Flux Measurements of Ammonia to Estimate Emission Factors for Area Sources

摘要

Emission rates from fugitive sources can be estimated by integrating the net downwind flux rate of pollutant over the height of the pollutant plume. Fluxes are measured by fast measurements at a general location of deposition in coordination with vertical wind speed measurements. Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) recently proposed using a fabric diffusion denuder to directly measure ammonia flux. Such a direct flux measurement approach would provide an inexpensive alternative to active sampling. The objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of determining emission factors for fugitive sources of ammonia using this passive flux sampler. The use of a fabric denuder (rather than a tubular denuder, used previously) allowed short-term sample collection periods for the measurement of ammonia flux, thus making it possible to sample during periods of prevailing daytime winds.