Performance test/compliance demonstration general requirements.

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§ 63.1511 Performance test/compliance demonstration general requirements.

(a) Site-specific test plan. Prior to conducting any performance test required by this subpart, the owner or operator must prepare a site-specific test plan which satisfies all of the rule requirements, and must obtain approval of the plan pursuant to the procedures set forth in § 63.7. Performance tests shall be conducted under such conditions as the Administrator specifies to the owner or operator based on representative performance of the affected source for the period being tested. Upon request, the owner or operator shall make available to the Administrator such records as may be necessary to determine the conditions of performance tests.

(b) Initial performance test. Following approval of the site-specific test plan, the owner or operator must demonstrate initial compliance with each applicable emission, equipment, work practice, or operational standard for each affected source and emission unit, and report the results in the notification of compliance status report as described in § 63.1515(b). The owner or operator of any affected source constructed before February 14, 2012, for which an initial performance test is required to demonstrate compliance must conduct this initial performance test no later than the date for compliance established by § 63.1501. The owner or operator of any affected source constructed or reconstructed after February 14, 2012, for which an initial performance test is required must conduct this initial performance test within 180 days after the date for compliance established by § 63.1501. Except for the date by which the performance test must be conducted, the owner or operator must conduct each performance test in accordance with the requirements and procedures set forth in § 63.7(c). Owners or operators of affected sources located at facilities which are area sources are subject only to those performance testing requirements pertaining to D/F. Owners or operators of sweat furnaces meeting the specifications of § 63.1505(f)(1) are not required to conduct a performance test.

(1) The performance tests must be conducted under representative conditions expected to produce the highest level of HAP emissions expressed in the units of the emission standards for the HAP (considering the extent of feed/charge contamination, reactive flux addition rate and feed/charge rate). If a single test condition is not expected to produce the highest level of emissions for all HAP, testing under two or more sets of conditions (for example high contamination at low feed/charge rate, and low contamination at high feed/charge rate) may be required. Any subsequent performance tests for the purposes of establishing new or revised parametric limits shall be allowed upon pre-approval from the permitting authority for major sources, or the Administrator for area sources. These new parametric settings shall be used to demonstrate compliance for the period being tested.

(2) Each performance test for a continuous process must consist of 3 separate runs; pollutant sampling for each run must be conducted for the time period specified in the applicable method or, in the absence of a specific time period in the test method, for a minimum of 3 hours.

(3) Each performance test for a batch process must consist of three separate runs; pollutant sampling for each run must be conducted over the entire process operating cycle. Additionally, for batch processes where the length of the process operating cycle is not known in advance, and where isokinetic sampling must be conducted based on the procedures in Method 5 in appendix A to part 60, use the following procedure to ensure that sampling is conducted over the entire process operating cycle:

(i) Choose a minimum operating cycle length and begin sampling assuming this minimum length will be the run time (e.g., if the process operating cycle is known to last from four to six hours, then assume a sampling time of four hours and divide the sampling time evenly between the required number of traverse points);

(ii) After each traverse point has been sampled once, begin sampling each point again for the same time per point, in the reverse order, until the operating cycle is complete. All traverse points as required by Method 1 of appendix A to part 60, must be sampled at least once during each test run;

(iii) In order to distribute the sampling time most evenly over all the traverse points, do not perform all runs using the same sampling point order (e.g., if there are four ports and sampling for run 1 began in port 1, then sampling for run 2 could begin in port 4 and continue in reverse order.)

(4) Where multiple affected sources or emission units are exhausted through a common stack, pollutant sampling for each run must be conducted over a period of time during which all affected sources or emission units complete at least 1 entire process operating cycle or for 24 hours, whichever is shorter.

(5) Initial compliance with an applicable emission limit or standard is demonstrated if the average of three runs conducted during the performance test is less than or equal to the applicable emission limit or standard.

(6) Apply paragraphs (b)(1) through (5) of this section for each pollutant separately if a different production rate, charge material or, if applicable, reactive fluxing rate would apply and thereby result in a higher expected emissions rate for that pollutant.

(7) The owner or operator may not conduct performance tests during periods of malfunction.

(c) Test methods. The owner or operator must use the following methods in appendix A to 40 CFR part 60 to determine compliance with the applicable emission limits or standards:

(1) Method 1 for sample and velocity traverses.

(2) Method 2 for velocity and volumetric flow rate.

(3) Method 3 for gas analysis.

(4) Method 4 for moisture content of the stack gas.

(5) Method 5 for the concentration of PM.

(6) Method 9 for visible emission observations.

(7) Method 23 for the concentration of D/F.

(8) Method 25A for the concentration of THC, as propane.

(9) Method 26A for the concentration of HCl and HF. Method 26 may also be used, except at sources where entrained water droplets are present in the emission stream. Where a lime-injected fabric filter is used as the control device to comply with the 90 percent reduction standard, the owner or operator must measure the fabric filter inlet concentration of HCl at a point before lime is introduced to the system.

(d) Alternative methods. The owner or operator may use alternative test methods as provided in paragraphs (d)(1) through (3) of this section.

(1) The owner or operator may use test method ASTM D7520-13 as an alternative to EPA Method 9 subject to conditions described in § 63.1510(f)(4).

(2) In lieu of conducting the annual flow rate measurements using Methods 1 and 2, the owner or operator may use Method 204 in Appendix M to 40 CFR part 51 to conduct annual verification of a permanent total enclosure for the affected source/emission unit.

(3) The owner or operator may use an alternative test method approved by the Administrator.

(e) Repeat tests. The owner or operator of new or existing affected sources and emission units located at secondary aluminum production facilities that are major sources must conduct a performance test every 5 years following the initial performance test.

(f) Testing of representative emission units. With the prior approval of the permitting authority for major sources, or the Administrator for area sources, an owner or operator may utilize emission rates obtained by testing a particular type of group 1 furnace that does not have an add-on air pollution control device, or by testing an in-line flux box that does not have an add-on air pollution control device, to determine the emission rate for other units of the same type at the same facility. Such emission test results may only be considered to be representative of other units if all of the following criteria are satisfied:

(1) The tested emission unit must use feed materials and charge rates which are comparable to the emission units that it represents;

(2) The tested emission unit must use the same type of flux materials in the same proportions as the emission units it represents;

(3) The tested emission unit must be operated utilizing the same work practices as the emission units that it represents;

(4) The tested emission unit must be of the same design as the emission units that it represents; and

(5) The tested emission unit must be tested under the highest load or capacity reasonably expected to occur for any of the emission units that it represents.

(6) All 3 separate runs of a performance test must be conducted on the same emission unit.

(g) Establishment of monitoring and operating parameter values. The owner or operator of new or existing affected sources and emission units must establish a minimum or maximum operating parameter value, or an operating parameter range for each parameter to be monitored as required by § 63.1510 that ensures compliance with the applicable emission limit or standard. To establish the minimum or maximum value or range, the owner or operator must use the appropriate procedures in this section and submit the information required by § 63.1515(b)(4) in the notification of compliance status report. The owner or operator may use existing data in addition to the results of performance tests to establish operating parameter values for compliance monitoring provided each of the following conditions are met to the satisfaction of the permitting authority for major sources, or the Administrator for area sources:

(1) The complete emission test report(s) used as the basis of the parameter(s) is submitted.

(2) The same test methods and procedures as required by this subpart were used in the test.

(3) The owner or operator certifies that no design or work practice changes have been made to the source, process, or emission control equipment since the time of the report.

(4) All process and control equipment operating parameters required to be monitored were monitored as required in this subpart and documented in the test report.

(5) If the owner or operator wants to conduct a new performance test and establish different operating parameter values, they must submit a revised site specific test plan and receive approval in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section. In addition, if an owner or operator wants to use existing data in addition to the results of the new performance test to establish operating parameter values, they must meet the requirements in paragraphs (g)(1) through (4) of this section.

(h) Testing of commonly-ducted units within a secondary aluminum processing unit. When group 1 furnaces and/or in-line fluxers are included in a single existing SAPU or new SAPU, and the emissions from more than one emission unit within that existing SAPU or new SAPU are manifolded to a single control device, compliance for all units within the SAPU is demonstrated if the total measured emissions from all controlled and uncontrolled units in the SAPU do not exceed the emission limits calculated for that SAPU based on the applicable equation in § 63.1505(k).

(i) Testing of commonly-ducted units not within a secondary aluminum processing unit. With the prior approval of the permitting authority for major sources, or the Administrator for area sources, an owner or operator may do combined performance testing of two or more individual affected sources or emission units which are not included in a single existing SAPU or new SAPU, but whose emissions are manifolded to a single control device. Any such performance testing of commonly-ducted units must satisfy the following basic requirements:

(1) All testing must be designed to verify that each affected source or emission unit individually satisfies all emission requirements applicable to that affected source or emission unit;

(2) All emissions of pollutants subject to a standard must be tested at the outlet from each individual affected source or emission unit while operating under the highest load or capacity reasonably expected to occur, and prior to the point that the emissions are manifolded together with emissions from other affected sources or emission units;

(3) The combined emissions from all affected sources and emission units which are manifolded to a single emission control device must be tested at the outlet of the emission control device;

(4) All tests at the outlet of the emission control device must be conducted with all affected sources and emission units whose emissions are manifolded to the control device operating simultaneously under the highest load or capacity reasonably expected to occur; and

(5) For purposes of demonstrating compliance of a commonly-ducted unit with any emission limit for a particular type of pollutant, the emissions of that pollutant by the individual unit shall be presumed to be controlled by the same percentage as total emissions of that pollutant from all commonly-ducted units are controlled at the outlet of the emission control device.

[65 FR 15710, Mar. 23, 2000, as amended at 67 FR 59792, Sept. 24, 2002; 67 FR 79817, Dec. 30, 2002; 79 FR 11284, Feb. 27, 2014; 80 FR 56745, Sept. 18, 2015; 81 FR 38087, June 13, 2016]


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