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About The Course

Overview
Intended Audience
Learning Objectives
Content
Computer Requirements
About the Developers

Overview

This online reference material, consisting of seven modules, contains self-study reading material and problems that review important fundamental engineering principles and concepts used in a number of Air Pollution Training Institute (APTI) courses on control technology, permit review, and compliance monitoring and inspection. Mastering this material will prepare you for understanding the more advanced technical information presented in APTI courses.

The format is self-instructional with the added feature of allowing learners to direct questions and comments to a content expert at APTI.

Each module is divided into approximately ten lessons, each of which has a set of Practice Problems. A Review Exercise follows each module. While Practice Problems focus primarily on concepts discussed in a particular lesson, the Review Exercises test concepts and principles discussed in multiple lessons or modules. Students are responsible for checking their own answers to Practice Problems and Review Exercises. Some lessons contain animations and Java applets that reinforce concepts introduced in the text.

No registration is required. This reference material is free to the public.

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Intended Audience

Regulatory agency personnel responsible for conducting air compliance inspections and monitoring and for reviewing permit applications.

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Learning Objectives

Module 1: Basic Concepts

  1. Solve basic mathematical problems involving logarithms, exponents, and geometry.
  2. Apply the concept of material balance in solving air pollution control problems.
  3. Convert temperature and pressure data between relative and absolute scales.
  4. Calculate the quantities of materials in terms of gram moles and pound moles.

Module 2: Characteristics of Gases

  1. Use the ideal gas law to determine gas volumes and gas flow rates at different absolute temperatures and absolute pressures.
  2. Convert gas flow rates between actual and standard conditions.
  3. Calculate the concentration of gaseous pollutants in different units of measurement and represent that concentration on either a wet or dry basis and at either a measured or standard oxygen level.
  4. Calculate the concentration of dioxin-furan compounds in units of nanograms per cubic meter and Toxic Equivalency Quotient (TEQ) nanograms per cubic meter.
  5. Calculate the gas velocity, density, and viscosity and determine the flow characteristics of the gas stream.
  6. Calculate the treatment time and space velocity of a gas stream in an air pollution control device.
  7. Determine the change in enthalpy of a gas stream when it changes temperature.

Module 3: Characteristics of Particles

  1. Calculate the aerodynamic diameter and the terminal settling velocity of particles.
  2. Distinguish between the different EPA particle categories with respect to size and behavior.
  3. Determine the mass median particle diameter and standard deviation of a lognormal particle size distribution.
  4. Describe the five main particle formation processes important at air pollution sources and identify the particle size range associated with each process.
  5. Describe the six main particle collection mechanisms used in particulate control systems including factors that influence their collection efficiency.

Module 4: Liquid Characteristics

  1. Describe the properties of the four different types of liquids that are commonly encountered in the field of air pollution control.
  2. Determine the density, concentration, pH, vapor pressure, and specific gravity of a liquid.
  3. Explain how temperature affects liquid viscosity and how liquid viscosity can affect some important processes in air pollution control.
  4. Determine the amount of water necessary to cool a gas stream to a desired temperature.
  5. Explain the factors that affect the absorption of gases into the liquid phase.
  6. Using solubility data at a specific temperature, determine the Henry's law constant for a substance that is slightly soluble in a liquid.

Module 5: Flowcharts and Ventilation Systems

  1. Evaluate operating data on flowcharts to identify (1) possible system abnormalities and (2) health and safety dangers that may be encountered during on-site fieldwork.
  2. Describe the factors that affect hood capture effectiveness.
  3. Determine if the necessary hood capture velocity is being attained.
  4. Calculate the transport velocity and explain its importance.
  5. Use hood static pressure and fan motor currents to evaluate hood capture effectiveness.
  6. Evaluate gas flow rate changes using fan characteristic curves and system characteristic curves.

Module 6: Air Pollutants and Control Techniques

  1. List the major categories of air pollutants.
  2. Describe the major characteristics of each category of air pollutant.
  3. Describe the major formation mechanisms for each category of air pollutant.
  4. Identify the types of control techniques used for minimizing the emission of various types of air pollutants.
  5. Evaluate the general applicability of various types of air pollution control systems for the removal of the major categories of air pollutants.

Module 7: Regulatory Requirements

  1. Identify the general areas covered by the Titles of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.
  2. Identify the name and purpose of the various regulatory programs developed under Titles I, III, IV, and V of the Clean Air Act.
  3. Describe the standards or requirements represented by the following acronyms and identify the Title of the Clean Air Act with which they are associated: BACT, CAM, LAER, MACT, NAAQS, NESHAPs, NSPS, NSR, PSD, and SIP.
  4. Explain the difference between pollutants covered by NAAQS and those covered by NESHAPs.

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Content

Course Tree Graphic

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Computer Requirements

ATTENTION: Before downloading or installing any software or plug-ins, please refer to your organization's network/computer policies or check with your system administrator.

Display Monitor: Must be capable of 256 color.

Modem: A 28.8 modem is recommended (minimum).

To Access Java Applet: Make sure your browser is Java-enabled (a browser setting).

To Access Animations: You must have a version 3.0 or higher Macromedia Shockwave Flash plug-in (Netscape browsers) or Shockwave Flash ActiveX Control (Internet Explorer browsers) installed on your computer. This software can be downloaded at the Shockwave Flash web siteExit EPA Disclaimer. The animations have no audio so sound cards and speakers are not required.

Animations and Java applets are supplementary material. You will not miss any important content if you cannot access them.

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About the Developers

Funding Organization
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded this project under Cooperative Assistance Agreement CT-825724 to North Carolina State University. Mr. Charles Pratt of the EPA's Education and Outreach Group was the EPA lead on the project.

Content Providers
John R. Richards, Ph.D., P.E., is the President of Air Control Techniques, P.C., an engineering company based in Cary, North Carolina, specializing in the selection and optimization of air pollution control equipment as well as air emission testing. Air Control Techniques, P.C. has provided air pollution engineering and air emission testing services for a variety of industries since 1993.

Dr. Richards is a registered chemical engineer specializing in air pollution control equipment. He has over 29 years of experience with fabric filters, electrostatic precipitators, wet scrubbers, VOC control systems, and NOx control systems. This work has involved detailed evaluation of performance data, internal inspections, failed component analyses, and diagnostic testing. He has conducted performance evaluations of air pollution control systems at more than 1,200 industrial facilities. Many of these projects concerned utility and industrial boilers fired with coal, oil, wood, synthetic refined coal, and waste fuels. He has developed a number of courses on air pollution control performance for the U.S. EPA Air Pollution Training Institute. Four of these courses have been presented nationally on the U.S. EPA Distance Learning Network. He has developed emission testing protocols for a number of control equipment development projects. He has designed emission-testing programs for pilot plant studies, vitrification process development projects, boiler secondary plume formation studies, and boiler optimization projects.

Education:

Penn State University
B.S. Chemical Engineering, B.S. Chemistry

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
M.S.E.E. Environmental Engineering
Ph.D., Environmental Engineering

David G. Goshaw, E.I.T., is a civil engineer specializing in air emission testing and air pollution control. He has approximately 7000 hours of field testing experience. Some of Mr. Goshaw's experience includes:

Education:

Valparaiso University
B.S. Civil Engineering

Brian L. Palm, is an air emission testing specialist working primarily on special diagnostic tests and emission factor tests. He also serves on projects concerning air pollution control equipment inspection and optimization. A partial summary of experience is provided below.

Mr. Palm has participated in numerous test programs at a wide variety of industrial facilities. He has also co-authored several air pollution control articles.

Education:

University of North Carolina - Wilmington
B.A. Environmental Studies
B.A. Economics

Development Team
A team of professional course designer/developers at Environmental Programs in the Industrial Extension Service at North Carolina State University developed this project.

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For comments or questions, contact Dennis Shipman (shipman.dennis@epa.gov).

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