AWS F1.6:2003

An American National Standard

Guide for Estimating Welding Emissions for EPA and Ventilation Permit Reporting

Key Words— Emission factors, welding fumes,

environmental reporting

AWS F1.6:2003

An American National Standard

Approved by American National Standards Institute

February 25, 2003

Guide for Estimating Welding Emissions for EPA

and Ventilation Permit Reporting

Prepared by AWS Project Committee on Fumes and Gases

Under the Direction of AWS Committee on Safety and Health

Approved by AWS Board of Directors

Abstract

This document assists companies in estimating emissions from welding processes for EPA reporting purposes by choos- ing the simplest applicable method and following its steps. Example calculations are included.

550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, Florida 33126

Statement on Use of AWS American National Standards

All standards (codes, specifications, recommended practices, methods, classifications, and guides) of the American Welding Society (AWS) are voluntary consensus standards that have been developed in accordance with the rules of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). When AWS standards are either incorporated in, or made part of, docu- ments that are included in federal or state laws and regulations, or the regulations of other governmental bodies, their provisions carry the full legal authority of the statute. In such cases, any changes in those AWS standards must be ap- proved by the governmental body having statutory jurisdiction before they can become a part of those laws and regula- tions. In all cases, these standards carry the full legal authority of the contract or other document that invokes the AWS standards. Where this contractual relationship exists, changes in or deviations from requirements of an AWS standard must be by agreement between the contracting parties.

International Standard Book Number: 0-87171-712-3 American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126

© 2003 by American Welding Society. All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

AWS American National Standards are developed through a consensus standards development process that brings together volunteers representing varied viewpoints and interests to achieve consensus. While AWS administers the process and establishes rules to promote fairness in the development of consensus, it does not independently test, evaluate, or verify the accuracy of any information or the soundness of any judgments contained in its standards.

AWS disclaims liability for any injury to persons or to property, or other damages of any nature whatsoever, whether spe- cial, indirect, consequential or compensatory, directly or indirectly resulting from the publication, use of, or reliance on this standard. AWS also makes no guaranty or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.

In issuing and making this standard available, AWS is not undertaking to render professional or other services for or on behalf of any person or entity. Nor is AWS undertaking to perform any duty owed by any person or entity to someone else. Anyone using these documents should rely on his or her own independent judgment or, as appropriate, seek the advice of a competent professional in determining the exercise of reasonable care in any given circumstances.

This standard may be superseded by the issuance of new editions. Users should ensure that they have the latest edition.

Publication of this standard does not authorize infringement of any patent. AWS disclaims liability for the infringement of any patent resulting from the use or reliance on this standard.

Finally, AWS does not monitor, police, or enforce compliance with this standard, nor does it have the power to do so.

On occasion, text, tables, or figures are printed incorrectly, constituting errata. Such errata, when discovered, are posted on the AWS web page (www.aws.org).

Official interpretations of any of the technical requirements of this standard may be obtained by sending a request, in writing, to the Managing Director, Technical Services Division, American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126 (see Annex B). With regard to technical inquiries made concerning AWS standards, oral opinions on AWS standards may be rendered. However, such opinions represent only the personal opinions of the particular individuals giving them. These individuals do not speak on behalf of AWS, nor do these oral opinions constitute official or unofficial opinions or inter- pretations of AWS. In addition, oral opinions are informal and should not be used as a substitute for an official interpretation.

This standard is subject to revision at any time by the AWS Safety and Health Committee. It must be reviewed every five years, and if not revised, it must be either reapproved or withdrawn. Comments (recommendations, additions, or deletions) and any pertinent data that may be of use in improving this standard are required and should be addressed to AWS Headquarters. Such comments will receive careful consideration by the AWS Safety and Health Committee and the author of the comments will be informed of the Committee’s response to the comments. Guests are invited to attend all meetings of the AWS Safety and Health Committee to express their comments verbally. Procedures for appeal of an adverse decision concerning all such comments are provided in the Rules of Operation of the Technical Activities Committee. A copy of these Rules can be obtained from the American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126.

Photocopy Rights

Authorization to photocopy items for internal, personal, or educational classroom use only, or the internal, personal, or educational classroom use only of specific clients, is granted by the American Welding Society (AWS) provided that the appropriate fee is paid to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, Tel: 978-750-8400; online: https://www.copyright.com.

Personnel

AWS Safety and Health Committee

S. R. Fiore, Chair Edison Welding Institute

1. J. Tucker, 1st Vice Chair Dalloz Safety

2. P. Hedrick, Secretary American Welding Society

   1. M. Antonini NIOSH

   2. Bancroft Consultant

K. L. Brown The Lincoln Electric Company

D. E. Clark Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

1. W. Duffield U.S. Geological Survey

   J. D. Jennings Miller Electric Manufacturing Company

   S. F. Kane Brookhaven National Laboratory

   K. A. Lyttle Praxair, Incorporated

   A. F. Manz A. F. Manz Associates

   *O. J. Fisher Consultant

   *J. F. Hinrichs Friction Stir Link, Incorporated

   *M. T. Neu Caterpillar, Incorporated

   *R. J. Simonton Sandia National Laboratories

   *D. H. Sliney U.S. Army Center

   *R. M. Tuggle U.S. Department of Energy

   *M. E. Wallace U.S. Public Health Service

   
   

   AWS Subcommittee on Fumes and Gases

2. E. Clark, Chair Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

S. R. Fiore, Vice Chair Edison Welding Institute

S. P. Hedrick, Secretary American Welding Society

K. L. Brown The Lincoln Electric Company

1. W. Dimler JWD Associates

2. A. Lyttle Praxair, Incorporated

J. J. Palach Hobart Brothers of Canada

R. B. Smith Select-Arc

A. M. Zhivov Zhivov & Associates

*H. J. Bagnall Consultant

*G. C Barnes Consultant

*W. J. Brutsche Ohio BWC/Safety and Hygiene

*H. R. Castner Edison Welding Institute

*W. H. Drake S.W. Missouri State University

*P. J. Hewitt University of Bradford

*J. Kohl Torit Products—Donaldson Company

*G. R. Meyer Consultant

*J. W. Tackett Consultant

*M. E. Wallace U.S. Public Health Service

*Advisor

iii

Foreword

(This Foreword is not a part of AWS F1.6:2003, Guide for Estimating Welding Emissions for EPA and Ventilation Permit Reporting, but is included for informational purposes only.)

This document originated with the AWS Safety and Health Subcommittee for Fumes and Gases, with assistance from manufacturers and users of welding equipment and consumables. It is intended as a guide that will assist companies in estimating emissions from welding processes for EPA reporting purposes.

Comments and suggestions for the improvement of this standard are welcomed. They should be sent to the Secretary, AWS Safety and Health Committee, American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126.

Official interpretations of any of the technical requirements of this standard may be obtained by sending a request, in writing, to the Managing Director, Technical Services Division, American Welding Society. A formal reply will be issued after it has been reviewed by the appropriate personnel following established procedures.

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Table of Contents

Page No.

Personnel iii

Foreword v

List of Tables viii

1. Scope 1

2. Referenced Documents 1

3. Estimating Emissions 1

   1. Considerations in Estimating Emissions 1

   2. Emissions Calculations 2

   3. Methods for Estimating Emission Factors 2

Nonmandatory Annexes 5

Annex A—Typical Emission Factors for Total Fume and Elemental Fume Content for

Common Welding Processes and Electrodes 5

Annex B—Guidelines for the Preparation of Technical Inquiries for AWS Technical Committees 7

vii

List of Tables

Table Page No.

1 Process-Based Emission Factors Estimates 2

viii

AWS F1.6:2003

Guide for Estimating Welding Emissions for EPA and Ventilation Permit Reporting

1. Scope

   This guide outlines methods of estimating airborne emissions from the arc welding process. This document does not cover disposal of collected wastes from the welding process, including collected welding fume. Emissions from sources other than the welding consum- able (such as zinc oxide from galvanized material) can- not be estimated based upon process or consumable data alone and should be addressed by onsite testing (Method 4). These estimates do not consider gaseous emissions that may be present in welding such as ozone, carbon dioxide, argon, oxides of nitrogen or other gases. This document does not discuss safety issues; for more information, see ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes. This standard makes use of the

   U.S. Customary Units. Approximate mathematical equivalents in the International System of Units (SI) are provided for comparison in parentheses ( ) or in appro- priate columns in tables or figures.

   
   

2. Referenced Documents

   1. The following ANSI standard1 is referenced in the mandatory section of this standard:

      ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes.

   2. The following EPA document2 is referenced in the mandatory section of this standard:

The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act, EPA- 400-K-93-001, April 1993.

1. ANSI Z49.1 is published by the American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126.

2. This EPA publication is published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Service Center for Environmental Publications, P.O. Box 42419, Cincinnati, OH 45242, or may be viewed at the EPA Web site (https://www.epa.gov).

3. Estimating Emissions

3.1 Considerations in Estimating Emissions. Welding fume particulates are essentially submicron in size and are considered to be in the PM-10 classification (parti- cles less than or equal to 10 µm aerodynamic diameter size range, as defined in The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act, EPA-400-K-93-001, April 1993). Fre- quently, calculated total emissions from welding opera- tions are below reporting threshold values and therefore estimating the amount of components of this total may not be required. Because of this, process-based estimates can be used for most reporting without significant impact on operations. Thus, useful estimates can be obtained without extensive research, calculations or testing.

The calculation for the process-based estimate is simple and straightforward. If a more precise estimate is desired, the other methods discussed in 3.3 offer alter- natives. As each method increases in precision, so do the complexity, time and cost for estimation increase. It is best to start with the easiest method first and see if it meets the stated need.

Emissions from sources other than the welding con- sumable (such as zinc oxide fume from welding galva- nized material) are not included in estimates from Methods 1, 2, or 3. Estimates for emissions from welding where individual constituents are required to be reported should start with Method 2 under 3.3.

3.1.1 Reporting Requirements for the Components of the Welding Fume. Estimating the amounts of the components of welding fume may not be necessary for reporting, even though the fume may contain materials listed as “Hazardous Air Pollutants” by the EPA (see 2.2). Refer to local regulations to determine the applica- ble threshold levels for total emissions or emissions of component materials. Though local regulations vary, if the calculated total emissions from the facility (welding and non-welding related) are less than the reporting threshold values, estimating the amount of the compo- nents of this total may not be required.

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