ISO 12141:2024

Overview

ISO 12141:2024 - "Stationary source emissions - Determination of low range mass concentration of dust - Manual gravimetric method" is a Standard Reference Method (SRM) for measuring low dust concentrations in ducted gaseous streams. The standard covers manual gravimetric sampling and analysis for dust mass concentrations below 50 mg/m³ at standard conditions and has been validated with focus around 5 mg/m³. It was developed primarily for waste incinerators, but is applicable to other stationary sources and to higher concentrations where appropriate.

Key Topics and Requirements

ISO 12141:2024 sets detailed technical requirements across the measurement workflow:

• Measurement planning and sampling strategy
  • Define measurement section, measurement plane, number and location of points, and sampling ports.
• Equipment and materials
  • Requirements for velocity/temperature/pressure measurement devices, sampling systems, filtration devices, entry nozzles and suction units.
• Sampling and isokinetic considerations
  • Procedures to ensure representative particle capture (see informative Annex B on isokinetic rate influence).
• Weighing and filter conditioning
  • Strict pre- and post-sampling conditioning and weighing procedures to achieve the accuracy needed at low dust levels.
• Deposit recovery and rinsing
  • Methods for recovering deposits upstream of filters and treating rinsing solutions.
• Calculation and reporting
  • Formulas for sampling volumetric flow rate, dust concentration calculation, and required contents of the measurement report.
• Quality and uncertainty
  • Guidance on performance characteristics (Annex A) and measurement uncertainty estimation (Annex G).

Important caveat: if exhaust gases contain unstable, reactive or semi-volatile substances, results depend on sampling and filter treatment conditions; filter temperature and method (in-stack vs out-stack) can affect results.

Practical Applications and Users

ISO 12141:2024 is intended for professionals involved in stack emissions monitoring and compliance:

• Environmental laboratories performing manual gravimetric dust analysis
• Stack testing and field measurement teams at waste incinerators, power plants, and other stationary sources
• Regulatory agencies and accredited bodies specifying or auditing SRMs for particulate emissions
• Operators and consultants calibrating automated measuring systems (AMS) against a manual SRM

Benefits include reproducible, validated procedures for low-range dust monitoring and a documented basis for compliance testing, performance evaluation, and AMS calibration.

Related Standards

• ISO 15259:2023 - requirements for measurement sections, plan and report (referenced)
• ISO 16911-1 - manual reference method for velocity and flow rate in ducts
• EN 13284-1:2017 - European standard on which this ISO edition is based

Keywords: ISO 12141:2024, stationary source emissions, low range mass concentration of dust, manual gravimetric method, waste incinerators, isokinetic sampling, filter conditioning, weighing procedure, measurement uncertainty.