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Aethalometer Is Located, Data from the Aethalometer Will Also Be Compared to the Sunset Semi-Continuous Analyzer

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Aethalometer Is Located, Data from the Aethalometer Will Also Be Compared to the Sunset Semi-Continuous Analyzer Sunset Carbon Evaluation Project QA Project Plan, Version 1, September 27, 2011 Sunset Carbon Evaluation Project Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) QA Level IV U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards Air Quality Assessment Division Ambient Air Monitoring Group September 27, 2011 Page 1 of 41 Sunset Carbon Evaluation Project QA Project Plan, Version 1, September 27, 2011 Page 2 of 41 Sunset Carbon Evaluation Project QA Project Plan, Version 1, September 27, 2011 DISTRIBUTION LIST The following individuals have been provided with copies of this QAPP. Lewis Weinstock EPA Group Lead U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air quality Planning and Standards, Research Triangle Park, NC Elizabeth Landis EPA Project Lead U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air quality Planning and Standards, Research Triangle Park, NC Mike Papp QA EPA QA Officer U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air quality Planning and Standards, Research Triangle Park, NC Joann Rice EPA Technical Advisor U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air quality Planning and Standards, Research Triangle Park, NC Page 4 of 41 Sunset Carbon Evaluation Project QA Project Plan, Version 1, September 27, 2011 1.0 Introduction This is a level IV Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) that covers an Environmental Data Operation (EDO) conducted by the EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) Ambient Air Monitoring Group (AAMG) and State and local monitoring agencies to collect field data at seven (7) sites across the United States. The selection of participating sites is in progress, and to date, monitoring agencies at 3 sites have agreed to participate. These sites are located in St. Louis, Chicago, and Washington D.C. EPA AAMG will operate one site at the Ambient Air Innovation and Research Site (AIRS) monitoring station on the EPA campus located in Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC. This project is an instrument evaluation and feasibility study of the Sunset Semi-Continuous Organic and Elemental Carbon (OC/EC) monitor will be conducted as well as a data comparison with the URG 3000N. At sites where the Magee Scientific Aethalometer is located, data from the Aethalometer will also be compared to the Sunset Semi-Continuous analyzer. The QAPP is a formal document describing necessary Quality Assurance (QA), Quality Control (QC) and other technical activities that must be implemented to ensure that the results of the work performed will satisfy the stated performance criteria and objectives. The OAQPS utilizes a four-tiered project category approach to its QA Program. This project falls into Category IV, which is defined as “Projects involving EDOs to study basic phenomena or issues, including proof of concepts, screening for particular analytical species, etc. Such projects generally do not require extensive detailed QA/QC activities and documentation.” Such projects include those producing results that are used to evaluate and select options for interim decisions or to perform feasibility studies or preliminary assessments of unexplored areas for possible future work. Level IV projects include monitoring, modeling, and/or analyses involving one time studies or local scale monitoring; monitoring, modeling, emission inventories, and assessments; field testing of performance test methods and source monitoring procedures; evaluating formal requests to allow the use of alternative methods; and investigating the feasibility of new or modified performance test methods or source monitoring procedures. Note that PM2.5 filters will be collected using the URG 3000N and analyzed (chemically and physically) by existing, EPA-approved, methods given in the QAPP and accompanying Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in use under the EPA/OAQPS Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) contract EP-D-09-010. The Sunset Instrument and Aethalometer are continuous/semi-continuous instruments that do not require further laboratory analysis. They will be operated in the field using the SOPs provided in Appendices H & J of this QAPP. 1.1 Project/Task Description One of the major areas of interest in air monitoring is the evaluation of continuous monitoring technologies that could feasibly be used to reduce the frequency and amount of filter based technologies. In the CSN alone, over 180 sites are collecting 24-hr filter based samples that are analyzed for mass, trace elements, major ions, and carbon. Carbon (OC/EC) samples are collected on to quartz filters every third or sixth day and shipped to Research Triangle Institute (RTI) for analysis. The cost of sample preparation, shipping and analysis for the carbon network is approximately $2M per year. In an effort to move towards continuous, higher time resolution sampling and reduce the need for expensive, time consuming, filter based sampling, OAQPS is Page 5 of 41 Sunset Carbon Evaluation Project QA Project Plan, Version 1, September 27, 2011 committed to the evaluation of new, continuous monitoring technologies for implementation at routine monitoring networks. For this reason, the AAMG purchased eight Sunset Semi- Continuous OC/EC instruments for deployment to monitoring agencies. The data gathered from the Sunset Evaluation Project may be used to update EPA’s SOP for the instrument. The study will take place at seven (7) CSN monitoring sites across the United States for up to three years, in order to provide enough data to evaluate the instrument in different seasons and meteorological conditions. These study data are not being collected for compliance purposes. Sunset field instruments will be operated for the purposes of: • Evaluating instrument performance in various geographic/climatic/source regimes across the country, during different seasons • Gaining proficiency in the proper operation and maintenance of the instrument • Evaluating collocated instrument precision • Evaluating comparability of the Sunset thermal OC/EC with the URG 3000N thermal OC/EC • Evaluating comparability of the Sunset optical EC with the Aethalometer optical black carbon (BC), where present • Evaluating ease of use, level of effort to maintain, and operation in a routine monitoring network setting • Refining the QC procedures based on the findings and developing training materials • Determining if implementation across a larger number of CSN sites is appropriate Table 1 provides the major milestones and deliverables for the study. A final report on the comparability of the analyzers and recommendations for future implementation is expected to be completed in 2015. Table 1 – Major Milestones and Deliverables Task Description Person(s) Responsible Deliverable Date Shipment of Equipment to Participating Sites Landis, Ricks Fall 2011 Instrument Setup and Training Sunset Personnel – Josh Dixon Winter 2011 Field Operation Site Leads Winter 2011 – 2014 Updated Sunset SOP, QC Procedures & Checklists Landis Ongoing Data Summary Report Landis 2015 1.2 Study Objectives The primary objectives of the study are to evaluate Sunset instrument performance in various locations and conditions, determine how well the Sunset compares with the URG 3000N and the Aethalometer, and determine if integration of the Sunset OC/EC instrument across a larger number of sites is appropriate for long-term monitoring in the CSN. Page 6 of 41 Sunset Carbon Evaluation Project QA Project Plan, Version 1, September 27, 2011 As a secondary objective, the information from the study will be used to inform and gain insight regarding the questions below: • What are the space considerations for operating the Sunset analyzer in a shelter? Do any special considerations need to be made for control of shelter temperature and relative humidity? What interferences exist that may be problematic for implementation? • What important parameters should be tracked or documented for QC purposes (e.g. Laser Correction Value, Oven Temperature, Pressures, etc.)? How should the data be validated? What is the Sunset instrument data capture rate? • How often should sucrose standard injections be performed? What is the typical value of nightly blanks? • What are the capital costs, including additional equipment, for operating each analyzer? What level of effort and training are necessary for routine operation? 1.3 Evaluation Project Sample Analysis and Data Reporting Filter-based samples and semi-continuous monitoring data for the Sunset Evaluation Project will be collected by the local monitoring agencies at the participating locations in Chicago, Washington DC, Houston, Los Angeles and St. Louis and by AAMG staff in RTP, NC. One additional location will be added as an agreement for participation can be secured. The EPA will provide the Sunset instrument (including the organic denuder, site computer and software, PM2.5 inlet head, sampling pump, two spare heating coils, and a spare main oven insert) as well as a two- day training and installation from the manufacturer. Participating sites are currently running the URG 3000N according to its SOP under the PM2.5 Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) program. RTI currently services the sites with prepared filters, loaded into cassettes, for the URG 3000N filter-based method. This service includes quality assurance checks, such as providing filters for field blank determination and organic artifact assessments. RTI provides data sheets for manual entry of essential field information. These data sheets will be completed by field personnel and returned to the RTI laboratories with the appropriate
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