System, apparatus and method for landfill gas sensing
AssigneeThe Remediation Group Pty Ltd.
InventorsJonathan Glen Miller, Daniel Shane Egan, Abbas Zahedi Kouzani, Scott Daryl Adams, Dean Michael Corva, Nathan Ian Semianiw, Tianhao Wu, Matthew Zampatti
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Abstract
An apparatus including: a housing configured for installation in a landfill; a differential pressure sensor and at least one gas sensor in the housing; and a first valve configured to control landfill gas (LFG) flow to the at least one gas sensor, wherein the first valve is configured to open when the differential pressure sensor detects a selected pressure difference or pressure difference change between the atmospheric air pressure and the LFG pressure.
Claims16
A method for sensing landfill gas (LFG) in and/or around a landfill, the method including:
- measuring a pressure difference or a pressure difference change between an atmospheric air pressure and a landfill gas pressure;
- determining, based on the measured pressure difference or the measured pressure difference change, whether a trigger condition is met, wherein the trigger condition is met when the pressure difference between the atmospheric air pressure and the landfill gas pressure is above 0.001 mBar;
- opening a first valve when the trigger condition is met, thus allowing landfill gas (LFG) to enter an apparatus using natural environmental pressure differences between a surface of the landfill and within the landfill such that battery power is not required to draw the LFG into the apparatus;
- measuring at least one gas species concentration in the LFG in the apparatus;
- and
- opening a second valve, before or after the at least one gas species concentration has been measured by the at least one gas sensor, thus allowing the LFG to flow through the apparatus.
An apparatus for monitoring a landfill, the apparatus including:
- a differential pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure difference or a pressure difference change between an atmospheric air pressure and a landfill gas pressure;
- a controller configured to determine, based on the measured pressure difference or the measured pressure difference change, whether a trigger condition is met, wherein the trigger condition is met when the pressure difference between the atmospheric air pressure and the landfill gas pressure is above 0.001 mBar, the controller configured to open a first valve when the trigger condition is met, thus allowing landfill gas (LFG) to enter the apparatus using natural environmental pressure differences between a surface of the landfill and within the landfill such that battery power is not required to draw the LFG into the apparatus;
- and
- at least one gas sensor configured to measure at least one gas species concentration in the LFG in the apparatus, the controller configured to open a second valve, before or after the at least one gas species concentration has been measured by the at least one gas sensor, allowing the LFG to flow through the apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.