Abstract

In order to attain and maintain federal and state air quality standards for particulate matter, some local agencies in California have adopted rules and regulations to control emissions from wood burning devices. Some of these rules restricted the use or installation of new masonry fireplaces. The purpose of this study was to begin development of a test protocol that would provide for consistent measurement of particulate emissions from conventional fireplaces and could be useful for compliance determinations or possible certification of a fireplace design or model. A modified California Air Resources Board Stationary Source Test Method 5 was used to determine particulate emissions from a conventional brick fireplace on the California Polytechnic State University campus in San Luis Obispo. The mean total particulate emission rate for five test bums with dual sampling trains was 79.7 grams per hour with a standard deviation of 18.1 grams per hour. An average of 20.2 kilograms of Douglas fir were burned in each fire resulting in an emission factor of 8.6 grams of particulate per kilogram of dry wood burned. EPA Reference Method 28 for the certification of wood heaters was closely followed with slight modifications to account for the physical differences between wood heaters and conventional fireplaces. The results of this study and the recommendations presented here can be used to further develop standardized operating procedures for compliance determinations and/or certification of conventional fireplaces.

Disciplines

Civil and Environmental Engineering

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URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cenv_fac/168