In-Situ Calibration Check - Sage SIP Operation And Instruction Manual

46 S A G E M E T E R I N G , I N C .

In-Situ Calibration Check

RECOMMENDED ON A QUARTERLY BASIS FOR EPA 40 CFR 98 PERIODIC
CALIBRATION VERIFICATION, CAR
Sage Prime has continuous diagnostics. The raw cali-
bration milliwatts (mw) is always displayed in the
upper left hand corner of the meter's display allow-
ing the user to conduct an "in-situ" calibration. At
any time, you can check this reading at a "no flow"
condition and compare the reading to the original
re ported "zero flow" value noted on the last few lines
of your meter's Certificate of Conformance or the
flow meter's data tag. This diagnostic procedure not
only checks the sensor performance and the "live
zero" calibration point, but it verifies that the sensor
is clean. It essentially provides a means to validate
that the meter is operating properly, verifies that
there is no shift or drift, and eliminates the need for
annual factory calibrations. This simple field diagnos-
tic procedure also verifies that the sensor is free from
contamination, even without inspection.
1. Verify that meter has no gas flow
Close appropriate valves in the process to have a
"no flow" condition so you can check the "live
zero" mw output of the actual gas (it should be
checked at the same pressure as noted on
Certificate of Conformance).
If it is not possible to close valves in the
process (e.g. natural gas supply must be kept flow-
ing), a user with a Sage SVA05 or SVA07 Isolation
Valve Assembly can check "zero" of the actual gas
and pressure without shutting off the gas supply.
Refer to SVA SERIES ISOLATION VALVE ASSEMBLY
DETAILS ON PAGE 38.
a) Loosen lower Collar Clamp completely
b) Slightly loosen compression fitting until Probe
can be lifted
c) Lift Probe until Safety Chain is taut
d) Tighten compression fitting
e) Close Valve
f) Check zero mw as per "2" below
Optionally, do an ambient air check by re -
moving probe and covering up sensor by capping
the sensor with a plastic bag, empty plastic water
bottle or other means of preventing flow (see 8).
2. Observe the raw mw on the top of the meter's
display. After one to three minutes of "no flow"
stabilization, check the observed reading against
the flow meter's data tag or last line(s) of your
Meter's Certificate of Conformance.
3. A value within 5 milliwatts of the original Factory
value (assuming the same gas is checked at same
pressure) indicates that meter is still in calibration.
4. A value greater than 5 mw, but less than or equal
to 10 mw, also indicates that the meter is still in
REV. 16-SIP/SRP
O p e r a t i o n s a n d I n s t r u c t i o n M a n u a l
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PROTOCOLS, AND CDM
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PROTOCOLS
calibration, but this reading may have been influ-
enced by one or more of the following factors: gas
composition, pressure, dirt, non-zero conditions,
and sensor orientation. Any of these factors can
have an effect on mWo. It is a very sensitive data
point; that is why it is such a good check.
5. Note, if all of the above factors were remedied,
it would be expected that the mW zero would
report less than or equal to 5 milliwatts.
6. Note, in some cases, contamination of the sensor
is the only cause of the additional heat transfer
during the "no flow" test. Remove probe, and clean
the sensor (use an appropriate non-corrosive sol-
vent to remove build up). A soft brush can be used
to gently clean the sensing surface, using caution
to avoid damaging the sensor elements (the RTD's).
7. In summary, if a technician in the field were able
to simulate Sage calibration conditions, he too
would find that the mWo would be within one
mW or very close to that. Since this is not always
possible, we are finding that after considering all
of the field variables, a mWo in the field that is
within 10 mW is an acceptable value (see 9). This
would allow for a check to be done in the pipe
under application conditions.
8. Note, if desired, a second check can be conducted
as well but using ambient air: This validation
method requires that the sensor be removed from
the pipe and inserted in a container such as an
empty plastic water bottle.
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9. For CAR compliance Sage recommends a quar terly
In-Situ Calibration Check for the following Protocols:
U.S. Landfill Protocol, Version 4.0, Par. 6.2
Mexico Landfill Protocol, Version 1.1, Par. 6.2
U.S. Livestock Protocol, Version 3.0, Par. 6.2
U.S. Livestock Protocol, Version 4.0, Par. 6.3
Mexico Livestock Protocol, Version 2.0, Par. 6.2
As per the protocols, the maximum allowable drift
is 5%. Percent drift can be determined by multi-
plying the mW change from factory value (see 2)
by 1.0% (i.e. each mW change equals 1% drift).
1 CAR is the Climate Action Reserve. The Climate Action Reserve is a national offsets program working
to ensure integrity, transparency and financial value in the U.S. carbon market. It does this by estab-
lishing regulatory-quality standards for the development, quantification and verification of green-
house gas (GHG) emissions reduction projects in North America. The Climate Action Reserve operates
alongside its sister program, the California Climate Action Registry (California Registry), which was
created by the State of California in 2001 to address climate change through voluntary calculation
and public reporting of emissions.
2 CDM Methodologies, ACM 0001, "Methodological tool to determine the mass flow of a greenhouse
gas in gaseous stream" (EB61 Report, Annex 11, Page 1).
3 Sage "zeros" the meter in a horizontal pipe. If you have a vertical pipe, mW will be slightly lower
at zero (also see note 4).
4 The allen wrench to loosen collar clamp is ⁄ on the SVA05 (it is
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⁄ on the SVA07).
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