Systems and methods for controlling gas flow from landfills
First Claim
1. A landfill gas extraction system for controlling the extraction of gas from a landfill having a plurality of gas well cells, each cell including one or more gas wells, and a source of vacuum in fluid communication with the cells, comprising:
- at least one landfill sensor mounted in a pipe attached to a well, the sensor generating a signal representative of a parameter within the pipe and the well;
a computer receiving signals from at least the sensor and generating control signals in response thereto; and
a plurality of computer-responsive control valves, each control valve being in fluid communication with a respective cell, each control valve being configured for incremental control thereof based on control signals from the computer for controlling gas extraction from the cell, such that plural flow rates can be established through the control valves as determined by the computer based on the signals from the sensor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automated, computer-controlled landfill gas recovery system includes a number of equipment vaults, with each vault being associated with one or more wells in the landfill. The wells are in fluid communication with a piping system located in the associated vault, with the piping system including a main pneumatic control valve that can be adjusted to establish gas flow rate through the well or wells. Also, each vault includes a shielded enclosure that holds sensors and a local vault controller for generating signals representative of flow rate, vacuum, and oxygen/methane/carbon dioxide content of the gas being extracted from the well. These signals are sent to a remote computer. Based on the signals generated by the sensors, the computer communicates with each vault controller to control the pneumatic control valve of each vault to establish a gas flow rate from the associated well as appropriate to accord with one of several user-selected process control regimes.
70 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A landfill gas extraction system for controlling the extraction of gas from a landfill having a plurality of gas well cells, each cell including one or more gas wells, and a source of vacuum in fluid communication with the cells, comprising:
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at least one landfill sensor mounted in a pipe attached to a well, the sensor generating a signal representative of a parameter within the pipe and the well;
a computer receiving signals from at least the sensor and generating control signals in response thereto; and
a plurality of computer-responsive control valves, each control valve being in fluid communication with a respective cell, each control valve being configured for incremental control thereof based on control signals from the computer for controlling gas extraction from the cell, such that plural flow rates can be established through the control valves as determined by the computer based on the signals from the sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A computer program device comprising:
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a computer program storage device readable by a digital processing system; and
a computer program on the program storage device and including instructions executable by the digital processing system for performing method steps for controlling at least one computer-responsive valve disposed in a landfill cell gas extraction well to thereby control gas extraction from the pipe, the method steps comprising;
receiving a feedback signal from a well representative of at least one of;
gas pressure inside the well, gas flow rate through the well, oxygen concentration of gas inside the well; and
incrementally moving the valve in response thereto, such that plural flow rates can be established through the control valves as determined by the computer based on the feedback signal from the well. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
determining a desired gas flow rate through the pipe based on the number of wells in the landfill and at least one of;
landfill flare capacity, methane concentration in the pipe.
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Specification