By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Even though they showed some excess levels of nitrous oxides, Tennessee officials say recent emission test results at an ammonium nitrate manufacturing facilty in Greene County are acceptable.
The tests were conducted on the last two days of July at the US Nitrogen plant in Midway and were designed to show at what fuel consumption rates the company's two ammonia plants could run without exceeding the emission limits in the company's state permits.
The tests, which were conducted by AMP Cherokee Environmental Solutions, were the second to take place within a less than six month period. The previous tests conducted in the Spring were deemed inconclusive.
A summary of the tests was provided in an Oct. 29 letter from Bryan Parker of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to Dylan Charles, US Nitrogen's plant manager.
"The division considers the report to be technically correct with regard to the test procedures employed," the letter states.
"Reported data supports the US Nitrogen request to not inject ammonia to both plants before reaching 17,000 standard cubic feet per hour fuel rate," Parker continued.
"Even though the data showed emission rates in excess of the .41 pounds per ton of the nitrous oxide limit in the permit, the limitation is based on a daily average and not on instantaneous results," Parker wrote.
He added that the data showed the two ammomnia trains could be kept in compliance without injecting any ammonia until the desired fuel consumption rate (17,000 Standard Cubic Feet per Hour) is achieved.
Citing a table, Parker concluded that the data showed "neither train can consistently operate under this condition while increasing to a production rate above 17,000 scfh."
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