DOCS II 4+

DOCS II is the second generation Digital Opacity Compliance System (DOCS) utilized for EPA Method 9 and 22 for Visual Emissions Observation.

DOCS II is developed by Virtual Technology, LLC, located in Rio Rico, Arizona.

Air Quality has been driven by Opacity Emission standards since the 1800s, with Opacity percentages used to determine airflow requirements for various coal-fired boilers. Every locality in the USA has a standing Visible Emission Opacity limit of no more than 40% Opacity over any six minutes. Visible Emission Standards lowering this opacity limit to 20% / 5% / Zero are not uncommon in the USA, with enforcement of air pollution regulations at the federal, state, and local levels.

Failure to adhere to these regulations is very costly, as violations of opacity limits can result in fines of $25,000 per source per day. The most common methods to monitor opacity levels are EPA Method 9, EPA Alternative Method 082, ASTM D7520-16, Digital Camera Opacity Technique, using EPA Method 22. The methods are a visible emission indicator of smoke or no smoke, followed by a Visible Emission Observation (VEO) to determine Opacity.

A Visible Emissions Manager completely automates the entire capture of information needed for a Visible Emission Observation. Using Google Maps, compass, inclinometers, distance calculations, online weather, and sun angle data, the VEO is documented with populated data. With the local data captured, the VEO is uploaded to the Virtual Technology LLC servers, and a completed VEO report is generated to create the compliance archive.

Nuisance ‘visible’ emissions accounted for over 85% of Air Quality complaints until today are still monitored exclusively by the highly subjective human observation method 9. Visible Emissions Manager is the solution for measuring Opacity and managing complaints of Nuisance Visible Emissions and regulated sources.