By: Tina Sanderson

Photo: © Environment and Climate Change Canada

The Multi-Sector Air Pollutants Regulations (MSAPR) was registered by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in June 2016 with the objective to achieve consistent Canada-wide performance standards for certain industrial facilities and equipment.   Stationary spark ignition engines are targeted under Part 2 of MSAPR.  MSAPR establishes a process for registering, monitoring, testing and reporting of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions and provides NOx emission intensity limits (ppmvd15% or g NOx / kWh) which are phased in over time. For more information on MSAPR Part 2, click here.

MSAPR - Part 2 applies to modern engines with a rated brake power ≥ 75kW, that combusts gaseous fuels, in one of the regulated facilities, and pre-existing engines with a rated brake power ≥ 250kW, that combusts gaseous fuels, in an Oil and Gas facility. 

The regulation allows facilities to designate engines as either regular-use or low-use.  All engines are assumed to be regular-use unless the facility elects to define them as low-use.  In order to be elected as low-use by a facility, the engine must operate for fewer than 1,314 hours (excluding hours operated during an emergency) in each period of three consecutive calendar years (i.e. <5% of the time).  Performance tests are not required for low-use engines.

However, performance tests are required for regular-use engines.  Performance tests are used to determine the NOx emission intensity and verify compliance with the emission limits.  A performance test consists of three consecutive test runs of at least 20 minutes each which must be conducted on the same day.  The sampling must be completed using recognized US EPA, ASTM and/or ECCC sampling methodologies and testing must be conducted while the engine is operating at ≥ 90% of its rated brake power or the highest achievable brake power. 

Below is a summary of the initial performance test requirements in MSAPR.

Subsequent performance tests are required for all modern regular-use engines ≥ 375 kW as detailed below:

• Frequency for lean-burn engines ≥ 375 kW – 17,520 operating hours or 36 months (whichever is completed first)

• Frequency for rich-burn engines ≥ 375 kW – 4,380 operating hours or 9 months (whichever is completed first) or 8,760 operating hours or 36 months (whichever is completed first) when an emission check,  performed each 90-day period, demonstrates that the applicable limit is met

So, Does Your Facility Need to Test in 2020?

Yes. If your facility has a regular-use modern engine that commenced operation in 2019.

Yes. If you are using yearly average option to group your regular-use pre-existing engines and want to assign a non-default value to the engine that is less than the most recent performance test data or you don’t have performance test data for the engine.

How can ORTECH help?

ORTECH provides comprehensive consulting and emission testing services to our clients to ensure that they are meeting the requirements of MSAPR, including:

• Evaluating applicability, options, timelines and mitigation measures, if needed, to ensure compliance;

• Assessing engines to determine if performance tests are required;

• Providing advice on the installation of sampling ports to facilitate performance testing;

• Conducting performance testing following the sampling procedures detailed in MSAPR; and

• Calculating NOx emission intensity based on performance test data.