System and method for environmental data acquisition
AssigneeSempra Energy Solutions
InventorsStanley W. Zison, Joseph Bingham
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a data acquisition system and method for real time monitoring of stack gases in a continuous monitoring system, data is collected from sensors and prepared for output to a regulatory agency. The data collected may relate to emissions of oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and oxides of sulfur, typically from an industrial facility. Sensors in the exhaust gas pathway report data to a programmable logic control device and are then stored in a data storage area. A data acquisition module quantifies the stored emissions data. The quantified emissions data is then sent to a regulatory agency via a communications link.
Claims24
A computer implemented method for processing air quality management emissions information, the method comprising:
- receiving a plurality of emissions data from an exhaust pathway sensor, each emissions data correlating to a unique time;
- storing the plurality of emissions data in a data storage area;
- processing the plurality of emissions data to generate a quantified emissions data correlating to a time range encompassing a plurality of unique times;
- storing the quantified emissions data in the data storage area;
- and
- providing the quantified emissions data to an air quality management district.
A system for processing air quality management emissions information, the system comprising:
- a sensor device adaptable to collect emissions data from an exhaust pathway;
- a programmable logic control device communicatively coupled with the sensor device and adaptable to receive emissions data from the sensor device;
- a data storage area communicatively coupled with the programmable logic control device, the data storage area adaptable to store emissions data received from the programmable logic control device;
- a data acquisition module adaptable to quantify the emissions data and store the quantified emissions data in the data storage area;
- and
- a communication means adaptable to provide the quantified emissions data from the data storage area to an air quality management district.
A computer readable medium having stored thereon one or more sequences of instructions for causing one or more microprocessors to perform the steps for processing air quality management emissions information, the steps comprising:
- receiving a plurality of emissions data from an exhaust pathway sensor, each emissions data correlating to a unique time;
- storing the plurality of emissions data in a data storage area;
- processing the plurality of emissions data to generate a quantified emissions data correlating to a time range encompassing a plurality of unique times;
- storing the quantified emissions data in the data storage area;
- and
- providing the quantified emissions data to an air quality management district.
A system for processing air quality management emissions information, the system comprising:
- means for receiving emissions data collected from an exhaust pathway;
- means for storing the emissions data in a data storage area;
- means for compiling the emissions data into a quantified emissions data;
- means for quantifying the quantified emissions data;
- means for storing the quantified emissions data in the data storage area;
- and
- means for providing the quantified emissions data from the data storage area to an air quality management district.
A computer implemented method for performing data substitution in an air quality management emissions system, the method comprising:
- identifying a time period during which invalid data was collected;
- identifying a previous time period equal to the time period during which invalid data was collected, the previous time period containing valid data;
- identifying a later time period equal to the time period during which invalid data was collected, the later time period containing valid data;
- averaging the valid data contained in the previous time period and the later time period;
- updating the data for the time period during which invalid data was collected with the averaged valid data.
A computer readable medium having stored thereon one or more sequences of instructions for causing one or more microprocessors to perform the steps for performing data substitution in an air quality management emissions system, the steps comprising:
- identifying a time period during which invalid data was collected;
- identifying a previous time period equal to the time period during which invalid data was collected, the previous time period containing valid data;
- identifying a later time period equal to the time period during which invalid data was collected, the later time period containing valid data;
- averaging the valid data contained in the previous time period and the later time period;
- updating the data for the time period during which invalid data was collected with the averaged valid data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.