§ 86.1312-88 - Weighing chamber and microgram balance specifications.

Link to an amendment published at 79 FR 23704, Apr. 28, 2014.

(a) Ambient conditions—(1) Temperature. The ambient temperature of the chamber (or room) in which the particulate filters are conditioned and weighed shall be maintained at 295 K ±3 K (22 °C ±3 °C) during all filter conditioning and weighing.

(2) Humidity. The humidity of the chamber (or room) in which the particulate filters are conditioned and weighed shall be maintained at a dew point temperature of 282.5 K ±3 K (9.4 °C ±3 °C) and a relative humidity of 45% ±8%. Either the dew point temperature or the relative humidity or both may be averaged over the preceding 10 minute period on a moving average basis.

(3) The chamber (or room) environment shall be free of any ambient contaminates (such as dust) that would settle on the particulate filters during their stabilization. It is required that at least two unused reference filter pairs remain in the weighing room at all times in covered (to reduce dust contamination) but unsealed (to permit humidity exchange) petri dishes. These reference filter pairs shall be placed in the same general area as the sample filters. These reference filter pairs shall be weighed within 4 hours of, but preferably at the same time as, the sample filter pair weighings.

(4) If the average weight of the reference filter pairs changes between sample filter weighings by more than 40 micrograms, then all sample filters and background filters in the process of stabilization shall be discarded and the emissions tests repeated.

(5) If the room (or chamber) environmental conditions are not met, then the filters shall remain in the conditioning room for at least one hour after correct conditions are met prior to weighing.

(6) The reference filter pairs shall be changed at least once a month, but never between clean and used weighings of a given sample filter pairs. More than one set of reference filter pair may be used. The reference filters shall be the same size and material as the sample filters.

(b) Weighing balance specifications. The microgram balance used to determine the weights of all filters shall have a precision (standard deviation) of 20 micrograms and readability of 10 micrograms.

(Secs. 202, 203, 206, 207, 208, 301a, Clean Air Act, as amended; 42 U.S.C. 7521, 7522, 7525, 7541, 7542, 7601a)

[50 FR 10702, Mar. 15, 1985, as amended at 52 FR 47871, Dec. 16, 1987; 62 FR 47124, Sept. 5, 1997]