Customer: Atmo Aura Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Air quality monitoring networks in France are now managed by regionalized associative structures called AASQA.
ENVEA offers worldwide complete solutions for air quality measurement, and has in particular in France as partners the AASQA networks.
Interview with Mr. Mario Duval, technical manager of Atmo Aura, in charge of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region.
What are your missions ?
We are in charge of daily air quality monitoring for the Auvergne-Rhône Alpes region. It corresponds to measurement values that meet regulatory and normative obligations both at the French and European levels, but we also make forecasts on pollutants that will be regulated in the coming years or on new issues. Our mission is therefore structured around several axes. On the one hand, the observation of air quality and the implementation of improvement actions in partnership with local elected officials. On the other hand, the support to our partners within the framework of measurement campaigns according to their specific needs. And finally, informing the public via our website and our study reports.
Our local investment involves participation in multiple initiatives at the local level, such as Low Emission Zones (LEZ) or Atmospheric Protection Plans (APP) developed with local authorities and government departments. In the latter case, such as in the Arve Valley, we evaluate the potential benefits of the actions implemented to help elected officials make the right decisions.
What are your resources ?
Our structure included 80 people spread over 6 poles (Clermont-Ferrand, Lyon, Grenoble, Saint Etienne, Chambéry and Valence).
The monitoring network is composed of 87 reference stations for continuous measurements and 20 trailers for mobile measurements.
Depending on the local issues, we monitor in station the classical pollutants: NOx, O3, SO2 and particulate matter PM10, PM2.5 and ultra-fine PM on some industrial sites. We also have a monitoring approach for emerging pollutants.
You have recently acquired ENVEA solutions, in what context?
We have just renewed an important part of our fleet of analyzers for the measurement of particulate matter, and also of ozone. And we have opted for the acquisition of ENVEA MP101M and O342e which are QAL 1 certified as well as US-EPA and LCSQA-approved analyzers, which offer an optimal cost/quality ratio and first-class technology.
This is in line with our desire to work in true partnership with our suppliers, with high requirements both in terms of instrument and measurement quality, as well as reactivity in terms of local intervention, availability and technical expertise. It is for these reasons that we have chosen ENVEA.
ENVEA has indeed a recognized know-how, which leads me to contact my regional interlocutor regularly, as soon as I have a problem or a question about a device concerning air quality.
Our technicians particularly appreciate the possibility to take remote control of ENVEA analyzers. This allows them to carry out daily maintenance diagnostics, launch calibrations, etc. and thus to save a certain amount of time when travelling over a very large area.
When the 2 AASQAs (Rhônes-Alpes and Auvergne) were merged, we had 2 types of data acquisition and processing systems. We decided to generalize ENVEA’s XR® system and e-SAM acquisition stations in order to switch the 70 non-connected stations to the latter.
The XR® monitoring and data processing system is in constant evolution in order to meet the regulatory requirements of the European Union. A web version of the user interface, available now, guarantees smooth data consultation and validation and avoids us having to install software on the PCs.
ENVEA support us for this migration, in particular through configuration trainings that have been carried out remotely over the last few weeks. We will also have sessions in the coming months on validation, data processing and creation of regulatory reports so that our technicians can get to grips with the system and its functionalities.
Do you have any upcoming projects?
As part of accident or incident management, we are required to measure new pollutants. Regulations are going to become stricter and the demands made on manufacturers are increasing.
We are discussing future developments with them, the objective being to have mobile and light means to move quickly on site to make air quality measurements.
In addition, we are going to launch an internal micro-sensor test campaign (Ozone, NOx and PM) to assess the effectiveness of this technology, which is increasingly requested by our partners, for example on construction sites. The notion of service is essential for this type of product, which can be complex, particularly in terms of responsiveness and technical advice.
We thus contacted ENVEA to integrate the latest generation of Cairnet® mini-stations equipped with Cairsens® micro-sensors into the campaign. The tests are planned to last one year
