| Mass Balance Method Tracks Harmful Emissions |
| Written by Daniel Stouffer | |
| Saturday, 11 April 2009 | |
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Current levels of harmful chemicals, including hydrofluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons are calculated and assessed by using the mass balance method. The data enables environmental scientists to predict future levels of emissions that contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer.
Current levels of harmful chemicals, including hydrofluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons are calculated and assessed by using the mass balance method. The data enables environmental scientists to predict future levels of emissions that contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer. A mass balance method is used when determining the difference between the starting amount of a substance, such as refrigerant gas, and the end amount. This calculation determines how much of the chemical was used in daily operation and how much was discharged into the air. Adding the amount of chemicals entering a process plus the different avenues used by those chemicals, for example waste or accumulation, we arrive at an equation used for the mass balance method. The end result equates to the final amount of substance entering the global atmosphere. If we use refrigerant gas as an example, we take the starting amount, transformation through the cooling process and the waste amount. By using a mass balance method, a facility is tracking the amount of substances used for a specific function. It is broken down by how much enters the system, how much leaves the system and how much is stored within the system. This approach is used when it is necessary to account for pollutants. Certain chemicals have been identified as harmful and contributors to the deterioration of the stratospheric ozone layer, air pollution and global warming. The EPA requires the use of the mass balance method to track chemicals such as methyl bromide, carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, hydrofluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbon. In simple terms, the mass balance method can be defined as inputs = output plus accumulation. The mass balance method is critical in designing and analyzing processes, such as refrigerant gas as it moves its way through various systems, including air conditioning, heating ventilation and AC or refrigeration. Whatever substances or chemicals enter or leave a system must be accounted for. Under the mass balance method, facilities report the venting of hydrofluorocarbons and chloroflurocarbons by providing data that includes their total inventory at the beginning and end of the specified reporting period, purchases of refrigerant during the particular time period and capacity changes that occurred in the associated reporting time frame. This information is needed for each refrigerant type at all locations of a company or facility. There are several factors used in the mass balance method. The type and number of cooling equipment machines that are used, the refrigerant type used in each system, leak rates and total refrigerant discharge. Mass flows that might otherwise have been difficult to measure are identified in the equation, such as evaporated substances or parts of a chemical reaction. The Article Author: Daniel Stouffer has a lot more data on the importance of effective refrigerant gas management and more information about the mass balance method . |
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