QUALITY ASSURANCE & CONTROL FOR CEMS EUROPEAN SYSTEM - Roland Ze Peck - EN 14181 QAL Scheme

Sep 30, 2026

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Quality assurance and control framework for Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (CEMS) in Europe, aligned with EN 14181 and the European QAL scheme. Defines QAL1 instrument type approval via accredited laboratories, QAL2 calibration against nationally approved reference methods with EN ISO 14956 uncertainty and a five-year repetition cycle, and QAL3 ongoing stability monitoring between AST/QAL2 checks. Includes AST (Annual Surveillance Test) mini-QAL2 activities, required documentation, and actions when annual requirements fail, including immediate full QAL2.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Legislative Monitoring

Quality Assurance in Europe (EN 14181)

QAL Scheme: QAL1, QAL2, QAL3

AST (Annual Surveillance Test)

Standards and Certified Products

QUALITY ASSURANCE & CONTROL FOR CEMS EUROPEAN SYSTEM ROLAND ZE PECK BH U BAN E SWA R , JU LY 1 1 TH – 13 TH , 2 0 2 2 WHERE AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO MEASURE ? LEGISLATIVE MONITORING QUALITY ASSURANCE 1 - EUROPE In Europe, Quality Assurance of any CEMS follows EN 14181 and the following QAL-scheme : QAL3 (Customer continuously) | Installation & Calibration at
site Standard
reference method
QAL2 requires
QAL1 certified analysers (Accredited Laboratory)

| AST
(Accredited
Laboratory) | | --- | --- | Suitability Test (instrument type approval) uncertainty will be calculated acc. to EN ISO 14956 (Manufacturer) Annual / Ongoing Tests QUALITY ASSURANCE 2 - EUROPE QAL QAL QAL QAL 1 is iss is the „TUEV-Test“ (Germany) or MCERTS (UK) eex„i-eesi“te(Gaecrcmeapntya)n coer tMeCsEtRTS eeedi tnsce () –nasly loivtayl.a ue e nall ne,ilplrnfcoeredstby-ains a short QAL 2 ois e cv, igeae,d eoit yauacy. s eted f r l edutsoerb.e used for statutory floyofacns li ,il sa,me monitoring. Approvals can expire or be n, tailastc rtfieand immediately revoked. Online information: [www.qal1.de/en](www.qal1.de/en) n ean 2. Lr qved instrumentation is allowed. QAL 2 to be repeated every five years. Suitability Test uncertainty will be calculated acc. to EN ISO 14956 Installation & Calibration at site Standard reference method QAL2 includes QAL1 Annual / Ongoing Tests QAL 3 Customer continuously QAL 1 QAL 2 AST Accredited laboratory Q AL 1 / I QAL1 is the instrument type approval performed by an accredited laboratory (agency) like TÜV in Germany or SIRA in the UK. According to EN 14181 ("Stationary source emissions-Quality assurance of automated measuring systems") only suitability tested measuring and data acquisition systems are allowed to be used for statutory measurement and monitoring. The basis for the certification of measuring-and evaluating-systems is the European standard: EN 15267 : "Air quality – Certification of automated measuring systems" • part 1: "General principles" • part 2: "Initial assessment of the AMS manufacturer ´ s quality management system and post certification surveillance for the manufacturing process" Q AL 1 / II The following test procedures apply accordingly: Stationary Emission Measurement Systems (CEMS) EN 15267 part 3 : "Performance criteria and test procedures for automated measuring systems for monitoring emissions from stationary sources“ Mobile Emission Measurement Systems EN 15267 part 4 : "Performance criteria and test procedures for automated measuring systems for periodic measurements of emissions from stationary source“ Qualitative Dust Measurement Systems EN 15859 : "Air Quality-Certification of automated dust arrestment plant monitors for use on stationary sources-Performance criteria and test procedures“ Emission Data Acquisition and Handling Systems (DAHS) "German uniform practice for emission monitoring, suitability test of measuring and evaluating-systems for continuous emission measurement“ and INFORMATION on CERTIFIED PRODUCTS: QAL1: [https://www.qal1.de/en/index.htm](https://www.qal1.de/en/index.htm) MCERTS: [https://www.csagroup.org/en-gb/services/mcerts/mcerts-product](https://www.csagroup.org/en-gb/services/mcerts/mcerts-product)certification/mcerts-certified-products/ QAL2 QAL2 covers the calibration of the CEMS against nationally approved analytical methods applied by a test organization accredited to EN ISO/IEC 17025 (and MCERTS in the UK) by a national body, e.g. German EPA (Umwelt-Bundesamt). QAL2 has to be repeated every 5 years. The QAL2 procedure covers the following activities: 1. Installation of the CEMS 2. Functional test(s) of the CEMS 3. Parallel measurements with the SRM for each parameter (as defined in the Site’s Environmental Permit) 4. Data evaluation 5. Calculation of variability of the CEMS measured values 6. Test of variabi

FAQs

What is the role of EN 14181 in CEMS quality assurance?

EN 14181 provides the quality assurance basis for automated measuring systems used for statutory measurement and monitoring, specifying that only suitability-tested systems are allowed.

What does QAL2 cover and how often must it be repeated?

QAL2 includes installation, functional testing, parallel measurements with the SRM, data evaluation, variability and calibration validity checks, reporting, and storing calibration factors. It must be repeated every five years.

What happens if a CEMS fails the Annual Surveillance Test performance requirements?

If the CEMS does not meet the EN 14181 annual surveillance test requirements, it must be rectified and a full QAL2 must be performed immediately.

Sep 30, 2026

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