Portable gas monitor

• US 20080127726A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elkins Earthworks, LLC
• Original Assignee: Elkins Earthworks, LLC
• Inventors: Elkins, Charles D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,168,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/152.42
• CPC Class Codes: B09B 1/00 Dumping solid waste
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/10 Locating fluid leaks, intrusions or movements

Abstract

A portable monitor used to measure landfill gas and landfill well parameters. The portable monitor includes a control unit and a measuring unit that can communication wirelessly with one another. The control unit and/or measuring unit can includes a heating arrangement to increase the temperature of one or more components in the control unit and/or measuring unit in cold environments.

Claims

1. A portable monitor adapted to obtain at least one property of a fluid flowing in a well, said portable monitor including at least one heating element designed to heat at least one internal component of said portable monitor, said at least one property including a property selected from the group consisting of well pressure, fluid composition, or combinations thereof.

2. The portable monitor as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one heating element designed to be manually activated, automatically activated, or combinations thereof.

3. The portable monitor as defined in claim 1, wherein said portable monitor includes at least three pressure sensors to enable said portable monitor to measure at least three fluid pressures.

4. The portable monitor as defined in claim 1, wherein said portable monitor includes a control unit and a measuring unit, said control unit designed to monitor and control at least one function of said measuring unit, said measuring unit including at least one pressure measurement component and at least one chemical analyzer.

5. The portable monitor as defined in claim 4, wherein said control unit and said measuring unit wirelessly communicate with one another.

6. The portable monitor as defined in claim 4, wherein said control unit is a tablet PC, a palm PC, a PDA, or a blackberry device.

7. The portable monitor as defined in claim 4, wherein said measuring unit includes a plurality of chemical analyzers design to measure the presence and concentration of at least three gases, at least three of said gases that can be measured by said chemical analyzers is selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, methane, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and combinations thereof.

8. The portable monitor as defined in claim 4, wherein said measuring unit is able to simultaneously detect at least three pressures from a well, said pressures including static well pressure, available well pressure, and applied well pressure.

9. The portable monitor as defined in claim 1, wherein said portable monitor includes G.P.S. software and hardware.

10. A method of monitoring a landfill well comprising:

a. providing a portable monitor, said portable including a control unit and a measuring unit, said measuring unit including at least one heating element designed to heat at least one internal component of said measuring unit, said control unit designed to monitor and control at least one function of said measuring unit, said measuring unit including at least one pressure measurement component and at least one chemical analyzer;

b. connecting said measuring unit to a plurality of ports in said well; and

,

c. monitoring and controlling at least one function of said measuring unit from a remote location by said control unit.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein said control unit and said measuring unit wirelessly communicate with one another.

12. The method defined in claim 10, including the step of measuring the presence and concentration of at least three gases, at least three of said gases are selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, methane, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and combinations thereof.

13. The method as defined in claim 10, including the step of simultaneously detecting at least three pressures from a well, said pressures including static well pressure, available well pressure, and applied well pressure.

14. The method as defined in claim 10, including the step of obtaining G.P.S. coordinates for the well.

15. A portable landfill gas monitor comprising a control unit and a measuring unit, said control unit designed to wirelessly monitor and control at least one function of said measuring unit from a location remote from said measuring unit, said measuring unit including at least one pressure measurement component, said measuring unit includes a plurality of chemical analyzers design to measure the presence and concentration of at least three gases in a landfill gas, at least three of said gases that can be measured by said chemical analyzers are selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, methane, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and combinations thereof.

16. The portable landfill gas monitor as defined in claim 15, wherein said measuring unit is able to simultaneously detect at least three pressures from a well, said pressures including static well pressure, available well pressure, and applied well pressure.

17. The portable landfill gas monitor as defined in claim 15, wherein said measuring unit includes at least one heating element designed to heat at least one internal component of said measuring unit.

18. The portable landfill gas monitor as defined in claim 15, wherein said control unit is a tablet PC, a palm PC, a PDA, or a blackberry device.

19. The portable landfill gas monitor as defined in claim 15, wherein said control unit includes G.P.S. software and hardware.

20. The portable landfill gas monitor as defined in claim 15, wherein said measuring unit obtains information for a LEL measurement of said landfill gas.