🏭 Hydrogen fluoride (fluorinated compounds expressed as HF) in waste gases — CEN reference method: sampling through a probe and filter into absorbers, gaseous or gaseous plus particle-bound fluorides, determination by ionometry, spectrophotometry or ion chromatography, CEN/TS 17340

Environment CEN/TS 17340

Overview

WHAT THIS STANDARD COVERS. We know the scope of the 2020 edition from the description in the NEN and DIN Media catalogues (the same text in both, read on 30.09.2026): the document specifies a manual method for the determination of the concentration of fluorinated compounds expressed as HF in two cases — in the first the measurand is the concentration of gaseous and particle-bound fluorides, in the second the concentration of gaseous fluorides only; it proposes three analytical techniques: ionometry, spectrophotometry and ion-exchange chromatography; it specifies the performance characteristics to be determined and the performance criteria to be fulfilled when the method is used as the Standard Reference Method (SRM) for periodic monitoring and for the calibration or control of automated measuring systems (AMS) permanently installed on a stack, for regulatory or other purposes. It applies to fluoride concentrations from 0.1 mg HF/m³ to 10 mg HF/m³ at standard conditions of pressure and temperature; the limit of quantification of the method is estimated at 0.1 mg/m³ for a sampled gas volume of 0.1 m³; interference may occur for some matrices, and known interfering elements are listed in Annex C. Note to the scope: emission limit values (ELV) for HF are expressed in mg/m³ for dry gas at standard conditions (Tstd = 273 K, Pstd = 101.3 kPa). We do not have the text of the 2020 edition. We have the enquiry draft prEN 17340:2018 of November 2018 — the Slovenian edition oSIST prEN 17340:2018, marked as identical to prEN 17340 — in a preview extract from the title page through the table of contents, the European foreword and clauses 1 and 2 to the end of definition 3.23 (page 11). Everything this entry states beyond the scope description comes from this draft and is marked as such. The draft was a draft European STANDARD, while the document was published in 2020 as a technical specification, so the content may have changed — the scope description already did: in the draft both cases also include “hydrofluoric acid” and the range 0.1–10 mg/m³ refers to “the HF concentration of more or less dust-laden flue gases”; in the description of the 2020 edition (NEN, DIN Media) hydrofluoric acid is no longer named in the cases, the range refers to “fluoride concentrations”, and “quantification limit” has become “limit of quantification”. The Estonian EVS gives, for the 2020 edition, the scope description in the wording of the draft.

ACCORDING TO THE DRAFT prEN 17340:2018 (table of contents, foreword, clauses 1–3.23). The draft was prepared by CEN/TC 264 “Air quality” (secretariat held by DIN). It has seven normative references, among them EN 15259:2007 (measurement sections and sites, measurement objective, plan and report) and EN ISO 10304-1 (determination of dissolved anions, including fluoride, by ion chromatography). Table of contents: clause 5 — measuring principle; 6 — sampling equipment: sampling line with a side stream (first case) and without a side stream (second case), sampling probe, filter housing, particle filter, temperature controller, absorbers, sample gas pump, gas volume meter; 7 — field operation: measurement planning, sampling strategy (measurement section and plane, minimum number and location of measurement points, sampling time and volume sampled, measurement ports and working platform), preparation of the glassware and the absorption solution, assembling the equipment, field blank, heating of the sampling line, leak test, introduction of the probe into the duct, sampling, rinsing of the sampling system and preparation of the samples; 8 — analysis: preparing the samples from the washing bottles, methods for the treatment of dust collected in the probe and on the filter, determination; 9 — performance characteristics of the method (sampling, sources of uncertainty of the analysis, performance criterion of the analysis, uncertainty budget); 10 — expression of results: volume of dry sampled gas separately for the main line (particulate fluorine) and for the secondary line (gaseous fluorine), HF concentration on a dry gas basis, conversion to wet gas at standard conditions and to a reference CO2 and O2 content; 11 — test report. Annexes: A (informative) — types of sampling device; B (normative) — treatment of filters: with sodium carbonate, procedure in the presence of elements sequestering fluorides, alkaline attack, pyrohydrolysis (principle, reagents, equipment, operating procedure); C (normative) — the three analytical techniques for HF: matrix interferences, ionometry (principle, scope, reagents, equipment, sampling, calibration, determination, results), spectrophotometry (also interferents and blank test), ion chromatography (interferences, limit of detection, chromatographic system according to EN ISO 10304-1, quality criteria for the separation column); D and E (informative) — examples of evaluating the compliance of the method with emission measurement requirements, separately for the first and the second case; F (normative) — water vapour concentration of water-saturated gas at pstd = 101.325 kPa; G (informative) — uncertainty of a concentration on dry gas and at an oxygen reference concentration. Definitions from clause 3 of the draft that change how a result is read: particulate HF is the inorganic fluorinated compounds from the filter, determined by one of the methods of Annex C — they originate from hydrofluoric acid trapped by the particles and the filter and from the particulate fluorinated compounds present in the waste gas; gaseous HF is the fluorinated compounds not retained by the filter and trapped in the absorbers; total HF is the sum of both (3.12). The absorption efficiency (3.2) is the ratio of the quantity of analyte in the first absorber to the quantity in the whole series of absorbers. The chemical blank (3.7) is the fluoride ion content of an unexposed absorption solution, completed if necessary with the reagents added before analysis; the field blank (3.10–3.11) is to show that no significant contamination occurred at any step — from equipment preparation in the laboratory through transport and installation to the analysis — and that the operator reaches the level of quantification needed for the measurement. The limit of quantification (3.23) of a manual method is usually ten times the standard deviation of blank measurements, provided the blank value is negligible; the emission limit value (3.8) refers to a period of 30 min, 1 hour or 1 day.

STATUS AND EDITION (read on 30.09.2026). EVS (Estonia): CEN/TS 17340:2020 “Valid from 15.10.2020”, the only edition in its history, ICS 13.040.40. NEN (Netherlands): CEN/TS 17340:2020 in English, status “Current”, publication date 1 September 2020, 71 pages. DIN Media: DIN CEN/TS 17340:2021-01 — German version of CEN/TS 17340:2020, 72 pages, type “Pre-Standard”. PKN catalogue: the query “17340” returns “Brak wyników wyszukiwania” (no results), and so do the queries “CEN/TS 17340” and “PKN-CEN/TS 17340”; the same search under “15675” finds PKN-CEN/TS 15675:2009, so technical specifications published by PKN are visible in it — this one is not there. The notation “CEN/TS 17340:2020-09” in accreditation scopes therefore does not point to a Polish edition; the month matches the publication date given by NEN. The other document of the joint reference, ISO 15713:2006, is valid according to EVS since 09.06.2006 and has only this edition in its history — so neither document is withdrawn and neither replaces the other (read on 30.09.2026).

WHAT THE REGULATION SAYS. The Regulation of the Minister of Climate and Environment of 7 September 2021 on the requirements for emission measurements (consolidated text Dz.U. 2023 item 1706, in force according to ELI, read on 30.09.2026) names HF only in Annex 3 — for waste incineration and co-incineration plants and devices. Continuous measurement (Table A, item 7): “IR absorption or another optical method”. Periodic measurement (Table B, item 17 — when periodic measurements are carried out instead of continuous ones, § 3(3)(2)): “any manual method based on the guidelines of ISO 15713”. Annual control of continuous systems by parallel measurements (note 1): “for HF in accordance with ISO 15713 or an equivalent instrumental method”. The number CEN/TS 17340 does not appear in the act (the whole text searched by number; the same search finds the number ISO 15713 twice). Whether a method according to CEN/TS 17340 is “a manual method based on the guidelines of ISO 15713” is not settled by the act.

IN ACCREDITATION SCOPES. Copy of the scope database (data up to 17.09.2026, read on 30.09.2026): the number 17340 stands in 24 records of 9 laboratories — AB 409, AB 412, AB 753, AB 833, AB 974, AB 976, AB 1028, AB 1624 and AB 1880; there is no other document with this number in the copy. The current PCA documents of these laboratories (downloaded on 30.09.2026) contain 14 entries of the number, with no suspended items; 13 of them stand together with ISO 15713:2006. The only stand-alone entry is at AB 1624 (issue no. 16 of 24.07.2026): “Sampling for the determination of hydrogen fluoride concentration” and “Emission of hydrogen fluoride (calculated)” for waste gases, on a scope page without the heading on measurements for the regulated area; on another page without this heading the same laboratory cites both documents for AMS, and on the pages with the heading it cites ISO 15713:2006 alone for waste gases. Laboratories write the edition as “CEN/TS 17340:2020-09” (10 entries at 6 laboratories) or “CEN/TS 17340:2020” (4 entries at AB 409, AB 412 and AB 1880). 11 of the 14 entries include sampling for the determination of HF, and 10 include HF emission (calculated). Measuring methodologies — “HF concentration” with a range and technique — appear only with the joint reference, at three laboratories: AB 409 (AMS: (0.045–200) mg/m³, ion chromatography with conductometric detection), AB 753 (waste gases: (0.1–200) mg/m³, potentiometric method; AMS: (0.1–200) mg/m³, ion-selective electrode method) and AB 974 (waste gases and AMS: (0.02–200) mg/m³, potentiometric method). AB 974 also determines HF in waste gas samples collected in absorption solutions — (0.02–20) mg per sample, potentiometric method — but only according to ISO 15713:2006. The “Laboratories” tab of this entry looks for entries beginning with “CEN/TS 17340” and shows 4 laboratories: AB 753, AB 976, AB 1624 and AB 1880 (query on labcoda.pl, 30.09.2026). The other five have a single entry “ISO 15713:2006 CEN/TS 17340:2020…” in the copy, so they are visible in the tab of the ISO 15713 entry. The database copy differs from the PCA documents in two places: at AB 976 it assigned ISO 15713 to the sampling row and CEN/TS 17340 to the row “Emission of the above compound (calculated)”, although in the document (issue no. 28 of 31.07.2026) both numbers stand one below the other next to this pair of rows; at AB 1028 the row “HF emission (calculated)” has no reference document in the copy. Therefore the number corresponds to 26 methodology rows in the PCA documents and to 24 records in the copy.

ALONGSIDE THIS SPECIFICATION. Hydrogen fluoride or fluorides in waste gases, in AMS and in waste gas samples collected in absorption solutions appear at 39 laboratories in the database copy (183 items, counted by the name of the test and parameter). ISO 15713 stands next to these items at 36 of them, CEN/TS 17340 at 8 — and each of these 8 also has ISO 15713; the ninth laboratory with CEN/TS 17340, AB 976, has this number in the copy next to the row “Emission of the above compound”, without the name of the substance. Other documents next to these items: PN-EN 14181 — calibration (QAL2) and annual surveillance test (AST) of automated measuring systems with HF on the list (13 laboratories), in-house procedures of the laboratories (10 laboratories), US EPA Method 26 and 26A (AB 409, AB 550), ISO 10304-1 (AB 550), PN-Z-04093-07 (AB 877) and PN-82/Z-04093.03 excluding clause 3 (AB 719), and “Standards” in a flexible scope (AB 412). Both standards of the PN-Z-04093 series are withdrawn, and their catalogue cards have no “Replaced by” field: PN-Z-04093-07:1984 (inorganic fluorine compounds in ambient air, collected on impregnated filters, ion-selective electrode) — 13-08-2015, PN-Z-04093-03:1982 (hydrogen fluoride and fluorides at workplaces, colorimetric method with microdiffusion) — 27-11-2012 (read on 30.09.2026).

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First, the two cases are two different quantities: in the first the result includes gaseous and particle-bound fluorides (according to the draft — the sum of HF from the filter and HF from the absorbers, with separate gas volumes for the main and the secondary line), in the second only gaseous ones. ISO 15713:2006, according to its scope description, measures gaseous fluorides — compounds volatile at the filtration temperature which produce soluble fluoride compounds upon reaction with water, excluding fluorocarbons. A result of the first case is therefore not the same as a result of the second case or a result according to ISO 15713, and the accreditation scope does not distinguish this (e.g. AB 409: “hydrogen fluoride, fluorine, fluorides (HF, F, F⁻)”) — the case must be stated in the report. Second, the ranges: CEN/TS 17340 covers 0.1–10 mg HF/m³, and ISO 15713 — according to EVS — concentrations below 200 mg/m³ (higher ones only after checking the absorption efficiency of the bubblers); the ranges in the scopes with the joint reference reach 200 mg/m³, and their lower ends 0.02 and 0.045 mg/m³ lie below the limit of quantification of CEN/TS 17340 estimated for 0.1 m³ of gas. The accreditation scope does not say which part of the range rests on which document. The same figure of 0.1 mg/m³ for 0.1 m³ of gas is the limit of QUANTIFICATION in CEN/TS 17340 and the limit of DETECTION in the description of ISO 15713 — when comparing the two documents, these are not the same quantity. Third, the reference conditions: an HF result without stating whether it refers to dry gas, at 273 K and 101.3 kPa, and at which reference O2 or CO2 content cannot be compared with a limit value; the draft provides these conversions in clause 10 and the water vapour concentration of saturated gas in Annex F. Fourth, the calculation: “HF emission (calculated)” is the concentration measured by this method multiplied by the gas volume flow, which is measured separately (in the scopes of these nine laboratories — separate items “Gas volume flow” or “Velocity and volume flow of gas”, according to other documents), so an error in the flow carries over to the emission even when the concentration is correct.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of CEN/TS 17340:2020: the search found no preview of the 2020 edition (e.g. the Slovenian SIST-TS), and the iTeh catalogue page is built by a script and does not deliver the content. From the 2018 draft we have the table of contents, the foreword, the scope, the normative references and the definitions up to 3.23 — we do not have clauses 4–11 or the annexes. We therefore do not give the composition and volume of the absorption solution, the number of absorbers, the probe and filter temperatures, the flow rate, the sampling time and volume, the absorption efficiency criterion, the conditions of the filter treatment (sodium carbonate, alkaline attack, pyrohydrolysis), the procedures of the three analytical techniques and their interferences, the performance criteria or the uncertainty budget. We do not know whether the 2020 edition kept the clause structure of the draft. The accreditation scopes do not say which case the laboratories apply, and only three of them state the determination technique, next to the HF concentration.

Method principle

A measured volume of waste gas is drawn from the duct through a probe and filter into a series of absorbers containing an absorption solution. In the first case (sampling line with a side stream) the particle-bound fluorides — from the dust collected in the probe and on the filter, after treatment of the filter — and the gaseous fluorides from the absorbers are determined, and the result is their sum; in the second case (line without a side stream) only the gaseous fluorides that passed through the filter are determined. The fluorides in the solutions are determined by ionometry (ion-selective electrode), spectrophotometry or ion chromatography, and the result is expressed as the mass concentration of HF in dry gas at standard conditions (273 K, 101.3 kPa), converted to a reference O2 or CO2 content where required. Structure and definitions — according to the draft prEN 17340:2018; scope, cases and techniques — also according to the description of the 2020 edition.

Applications

• Periodic measurements of hydrogen fluoride (fluorinated compounds expressed as HF) emissions from stationary sources — in the scopes of 9 laboratories, in 13 of 14 entries together with ISO 15713:2006
• Calibration and control of permanently installed automated measuring systems (AMS) for HF — in the scopes for AMS at AB 409, AB 753, AB 833, AB 974 and AB 1624
• Determination of gaseous fluorides together with particle-bound ones (first case) or of gaseous ones only (second case) — the case has to be stated in the report

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

CEN/TS 17340:2020 (specyfikacja techniczna CEN)

Title (PL)

Emisja ze źródeł stacjonarnych — Oznaczanie stężenia masowego związków fluoru wyrażonych jako HF — Standardowa metoda odniesienia

Title (EN)

Stationary source emissions — Determination of mass concentration of fluorinated compounds expressed as HF — Standard reference method

Step-by-step procedure

1. Objective, plan and measurement site

   Planning and sampling strategy according to clauses 7.1–7.2 of the draft: measurement section and plane, minimum number and location of measurement points, sampling time and volume, ports and platform; the draft references EN 15259:2007 normatively. Figures NOT GIVEN — clause 7 lies outside the text read.

2. Choice of case

   First case (gaseous and particle-bound fluorides, line with a side stream) or second case (gaseous fluorides only, line without a side stream) — these are two different measurands; record the choice in the plan and in the report.

3. Preparation and assembly

   According to clauses 7.3–7.7 of the draft: preparation of the glassware and the absorption solution, assembly of the equipment, field blank (to show no significant contamination at any step and the achievable quantification), heating of the sampling line, leak test.

4. Sampling

   According to 7.8 of the draft: introduction of the probe into the duct, sampling, rinsing of the system and preparation of the samples; the gas volume read from the gas meter enters the result. Time, flow and volume NOT GIVEN.

5. Analysis

   According to clause 8 and Annexes B–C of the draft: samples from the absorbers; dust from the probe and filter after treatment (sodium carbonate, alkaline attack or pyrohydrolysis); determination of fluoride by ionometry, spectrophotometry or ion chromatography, with a chemical blank.

6. Calculation of the result

   According to clause 10 of the draft: dry gas volume (in the first case separately for the main and the secondary line), HF concentration on a dry gas basis, conversion to wet gas at standard conditions and to a reference CO2 or O2 content (water vapour concentration of saturated gas — Annex F).

7. Uncertainty and report

   According to clauses 9 and 11 of the draft: performance characteristics of the method and uncertainty budget (examples — Annexes D and E, separately for each case); the report states the case, the determination technique and the reference conditions of the result. HF emission (calculated) additionally requires the gas volume flow measured according to another document.

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• Hydrogen fluoride is highly toxic and corrosive — work at the stack and with samples and absorbers requires protection of the respiratory tract, eyes and skin; the extract of the draft that was read contains no safety warnings
• Sampling takes place on the measurement platform with hot gases and a heated sampling line — protection against burns and rules for working at height
• TECHNICAL NOTE: the result of the first case (gaseous and particle-bound fluorides) and of the second case (gaseous only) are two different quantities, and the range in the accreditation scope with the joint reference reaches 200 mg/m³, beyond the field of application of CEN/TS 17340 (0.1–10 mg HF/m³) — state the case, the technique and the reference conditions in the report

Frequently asked questions