Environmental/Emissions Database Design
Services
Service Description
Gossman Consulting, Inc.
provides computerized solutions to the problems that large amounts of
environmental and emission testing data can cause in both operations
and
mangement decision making. Many companies spend significant dollars to
pay for
expensive environmental testing and reporting. In most cases those
tests and
reports are designed to meet imediate needs of a compliance
demonstration or
other regulatory requirement. However, the data from such testing
almost always
is valuable beyond the imediate need. Over time more and more of these
types of
tests accumulate even larger amounts of data. As time moves on the need
to
review the past testing and operational data can become acute.
Environmental
regulations change and as they do the potential impacts of the changes
need to
be assessed and a review of the past data becomes part of that
assessment. Or,
it would if it were accessable in a usable format. Often the data is
stored in
3-ring binders and is often formated differently from test to test. The
different
formatting happens because often different test firms were used and the
purpose
for the testing is not always the same. The operational data as well as
the
environmental information from these tests often contains answers to
questions
asked by operational staff and management but can take many manhours to
find by
sorting through and reanalyzing these reports. Each time a change or
question
about regulatory issues come up, the manual review must be done over
again.
Thus, more manhours are taken up, often because the personnel have
changed to
those unfamiliar with the data or the questions are different. GCI's
solution
has been to develop a custom data base that can shorten this time
requirement
to a few minutes with a Windows based, user freindly interface. GCI has
custom
designed the data base software, provided the test and operational data
input,
and supported the program with employee training. The service can be as
comprehensive and as individual as desired by the client. The service
can provide
timely answers to a coporate or plant manager's question about "What
were
our mercury emissions like?" or "Under what conditions do we see
maximum particulate emissions?" This type of data base package can also
aid in future testing to ensure that all appropritae operating
parameters are
consistently monitored. Test data from one test can then properly be
compared
to or with other test data.
Experience
David Gossman
- Acted as QA/QC manager for one of the
first comprehensive RCRA Trial Burns at a cement plant.
- Performed a detailed QA/QC review of
mercury emission data used by EPA to develop/justify MACT controls on
cement kilns.
- Performed a detailed QA/QC review of
dioxin examination data from cement plants not utilizing hazardous
waste fuels.
- Acted as QA/QC manager for 1995 update
ROC tests at multiple cement plants.
- Performed a detailed QA/QC review of
dioxin emission data compromising over 20 tests at a single cement
plant, both under baseline conditions and while burning hazardous waste.
- Managed and wrote the reports for BIF
compliance tests/trial burns at four cement plants.
- Developed and managed the
implementation of stack testing plans for cement manufacturers using or
planning on the use of hazardous waste fuel. Tests were performed to
satisfy state air permit authorities as well as provide data to be used
for future EPA requirements.
- In 1983, provided the initial design
and system specifications for an on-site computerized shipment receipt
and invoicing system at multiple commercial RCRA, TSDFs. The system
provided significant manpower savings and paid for itself with interest
income from faster invoice receipts within one year.
Sue Gossman
- Designed and implemented internal
quality control management.
- Designed and implementing nation wide
BIF test database.
- Supplied compliance test data analysis
support including mass balance analysis, CEM analysis, AWFCO and other
limit calculations as well as preparation of POC and COC forms.
- Designed and implemented internal
customized databases.
- Designed and programmed emission
database with custom user interface.
- Provides software support and
maintenance for in-house state of the art network system including the
networking of the latest 486 and Pentium based computer technology,
high-end laser printing, CD-ROM, and optical character and voice
recognition technology.
- Provides high volume data reduction
using OCR and data conversion technologies.
- Provides feed rate and CEM data
reduction for preparing monthly synopses and reports to regulatory
agencies for facilities burning hazardous waste as fuel.
- Provides data and graphics
presentation support including slide and photo-ready preparation of
materials for seminars, presentations, and publications.
- Performed spreadsheet analysis of
metals emissions from cement kilns and commercial incinerators burning
hazardous waste.
- Calculated and provided BIF compliance
assistance for five facilities including precompliance certification
calculations and preparation, BIF Trial Burn data compilation and
reduction, and supporting data processing for regulatory reporting and
compliance.
- Designed and implemented micro
computer system for quality control selection via randomized sampling
for acceptance of drum containerized hazardous waste in an MS-DOS
application.
- Provided user support, systems
programming and hardware integration for a prototype Just In Time
automobile parts assembly line on IBM PC Network System. Included error
correction of existing networked system as well as new system
functions. New programming included interface with message sign boards
and bar code label printing and reading. Other support entailed
hardware maintenance, trouble-shooting and repair.
- Performed multi-plant systems analysis
of hazardous waste fuel receipt and handling for a major waste fuel
recycler, encompassing material receipt, regulatory record-keeping,
accounting and contractual needs.
- Designed and implemented multi-plant
microcomputer system for receipt of hazardous waste fuel, using Turbo
PASCAL, assembler and BASIC programming. System provided real-time
receipt, processing, accounting support and invoicing of suppliers as
well as early modem transmittal of recorded information to the
corporate site.
- Designed and implemented a comprehensive, custom Laboratory Information Management System for a commercial laboratory, ChemRight Laboratories, Inc.
Existing SOLUTIONS
GCI has prepared a number of papers relevant to
environmental/emission
testing and data base design. (If a link to a paper title is not yet
available
please e-mail with your fax number for a copy.)
"The Design of A
Custom
Database System for Storing and Accessing Point Source Emission Test
Data and
Associated Process Conditions "
"2,3,7,8-TCDD Equivalent Emissions from Cement Kilns Burning
Hazardous
Waste"
"Continental Cement
Trial Burn Strategy"
"Quality Control
Review
of Mercury and PCDD/PCDF Emissions Data From Cement Kilns Used for MACT
Evaluations”
"Continental Cement
Trial Burn Strategy Follow-up"
GCI Tech Notes
"Should
You Test for HAP Emissions?”, Sep-96
GCI Tech Notes "A
Caution
in the Use of Analytical Data in Calculating TEQ Values for Dioxin
Reporting”,
Dec-95
GCI Tech Notes
"Appropriate
Sampling Frequency for Cement Process Samples During Stack Testing”,
July-95
HWF Notes "Clean Air
Act
Hazardous Air Pollutant List”, Oct-94
HWF Notes "Review of
Guidance on Trial Burns”, Aug-94