ice bath.

The latest addition to the Apex mercury sampling line of products is the MercSampler Automated Software: HGCalc. This new add-on software package uses sample run data and trap analysis. The sample run data from the MercSampler XC-6000EPC is imported into the application, where total mercury mass, hourly and total mercury emissions are calculated. The software insures the specifications in 40CFR, part 75 are met. The software will also verify QA/QC specifications regarding Section 2 breakthrough, relative deviation, and Section 3 spike recovery as shown in Appendix K, table K-1. This application is used to import XC-6000 sample run data and trap analysis data to perform calculations for Appendix K. When all calculations are done and data verified this can be exported currently in Text/PDF format and will be available in an XML report format in the near future.