Take Mobile Air Quality Monitoring to the next level

Experts in air quality, good people for accurate results.

Depending on the equipment manufacturer, factory training can be provided as well as in-house training. As well as how to operate, maintain, and calibrate the mobile unit's instruments, it covers the vehicle's internal systems.

These people should have the following qualifications:
- Maintenance and operation training for all vehicle systems, including platforms and generators.
- Knowledge of the instruments on the vehicle, including calibration, maintenance, and operation.
- Using the mobile unit for at least two projects.
- Driver training for bigger vehicles (e.g., RVs).
- Data management and handling training, including Microsoft Excel.
- Data logger training.
- Occupational health and safety training, including hazardous materials training.

For accurate data collection and equipment maintenance, personnel operating mobile air quality monitoring units need to be well-trained and qualified.

You need safety, precision placement, management, control, and wind accuracy.

4.2.2 Layout and Design

There are some rules to follow when setting up a mobile air quality monitoring unit:
- Instruments that are sensitive to temperature should be placed where temperature changes are minimal.
- Instrument racks shouldn't be near doors.
- In case of a leak, secure gas cylinders in a safe area with proper ventilation.
- The instruments inside the analyzer should be securely fastened to prevent movement.
- Make sure the intake for the sampling manifold is as far away from the exhaust and power generation system as possible.
- The sampling manifold must be durable and resistant to the substances being monitored, as well as secure enough to withstand the vibrations and shocks of mobile monitoring.

If the unit has two or more monitoring instruments, a sampling manifold is better than a sampling line. While ensuring the safety of the operation, these measures keep the monitoring equipment accurate and reliable.

4.2.3 Instrumentation and Specifications

A mobile air quality monitoring unit's instrumentation and specs are as follows:
- The person in charge needs to pick continuous air analyzers and meteorological sensors that meet the standards outlined in the Monitoring Chapter.
- The monitoring chapter provides guidelines for operating all selected equipment, including continuous air analyzers and meteorological sensors.
- The manufacturer's instructions and validated methods must be followed if any extra analyzers or instruments are used in the mobile unit.
- When monitoring air quality with the mobile unit, it's important to keep all monitoring instruments within the manufacturer's temperature range. Measuring this way helps keep them accurate.

4.2.4 Power System(s)

Here's the power system for a mobile air monitor:
- The person responsible must make sure that the vehicle's exhaust and power system don't interfere with the air pollution measurements.
- Affected Data: If any data collected by the mobile unit are affected by the vehicle or generator exhaust, note it.
- For units that measure pollutants like CO, NO/NO2/NOx, and hydrocarbons, you should use cleaner fuels like natural gas or propane. Measurements can be messed up by gasoline and diesel exhaust.
- The power system: When setting up the power system, think about using clean fuels, adding devices like catalytic converters to reduce exhaust interference, having a backup generator, and making sure you can connect to external power when you need it. You can run the unit without an engine or generator by using shore power, and there should be a safe way to switch between them.

4.2.5 Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning System

A mobile air quality monitoring unit's heating and cooling system:
- Maintenance of the temperature: The person in charge must make sure the unit has a heating and cooling system. The temperature should be within the range for all the instruments.
- Keeping the temperature steady during monitoring and calibration: When the instruments are actively monitoring the air or being calibrated, the person responsible needs to keep the temperature steady. It has to be within the range of the instruments.
- Temperature recording: In addition to keeping the temperature steady, they need to measure it inside the unit and record it in the monitoring system.

4.2.6 Meteorological (Mast)

Monitoring wind conditions:
- Wind data and direction: The person in charge of the mobile monitoring unit should report wind data from true north. To get this right, they might use special instruments or adjust the data system. Reports should mention any local issues that affect wind data.
- It's best to record wind direction in degrees (like 0°, 90°, 180°, etc.). It can also be recorded in compass directions (like north, east, south, west).
- When the mobile unit is moving, wind data should be marked as invalid. When the unit is stationary, it's important to collect wind data.
- When monitoring while stationary, the wind mast on the mobile unit should be at least 2 meters above the roof. You'll get accurate readings at this height.

4.2.7 Global Positioning System

Here's how GPS works in the mobile monitoring unit:
- Installation of GPS: The person in charge should set up a GPS system on the mobile air qualmonitoring unit, and it should be connected to the data acquisition system.
- The GPS and data system should record the following information every time data is collected:
1. Your latitude (north-south),
2. Your longitude (east-west location),
3. Date (when the data was collected),
4. Mobile monitoring unit speed, and
- If it's moving, the direction it's going, or if it's stationary, the direction the front is facing.
- If you need to, you can also record the elevation. GPS keeps track of where and when data is collected.

4.2.8 Instrument Pumps and Housing

What it means about instrument pumps and housing:
- Venting Exhaust: Make sure the exhaust from each instrument is directed outside of the mobile air monitoring unit. As a result, the exhaust doesn't mix with the air being brought in through the sampling system.
- Housing Pumps: If there are pumps outside the instruments, they should be placed where there's good airflow (ventilation). It's also important to keep the temperature in that place within the range recommended by the pump manufacturer. To keep them cool, these pumps are sometimes put in an external compartment.

4.2.9 Data Acquisition

There are rules for using the data acquisition system in Chapter 6 of the AMD. It's like a guide to gathering and managing air quality data. They make sure the data is accurate and reliable.

To pick the best location, you need expert judgment.

4.4.1 Siting Criteria

Because of their unique goals, mobile air monitoring sites don't always follow standard rules. Operators should pick the best spots. Here's what they look at:
- Sites with open spaces are ideal, away from trees and buildings.
- Exhaust from nearby vehicles makes them avoid those places.
- Exhaust moves away from the monitoring unit, which faces the wind.
- Safety is key; the unit shouldn't block roads.

Operators need to use their expert judgment when picking these spots.