This European Standard describes the condensation/adsorption technique, including the sampling system, to determine the water vapour concentration in the flue gases emitting to atmosphere from ducts and stacks.
This technique is usually used all over Europe for water vapour monitoring. However to be implemented as the Standard Reference Method (SRM), the user has to demonstrate that the performance characteristics of the method are better than the performance criteria defined in this European Standard and that the overall uncertainty of the method is less than ± 20 % of the measured value. This European Standard as the Standard Reference Method (SRM) is used for periodic monitoring and for calibration or control of Automatic Measuring Systems (AMS) permanently installed on a stack, for regulatory purposes or other purposes.
An Alternative Method to this SRM may be used provided that the user can demonstrate equivalence
according to the Technical Specification CEN/TS 14793, to the satisfaction of his national ccreditation body or law.
The determination of water vapour is mainly necessary for:
. regulatory purposes, to express the concentration at standard conditions (on dry gas);
. adjust the flow rate for isokinetic sampling, when a dry gas flow rate metering device is used.
For both applications, the quantity to be measured is the amount of water present in the gas phase (vapour), which does not include water droplets.
This European Standard is applicable in the range from 4 % to 40 % relative humidity and for water vapour concentration from 29 g/m3 to 250 g/m3 as a wet gas, although for a given temperature the upper limit of the method is related to the maximum pressure of water in air or in the gas.
This European Standard has been evaluated during field tests on waste incineration, co-incineration and large combustion installations. It has been validated for sampling periods of 30 min in the concentration range of 7 % to 26 % volume.
In this European Standard all the concentrations are expressed in normal conditions (273 K and 101,3 kPa).
NOTE For saturated conditions the condensation/adsorption method is not applicable. Some guidance is given in this European Standard to deal with flue gas when droplets are present.