Process and Environmental Analysis and Monitoring

Environmental legislation and regulations implemented by Australian state, territory and Commonwealth governments mandates exacting environmental standards.

Plants can often be restricted with their operations due to these tight regulations and a small change in the plant can often lead to conditions where production needs to be reduced to stay within these limits.

hrl: are able to provide a full suite of process and environmental analysis and monitoring solutions to help industry meet the government standards, maximise production, whilst still ensuring the safe and efficient operation of their assets.

Organisations that operate plant that discharge emissions to the atmosphere need effective strategies to sample and measure those emissions.

Managing emissions from a plant effectively can increase the availability of that plant, increase its output, its efficiency and the ability of the plant's operator to meet regulations and licence conditions. Strategies to manage plant air quality can include investigation of plant operating conditions and process optimisation, monitoring and analysis of gaseous and particulate flue-gas emissions as well as identifying meteorological factors and atmospheric conditions that have an impact on the dispersion of emissions.

Sampling and measurement systems need to meet the standards set for legislative reporting and to ensure that plant operators meet the requirements of their operating licences.

hrl: offers independent, expert, measurement, monitoring and modelling services along with experience and expertise in consultancy to assist plant operators in understanding their emissions and the processes that impact those emissions, measuring those emissions as well as assisting with meeting their air-quality and emissions obligations.

To fully understand a process, it is often required that measurements are taken in plant that are subject to high temperatures, pressures or other adverse conditions. These conditions are usually found at the heart of the process and getting a reliable, representative and accurate measurement is challenging.

hrl: offers expert experience in collecting process measurements in all areas of plant. HRL's process measurement experts will develop a robust test measurement procedure, often based around well know methods, to meet the unique challenges of that location.

hrl: have successfully measured the following:

• Combustion gas composition and temperature within a coal fired furnace (gas temperature around 1000°C)
• Offgas composition above a coke bed in an electric smelter (high temperatures and the presence of liquid metal)
• Sulfur dioxide concentration from the gas discharge of a sulphate based ore smeting operation (sulphur dioxide concentration was >50% v/v)

Environmental legislation requires accurate measurement of ambient and workplace airborne particles (dust) as part of a site or plant operator's particulate management strategies. Workplace strategies are designed to ensure there is no adverse impact on the health of employees. Ambient strategies are designed to protect surrounding communities and to assist operators in maintaining positive relations with those communities. An overall strategy can also help ensure that a site or plant operator meets the relevant legislative requirements.

hrl: has developed proprietary systems and equipment for measuring particulates and the meteorological factors and atmospheric conditions that have an impact on their distribution.

The National Pollution Inventory (NPI) program is a joint Australian, state and territory government initiative under Nation Environment Protection Measures legislation. The program aims are to maintain and improve air and water quality, minimise environmental impacts associated with hazardous waste, and improve the sustainable use of resources.

The National Pollution Inventory contains data on a wide range of specified pollutants that are emitted to air, land or water and reported by facilities like mines, power stations and factories, or by government agencies for household and transport emissions.
Best practice approach for industry to meet government standards include comprehensive emissions analysis, audit and management.

hrl: was involved closely in development of the National Pollutant Inventory and offers expert services to assist clients to meet their reporting obligations under the program.