This document specifies a method for the objective determination of the odour concentration of a gaseous sample using dynamic olfactometry with human assessors. The standard also specifies a method for the determination of the emission rate of odours from stationary sources, in particular:
- point sources (conveyed or ducted emissions);
- active area sources (e.g. biofilters);
- passive sources.
The primary application of this standard is to provide a common basis for evaluation of odour emissions.
When this document is used for the determination of the odour concentration or the odour emission rate of stationary source emissions, the other relevant European Standards concerning stationary source emissions apply, in particular EN 15259 and EN 16911-1, especially when measurements have to be in compliance with the relevant European Directives concerning industrial air emissions.
Even so, the analysis/quantification step of the measurement method described in this document (i.e. the determination of the odour concentration of an odorous gas sample, without respect to the origin of the sample itself) can be fully applied in many cases not related with industrial emission sources (e.g. the measurement of the mass concentration at the detection threshold of pure odorous substances, the determination of effectiveness of deodorizing systems for indoor air). In those latter cases, the requirements in this document concerning the measurement planning and the sampling of stationary sources can be ignored or adapted.
This document is applicable to the measurement of odour concentration of pure substances, defined odorant compounds and undefined mixtures of odorant volatiles in air or nitrogen, using dynamic olfactometry with a panel of human assessors being the sensor. The unit of measurement is the European odour unit per cubic metre: ouE/m3. The odour concentration is measured by determining the dilution factor required to reach the detection threshold. The odour ...