Aria Technologies

 

ARIA Technologies assists a large number of companies in meeting their legal obligations to conduct impact studies to ensure compliance with statutory air quality norms, and in adopting a proactive approach to their environmental policies.

 

An emission inventory for an industrial site involves characterization of all sources of pollution, including point sources (stacks), diffuse emissions (vapor from tanks), fugitive emissions (accidental releases). The inventory is compiled by interpreting on-site measurements and comprehensive site data.

In an Environmental Information System, data generated through continuous monitoring is recorded in a database, analyzed, and output as reports such as environmental quality indexes. The integration of a modeling tool for emission impact allows automatic regulation of emissions based on the expected impact. ARIA Technologies designs Environmental Information Systems, and provides modeling components for third party systems.

Modeling techniques are increasingly used in the management of field experiments to ensure that measurements are taken at the appropriate time and place and under representative meteorological conditions. Models developed by ARIA Technologies are useful for selecting optimum sites and operation mode for advanced sensors (sonic anemometers, SODAR, DOAS, LIDAR). They allow comparison of data and computed results and alert users immediately about errors and omissions in the emissions inventory or in the experimental setup.

All industrial sectors are concerned by impact studies of air quality. The models developed by ARIA Technologies for these studies of the long-term impact of atmospheric emissions from a plant can be used for calculating the contribution of different sources of pollution and for comparing computed concentration levels with authorized threshold values. Models also reveal the respective contribution of urban and industrial sources. These projects involve mainly a determination of the maximum quantities of emissions and other related parameters (type of gas, stack dimensions, emission speed and temperature), depending on observed meteorological conditions.

The french decree dated April 22, 2008 has fixed the technical rules to be adhered by composting plants or by authorized aerobic biological stabilisation plants.

Article 26 of this decree specifically mentions that users of existing plants are required to prepare the list of principal odour sources, whether they are continuous or discontinuous. After this list has been prepared and after the profiling has been completed, the users have to conduct a dispersion analysis study to check whether the air quality stipulations have been met or not. In addition, if the limit of 5 uoE /m³ is not respected, the user will have to carry out the required improvements in the plant to meet these stipulations.

The circular issued on March 6, 2009 specifies the different articles of the decree.

Based on its expertise in modelling gas based pollutions, ARIA Technologies has extended its expertise to the modelling of odour pollution dispersion, taking into account the specificity of odour emissions: emissions from odour bursts, critical weak wind periods, etc.

It is difficult to correlate the odour emissions and the inconvenience caused by them. Therefore, several factors have to be taken into account:

• character of the odour;
• dispersion in the atmosphere;
• meteorology;
• topography;
• obstacles;
• location and sensitivity of sensors;
• frequency and persistence of episodes.

The numerical models take into account all these factors in a more or less simplified manner. Modelling is the only technique available to correlate the emissions and the inconvenience caused by them, and therefore to predict the inconvenience to be expected during site planning, during special meteorological conditions or during modifications in the environment.

Since a long time, ARIA Technologies has been offering its models in diagnostics mode to facilitate the understanding of the origin of wastes as well as in forecast mode to test, evaluate and design the site layout.

Our experts carry out independently or in partnership with other companies studies, expertise or consulting assignments, or provide online tools for supervision of these emissions concerning adherence to regulatory requirements.

Health Risk Assessment Studies enable to determine the health risks faced by the population living near an industrial site.

In order to characterize the health risks, ARIA Technologies assesses the air contribution by computing the long-term impact of industrial emissions on air quality and determines the dose of radiation which reaches the neighboring populations by inhalation (directly from the atmospheric modelling results) and/or ingestion (through the transfer into the food chain).

The main uncertainty in wind power farm investments is the assessment of the wind energy potential.

ARIA Technologies analyzes the techniques by simultaneously using data measured over several months, geographical characteristics of the site, and large scale meteorological analyses (European Meteorological Centre) available for more than 10 years. These tools help in optimising the behaviour of wind power parks and in tackling problems concerning the energy production availability and variability.

Internal pollution studies analyze the risk associated with a particular device in a workshop (ventilation system, configuration of premises). The behaviour of alarm sensors inside a plant can be optimised.
ARIA Technologies also studies the efficiency of a clean room, or the design of containment systems for special applications (hospitals, nuclear stations, submarines).

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Aria Technologies. 8-10 rue de la Ferme, 92100 BOULOGNE BILLANCOURT, FRANCE t:+33 (0)1 46 08 68 60 f:+33 (0)1 41 41 93 17

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