Devices and techniques relating to landfill gas extraction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12583022-B2
Application number	US-202418917145-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2024
Priority date	Nov 4, 2013
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

A control system for controlling extraction of landfill gas, comprising: at least one sensor configured to measure one or more characteristics of landfill gas; at least one flow control mechanism disposed in well piping and configured to control flow of the landfill gas through the well piping; and at least one processor configured to: obtain a measured concentration of a first gas in landfill gas; determine whether the measured concentration of the first gas is either less than a first threshold concentration or greater than a second threshold concentration; when it is determined that the measured concentration is less than the first threshold concentration, control the at least one flow control mechanism to reduce flow rate of landfill gas; and when it is determined that the concentration is greater than the second threshold concentration, control the at least one flow control mechanism to increase the flow rate of landfill gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for controlling extraction of landfill gas from a landfill, the landfill gas being extracted from the landfill via a gas extraction system, the method comprising:
obtaining a measure of pressure in well piping of the gas extraction system through which landfill gas is extracted and upstream of at least one flow control mechanism configured to adjust a flow rate of landfill gas being extracted from the landfill; determining, using at least one processor, that the measure of pressure in the gas extraction system relative to a measure of atmospheric pressure outside of the gas extraction system is not negative; and in response to determining that the measure of pressure in the gas extraction system relative to the measure of atmospheric pressure is not negative, adjusting the flow rate of landfill gas being extracted from the landfill using the at least one flow control mechanism to achieve a negative pressure in the gas extraction system.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the measure of atmospheric pressure.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one flow control mechanism comprises a valve.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein adjusting the flow rate of landfill gas being extracted from the landfill comprises moving the valve in predefined increments.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the measure of pressure is performed using at least one pressure sensor, and the at least one pressure sensor is disposed within a gas analysis sample chamber of the gas extraction system.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
automatically opening, at scheduled time intervals, at least one valve coupled to the gas analysis sample chamber, to allow gas to flow from the landfill to the gas analysis sample chamber; and after automatically opening the at least one valve to allow gas to flow from the landfill to the gas analysis sample chamber, automatically opening the at least one valve to allow ambient air to flow from an ambient air source to the gas analysis sample chamber.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the automatically opening the at least one valve to allow gas to flow from the landfill to the gas analysis sample chamber is performed at least once per day.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the automatically opening the at least one valve to allow gas to flow from the landfill to the gas analysis sample chamber is performed at least once per hour.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the measure of pressure is performed using at least one pressure sensor, and the at least one pressure sensor is disposed within the well piping of the gas extraction system.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein;
the obtaining the measure of pressure is performed using at least one pressure sensor; the method is performed with at least one controller located remotely from the at least one pressure sensor; and the at least one controller is configured to wirelessly communicate with the at least one pressure sensor.

11 . A control system for controlling extraction of landfill gas from a landfill, the landfill gas being extracted from the landfill via a gas extraction system, the control system comprising:
at least one controller configured to:
obtain a measure of pressure in well piping of the gas extraction system through which landfill gas is extracted and upstream of at least one flow control mechanism configured to adjust a flow rate of landfill gas being extracted from the landfill;
determine, using at least one processor, that the measure of pressure in the gas extraction system relative to a measure of atmospheric pressure outside of the gas extraction system is not negative; and
in response to determining that the measure of pressure in the gas extraction system relative to the measure of atmospheric pressure is not negative, adjust the flow rate of landfill gas being extracted from the landfill using the at least one flow control mechanism to achieve a negative pressure in the gas extraction system.

12 . The control system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to obtain the measure of atmospheric pressure.

13 . The control system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one flow control mechanism comprises a valve.

14 . The control system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to adjust the flow rate of landfill gas being extracted from the landfill comprises at least in part by moving the valve in predefined increments.

15 . The control system of claim 11 , wherein the obtaining the measure of pressure is performed using at least one pressure sensor, and the at least one pressure sensor is disposed within a gas analysis sample chamber of the gas extraction system.

16 . The control system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to:
automatically open, at scheduled time intervals, at least one valve coupled to the gas analysis sample chamber, to allow gas to flow from the landfill to the gas analysis sample chamber; and after automatically opening the at least one valve to allow gas to flow from the landfill to the gas analysis sample chamber, automatically open the at least one valve to allow ambient air to flow from an ambient air source to the gas analysis sample chamber.

17 . The control system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to automatically open the at least one valve to allow gas to flow from the landfill to the gas analysis sample chamber is performed at least once per day.

18 . The control system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to automatically open the at least one valve to allow gas to flow from the landfill to the gas analysis sample chamber is performed at least once per hour.

19 . The control system of claim 11 , wherein the obtaining the measure of pressure is performed using at least one pressure sensor, and the at least one pressure sensor is disposed within the well piping of the gas extraction system.

20 . The control system of claim 11 , wherein the obtaining the measure of pressure is performed using at least one pressure sensor, and the at least one controller is located remotely from the at least one pressure sensor and is configured to wirelessly communicate with the at least one pressure sensor.

Assignees

• Loci Controls Inc

Inventors

• Campanella Andrew
• Michels Joseph G
• Quigley Peter
• Martin Ian

Classifications

• E21B43/00

  Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells (applicable only to water E03B) · CPC title

• B09B1/006 Primary

  Shafts or wells in waste dumps · CPC title