DEVICES AND TECHNIQUES RELATING TO LANDFILL GAS EXTRACTION

• US 20180304323A1
• Filed: 06/29/2018
• Published: 10/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Loci Controls, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Loci Controls, Inc.
• Inventors: Campanella, Andrew, Sims, Melinda, Pallo, Nathan, Martin, Ian
• Granted Patent: US 10,556,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B09B 1/00 Dumping solid waste
• CPC Class Codes: B09B 1/006 Shafts or wells in waste dumps
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/12 Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells E21B43/25 takes precedence; valve arrangements E21B34/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0004 Gaseous mixtures, e.g. polluted air gaseous biological material G01N33/497; exhaust gas of internal combustion engines G01M15/102
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0047 for organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0063 using a threshold to release an alarm or displaying means alarm arrangements G08B, e.g. fire alarm actuated by the presence of smoke or gases G08B17/10, for other abnormal conditions G08B21/00

Abstract

Devices and techniques related to landfill gas extraction are disclosed. A technique for controlling extraction of landfill gas from a landfill through a gas extraction system is described. The method may include measuring a plurality of values indicating conditions associated with the landfill; computing, based at least in part on the plurality of values and on a model of the landfill, a predicted future state of the landfill; determining, based at least in part on the predicted future state of the landfill, one or more control parameters for one or more respective control devices configured to control operation of the gas extraction system; applying the one or more control parameters to the one or more respective control, and with the one or more control devices, controlling extraction of the landfill gas from the landfill based, at least in part, on the one or more respective control parameters.

Claims

1. A method for controlling extraction of landfill gas from a landfill through a gas extraction system, the method comprising:

measuring a plurality of values indicating conditions associated with the landfill;

with at least one computing device, computing, based at least in part on the plurality of values and on a model of the landfill, a predicted future state of the landfill;

determining, based at least in part on the predicted future state of the landfill, one or more control parameters for one or more respective control devices configured to control operation of the gas extraction system;

applying the one or more control parameters to the one or more respective control devices of the gas extraction system; and

with the one or more control devices, controlling extraction of the landfill gas from the landfill based, at least in part, on the one or more respective control parameters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the predicted future state of the landfill comprises predicting one or more attributes of a portion of the landfill gas produced by the landfill at a future time and/or in a future time period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the predicted future state of the landfill comprises predicting one or more attributes of a portion of the landfill gas extracted from the landfill by the gas extraction system at a future time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more control parameters are applied to the one or more respective control devices after computing the predicted future state of the landfill, and wherein the predicted future state of the landfill is predicted based, at least in part, on the model of the landfill and on a current state of the landfill, on one or more control parameters previously applied to the one or more respective control devices before computing the predicted future state of the landfill, and/or on environmental data indicating one or more environmental conditions associated with the landfill.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the current state of the landfill comprises the measured plurality of values indicating conditions associated with the landfill.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein measuring the plurality of values indicating conditions associated with the landfill comprises determining temperature, pressure, flow rate, humidity, density, and/or composition of one or more portions of the landfill gas at one or more respective locations in the landfill.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more locations in the landfill comprise locations of one or more respective wells in the gas extraction system.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the one or more portions of the landfill gas comprises gas extracted from a plurality of wells in the gas extraction system.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the environmental data comprise an atmospheric pressure, an ambient temperature, a wind direction, a wind speed, a characteristic of ambient precipitation, a subsurface temperature, a subsurface moisture value, and/or a pH value of an area of the landfill or adjacent to the landfill.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more control parameters are determined based at least in part on predicted future electrical power demand and/or on an energy content of the landfill gas extracted from the landfill;

and wherein the one or more control parameters are applied to the one or more respective control devices in real time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more control parameters are applied to the one or more respective control devices in real time, and wherein controlling extraction of the landfill gas from the landfill comprises controlling a flow rate and/or composition of the landfill gas extracted from the landfill.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more control parameters are applied to the one or more respective control devices after computing the predicted future state of the landfill, and wherein the one or more control parameters are determined based, at least in part, on the predicted future state of the landfill and on a current state of the landfill, on one or more control parameters previously applied to the one or more respective control devices before computing the predicted future state of the landfill, and/or on a control objective for the landfill.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more control parameters are determined based, at least in part, on electrical power data including past electrical power consumption, past electrical power prices, predicted future electrical power demand, and/or predicted future electrical power prices.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more control parameters are determined based, at least in part, on a target rate at which the landfill gas is extracted from the landfill by the gas extraction system, a target vacuum pressure applied to the gas extraction system, a target composition of the landfill gas extracted from the landfill by the gas extraction system, a target energy content of the landfill gas extracted from the landfill by the gas extraction system, a target volume of the landfill gas extracted from the landfill by the gas extraction system, a target stability of a decomposition process in the landfill, a target rate of a decomposition process in the landfill, a target rate of emission of the landfill gas into an atmosphere, a target odor level associated with emission of the landfill gas into the atmosphere, and/or a target level of compliance with one or more regulations applicable to the landfill.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the predicted future state of the landfill comprises predicting the predicted future state of the landfill at a future time, and wherein the method further comprises:

after computing the predicted future state of the landfill at the future time, determining an actual state of the landfill at the future time; and

adapting the model based, at least in part, on a difference between the predicted future state of the landfill and the determined actual state of the landfill.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein adapting the model comprises adapting the model to decrease the difference between the predicted future state of the landfill and the determined actual state of the landfill.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas extraction system includes at least first and second wells in fluid communication through trash in the landfill, and wherein the model of the landfill includes at least a first coupling parameter for modeling interaction between the first and second wells.

18. An apparatus for controlling extraction of landfill gas from a landfill through a gas extraction system, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform a method including;

controlling a plurality of sensors to measure a plurality of values indicating conditions associated with the landfill;

predicting, based at least in part on the plurality of values and on a model of the landfill, a future state of the landfill;

determining, based at least in part on the predicted future state of the landfill, one or more control parameters for one or more respective control devices of the gas extraction system;

controlling application of the one or more control parameters to the one or more respective control devices of the gas extraction system; and

controlling the one or more control devices to control extraction of the landfill gas from the landfill based, at least in part, on the one or more respective control parameters.

19. A gas extraction system for controlling extraction of landfill gas from a landfill, the system comprising:

at least one vacuum source;

one or more control devices disposed in well piping and configured to control flow rates of the landfill gas through the well piping;

one or more wells coupled to the at least one vacuum source through the well piping and through the one or more control devices disposed in the well piping; and

one or more processors configured to;

measure a plurality of values indicating conditions associated with the landfill;

predict, based at least in part on the plurality of values and on a model of the landfill, a future state of the landfill;

determine, based at least in part on the predicted future state of the landfill, one or more control parameters for the one or more respective control devices; and

apply the one or more control parameters to the one or more respective control devices,

wherein the one or more control devices are configured to control extraction of the landfill gas from the landfill based, at least in part, on the one or more respective control parameters.

20. The gas extraction system of claim 19, wherein the one or more control devices comprise one or more valves, wherein the one or more control parameters comprise one or more valve settings, and wherein applying the one or more control parameters to the one or more respective control devices comprises applying the one or more valve settings to the one or more respective valves.