My 1st Method 9!
I mentioned in my last entry that I was looking forward to an upcoming opportunity to conduct my first EPA certified Method 9 visible emission (VE) performance test. Well, I completed the test on May 06. I started preparing the day before by reviewing the previous years test, then left the office around 4:30 to pick up a rental car. I headed out first thing in the morning for Sedalia, MO, about 1.5 hours southeast from KC. This is old territory for me, as Sedalia is about 30 miles northeast of Warrensburg, MO, my alma mater of Central Missouri State University. But it's been a good 10 years since I had reason to be in the area. I arrived at the client site, met the client contact & was taken through the plant to the roof access where the client & I discussed which stacks were running. He left me to do my work, which only took about 1.5 hours. There wer 26 emission points, but 8 of them were not running that day. Only one had visible emissions, the rest were clear. The result was everything passed. (This plant produces wheels for car manufacturers & they use propane to burn off the emissions from their spray booths)
On the way back to the office I stopped in Warrensburg for lunch. I'd liked to have stopped at the university to see some of the old professors, but didn't want to waste time. What I really wanted was to see if Perry Foster's Georgia Style BBQ was still in business. This was my lucky day - he was still in business & the food was as good as I'd hoped - awesome BBQ pork sandwich & BBQ beans. The place looks like a dive, but Perry is very friendly, the food is excellent, & due to the proximity to Whiteman Air Force Base his walls are decorated with pictures of fighter squadrans who appreciate his cooking. The walls are covered in pictures of pilots & a few Generals who have written him letters of thanks, and one wall is dedicated to Hank Williams, Jr. - Hoo Ahh!
Satisfied that the world is still a good place with Perry's smoke still churning, I headed back to the office & started preparing my documents for the client's binder. Once everything was updated I handed it off to our Administrative Assitant to put the binders together. Today I took the binders to a Senior Consultant to review & quality check my work before we mail them to the client. He had me create a QC document for his review in our Project Management Database for our ISO9000 certification. The project was quick, billable, & a nice break from the office. I'll do more of these anytime!