Facilities that emit air pollutants have a legal duty to measure, record and report their emission concentrations, and those above a certain scale must install a continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS/TMS) that transmits data to the regulator in real time. Monitor installation and operation rules rest on air-quality legislation and its subordinate provisions, and violations can lead to fines or suspension of operations. This guide sets out, from a practical standpoint, the installation scope, measurement items and operating/reporting duties a facility must observe.
1. Who Must Install
The duty to install monitors is determined by the class of the emission facility and the scale of pollutant emissions. Emission facilities are graded into classes, and the higher classes with larger emissions become subject to automatic monitoring (TMS). The starting point is to confirm which class your facility falls into and whether it is subject to TMS or to periodic self-measurement.
2. Measurement Items and Frequency
Representative measurement items are as follows; the applicable set varies with the type of emission facility.
- Dust (particulate matter), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx)
- Carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen chloride (HCl), ammonia (NH₃)
- Flow rate and temperature and other flue-gas physical quantities (for concentration correction)
Frequency splits into TMS (continuous automatic measurement) and self-measurement (periodic manual measurement). TMS-subject facilities measure continuously and transmit automatically to the control centre, while self-measurement facilities measure at a prescribed frequency and keep the records.
3. TMS (Continuous Emission Monitoring) Integration
The essence of TMS is transmitting measured values to the monitoring authority/control system in real time. Compliance therefore hinges not only on the monitor's accuracy but on the continuity and integrity of data transmission. Because communication faults or data gaps must be explained, the monitor, data logger and transmission equipment should be managed as a single system.
4. Operating and Reporting Duties
Installing a monitor does not end the obligation. Adherence to accuracy inspection, periodic inspection and calibration cycles, retention of measurement records and reporting to the competent authority are required on an ongoing basis. In particular, automatic monitors must pass periodic accuracy inspection for their values to retain legal effect, and inspection/calibration history must be documented.
5. Penalties for Violations
Failure to install, breach of measurement/reporting duties, and data manipulation are subject to fines, improvement orders and suspension of operations. Manipulating values or concealing data gaps is treated as a serious violation, so the principle is to explain and report gaps and anomalies through the prescribed procedure rather than conceal them.
6. Compliance Checklist
- Emission-facility class confirmed and TMS vs self-measurement duty distinguished
- Measurement system built against required items and frequency
- Procedures for TMS transmission continuity and gap management
- Accuracy inspection, calibration and inspection cycles observed and documented
- Record retention and reporting system to the competent authority
Need Help?
Sechang supports regulatory compliance in the field of air and water environmental monitoring instruments. If you need consultation on determining whether your facility must install monitors, selecting measurement items, or building an operating and reporting system, please reach out below.
▶ Contact Sechang about air pollutant monitors and compliance