PORTABLE GAS MONITOR

• US 20120297868A1
• Filed: 08/06/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elkins Earthworks, LLC
• Original Assignee: Elkins Earthworks, LLC
• Inventors: ELKINS, CHARLES
• Granted Patent: US 9,592,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/152.31
• CPC Class Codes: B09B 1/00 Dumping solid waste
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/06 Measuring temperature or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/07 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/08 Obtaining fluid samples or testing fluids, in boreholes or wells
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/0875 determining specific fluid parameters
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 7/00 Methods or devices for drawing- off gases with or without subsequent use of the gas for any purpose
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 11/002 Details, e.g. power supply systems for logging instruments, transmitting or recording data, specially adapted for well logging, also if the prospecting method is irrelevant means for transmitting well survey signals E21B47/12; signal transmission systems in general G08C; transmission in general H04B
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 9/007 by detecting gases or particles representative of underground layers at or near the surface analysing earth materials G01N33/24; analysing gases per se G01N

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 communicate wirelessly with one another. The control unit and/or measuring unit can include 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 handheld portable monitor designed for periodic well field testing to enable a user to test a plurality of different landfill wells one at a time and for measuring one or more properties of fluid flowing in each of said tested landfill wells, said handheld portable monitor including a plurality of connectors that enable at least a portion of said handheld portable monitor to be removably connected to the landfill well, said handheld portable monitor including a sensor arrangement to obtain and measure one or more properties of a fluid flowing in the landfill well, said handheld portable monitor including a heating system to heat one or more components of said sensor arrangement of said handheld portable monitor, said properties of said fluid flowing in the landfill well to be measured including a plurality of properties selected from the group consisting of well pressure, well temperature, LEL, UEL, well fluid composition, and composition ratio, said heating system including a microprocessor, a thermocouple and a heating element, said microprocessor activating said heating element when said microprocessor obtains information from said thermocouple that a temperature detected by said thermocouple is at or below a predefined low level temperature.

2. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 1, wherein said microprocessor deactivates said heating element when said microprocessor obtains information from said thermocouple that a temperature detected by said thermocouple is at or above a predefined high level temperature.

3. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 1, wherein said heating system includes at least three of said thermocouples, said microprocessor activating said heating element when said microprocessor obtains information from a majority of said thermocouples that a temperature detected by said majority of said thermocouple is at or below a predefined low level temperature.

4. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 3, wherein said microprocessor deactivates said heating element when said microprocessor obtains information from said majority of said thermocouples that a temperature detected by a majority of said thermocouple is at or above a predefined high level temperature.

5. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 1, wherein said sensor arrangement in said handheld portable monitor includes three pressure sensors and three chemical analyzers, and each of said pressure sensors is designed to measure a pressure to enable said handheld portable monitor to simultaneously measure three fluid pressures from the landfill well, each of said chemical analyzers designed to measure a concentration of a component in said fluid from the landfill well, said chemical analyzers designed to measure a concentration of methane, carbon dioxide and oxygen in said fluid from the landfill well, said pressures including an applied vacuum on said landfill well, a differential vacuum on said landfill well, and an available vacuum.

6. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 1, wherein said handheld portable monitor includes two separate units selected from the group consisting of a handheld portable control unit and a portable measuring unit, said handheld portable control unit monitors and controls one or more functions of said portable measuring unit, said portable measuring unit designed to be removably connected to the landfill well, said control unit not designed to be connected to the landfill well.

7. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 1, wherein said handheld portable monitor includes G.P.S. software and hardware for obtaining G.P.S. coordinates for said landfill well.

8. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 1, wherein said handheld portable monitor includes a RFID detection system or a barcode scanning system.

9. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 6, wherein said portable measuring unit includes a processor that processes one or more types of information selected from the group consisting of LEL of fluid, UEL of fluid, concentration ratio of methane to carbon dioxide, and concentration ratio of balance gas to oxygen.

10-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A handheld portable monitor designed for periodic well field testing to enable a user to test a plurality of different landfill wells one at a time and for measuring one or more properties of fluid flowing in each of said tested landfill wells, said handheld portable monitor including a plurality of connectors that enable at least a portion of said handheld portable monitor to be removably connected to the landfill well, said handheld portable monitor including a sensor arrangement to obtain and measure one or more properties of a fluid flowing in the landfill well, said properties of said fluid flowing in the landfill well to be measured including two or more properties selected from the group consisting of well pressure, well temperature, LEL, UEL, well fluid composition, and composition ratio, said handheld portable monitor includes G.P.S. software and hardware for obtaining G.P.S. coordinates for said landfill well to be tested or that has been tested, said portable measuring unit processes one or more types of information selected from the group consisting of LEL of fluid, UEL of fluid, concentration ratio of methane to carbon dioxide, and concentration ratio of balance gas to oxygen, a microprocessor of said sensor arrangement in said handheld portable landfill gas monitor receives information and is configured to process such information and provides said LEL of fluid, said UEL of fluid, said concentration ratio of methane to carbon dioxide, said concentration ratio of balance gas to oxygen a LEL value for one or more components in said landfill gas, and combinations thereof.

22. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 21, wherein said handheld portable monitor includes two separate units selected from the group consisting of a handheld portable control unit and a portable measuring unit, said handheld portable control unit monitors and controls one or more functions of said portable measuring unit, said portable measuring unit designed to be removably connected to the landfill well, said control unit not designed to be connected to the landfill well, said handheld portable control unit is a tablet PC, a palm PC, a PDA, or a smartphone device, said portable measuring unit having a size, shape and weight that enables a user to easily and conveniently carry said portable measuring unit to the landfill well, said handheld portable measuring unit and handheld portable control unit having a combined weight of less than about 20 lbs and a combined volume of less than about 500 cubic inches.

23. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 21, said sensor arrangement in said handheld portable monitor includes three pressure sensors, three chemical analyzers or combinations thereof, each of said pressure sensors is designed to measure a pressure to enable said handheld portable monitor to simultaneously measure three fluid pressures from the landfill well, each of said chemical analyzers designed to measure a concentration of a component in said fluid from the landfill well, said chemical analyzers designed to measure a concentration of methane, carbon dioxide and oxygen in said fluid from the landfill well, said pressures including an applied vacuum on said landfill well, a differential vacuum on said landfill well, and an available vacuum.

24. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 21, wherein said handheld portable monitor includes a heating system to heat one or more components of said sensor arrangement of said handheld portable monitor, said heating system including a microprocessor, a thermocouple and a heating element, said microprocessor activating said heating element when said microprocessor obtains information from said thermocouple that a temperature detected by said thermocouple is at or below a predefined low level temperature.

25. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 21, wherein said microprocessor deactivates said heating element when said microprocessor obtains information from said thermocouple that a temperature detected by said thermocouple is at or above a predefined high level temperature, said heating system includes at least three of said thermocouples, said microprocessor activating said heating element when said microprocessor obtains information from said majority of said thermocouples that a temperature detected by a majority of said thermocouple is at or below a predefined low level temperature.

26. A handheld portable monitor for periodic well field testing of a plurality of different landfill wells and for measuring one or more properties of fluid flowing in the landfill wells, said handheld portable monitor including a plurality of connectors that enable at least a portion of said handheld portable monitor to be removably connected to the landfill well, said handheld portable monitor including a sensor arrangement to obtain and measure one or more properties of a fluid flowing in the landfill well, said properties of said fluid flowing in the landfill well including two or more properties selected from the group consisting of well pressure, well temperature, LEL, UEL, well fluid composition, and composition ratio, said handheld portable monitor includes G.P.S. software and hardware for obtaining G.P.S. coordinates for said landfill well to be tested or that has been tested, said handheld portable monitor includes a handheld portable control unit and a separate measuring unit, said handheld portable control unit monitors and controls one or more functions of said portable measuring unit, said portable measuring unit designed to be removably connected to the landfill well, said control unit not designed to be connected to the landfill well, said handheld portable control unit is a tablet PC, a palm PC, a PDA, or a smartphone device, said portable measuring unit having a size, shape and weight that enables a user to easily and conveniently carry said portable measuring unit to the landfill well, said handheld portable measuring unit and handheld portable control unit having a combined weight of less than about 20 lbs and a combined volume of less than about 500 cubic inches.

27. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 26, wherein said handheld portable measuring unit processes one or more types of information selected from the group consisting of LEL of fluid, UEL of fluid, concentration ratio of methane to carbon dioxide, and concentration ratio of balance gas to oxygen, a microprocessor of said sensor arrangement in said handheld portable landfill gas monitor receives information and is configured to process such information and provides said LEL of fluid, said UEL of fluid, said concentration ratio of methane to carbon dioxide, said concentration ratio of balance gas to oxygen a LEL value for one or more components in said landfill gas, and combinations thereof.

28. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 26, said sensor arrangement in said handheld portable monitor includes three pressure sensors, three chemical analyzers or combinations thereof, each of said pressure sensors is designed to measure a pressure to enable said handheld portable monitor to simultaneously measure three fluid pressures from the landfill well, each of said chemical analyzers designed to measure a concentration of a component in said fluid from the landfill well, said chemical analyzers designed to measure a concentration of methane, carbon dioxide and oxygen in said fluid from the landfill well, said pressures including an applied vacuum on said landfill well, a differential vacuum on said landfill well, and an available vacuum.

29. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 26, wherein said handheld portable monitor includes a heating system to heat one or more components of said sensor arrangement of said handheld portable monitor, said heating system including a microprocessor, a thermocouple and a heating element, said microprocessor activating said heating element when said microprocessor obtains information from said thermocouple that a temperature detected by said thermocouple is at or below a predefined low level temperature.

30. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 26, wherein said microprocessor deactivates said heating element when said microprocessor obtains information from said thermocouple that a temperature detected by said thermocouple is at or above a predefined high level temperature, said heating system includes at least three of said thermocouples, said microprocessor activating said heating element when said microprocessor obtains information from said majority of said thermocouples that a temperature detected by a majority of said thermocouple is at or below a predefined low level temperature.

31. The handheld portable monitor as defined in claim 26, wherein said handheld portable monitor includes a RFID detection system or a barcode scanning system.