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NARSTO Workshop on Innovative Methods for Emission Inventory Development and Evaluation University of Texas, Austin October 14-17, 2003 |
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Incorporating Boiler-Level Data from EPA´s Acid Rain Program into a Modeling Emission Inventory
Ron Thomas, Tom Lawshae, Gabriel Cantu, Jocelyn Mellberg
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
This presentation will describe procedures developed by TCEQ modeling staff to improve an ozoneseason point source emissions inventory for episodic photochemical modeling by incorporating data compiled by EPA´s Acid Rain Program (ARP). Presently, in the evolution of the science of photochemical modeling, it has become almost routine (not only in Texas, but around the nation) to utilize the hourly ARP data for a specific ozone episode. Similarly, the ARP database and availability of the data have evolved as more potential users have asked for the data in various formats and levels of detail.
The ARP archives hourly emissions from all of the electric generating facilities (power plants) in the country required to report emissions quarterly under the ARP. These hourly emissions data offer a more physically accurate representation of the quantity and temporal (day-of-the-week and hour-of-the-day) allocation of emissions from the power plants than ozone-season daily estimates, thanks in part to the reliability of Continuous Emissions Monitors.
TCEQ has been using ARP data in State Implementation Plans attainment demonstrations since 1998. This presentation will discuss: the evolution of the use of these data, pitfalls encountered since 1998, solutions, development of ARP-to-NEI cross references, boiler and stack configurations, VOC and CO interpolation from NOx and SO2 data, ozone modeling results with and without this hourly data, quality assurance, and the EPA resources available today.