Devices and methods for landfill gas well monitoring and control

A landfill well control system for controlling a flow of landfill gas (LFG) through a wellhead associated with a landfill well at a landfill, the system comprising:

• a mobile hand-held device having a wireless communications subsystem and a processor, the processor running a software monitoring application including a table, the table having data related to determination of a desired landfill gas output flow rate of a landfill gas;
• an adjustable LFG flow control valve associated with the wellhead and having a valve element settable to a selected one of a plurality of independent positions to control the flow of LFG through the wellhead;
• a landfill gas (LFG) wellhead measurement device including:
• an electronically controlled, powered flow control device actuator for controlling a setting of the adjustable LFG flow control valve;
• a flow measurement element producing differential pressures proportional to a landfill gas flow rate;
• a pressure sensor/transducer;
• and
• a microprocessor having control logic capability for controlling the electronically controlled, powered flow control device actuator, and further being configured to communicate via a short range, wireless signal with the wireless communications subsystem of the mobile hand-held device, and to use information supplied wirelessly from the mobile hand-held device to control the electronically controlled, powered flow control device actuator to adjust a setting of the adjustable LFG flow control valve to achieve a specific system goal.

A landfill well control system for monitoring and controlling a flow of landfill gas (LFG) through a wellhead of a landfill well at a landfill, the system comprising:

• a wireless device provided with a processor running a software monitoring application including a table having data related to determination of a desired landfill gas output flow rate;
• a combination unit including configured to be attached to the wellhead, the combination unit including:
• a measurement component for making a measurement of at least one of LFG flow rate or a differential pressure;
• an adjustable LFG flow control valve having a valve element which is adjustable to a plurality of positions;
• an electronically controlled, powered flow control device actuator operating in communication with the adjustable LFG flow control valve, to control a setting of the adjustable LFG flow control valve in response to signals from the wireless device to achieve a specific system goal, the combination unit being in wireless communication with the wireless device;
• and
• a data storage device operably associated with the combination unit, and being in communication with the wireless device, the data storage device retaining historical data of the landfill gas flow rate accessible in the data storage device at the same time new data is acquired.

A method for controlling an output flow rate of a landfill gas flowing through a wellhead at a landfill well, the method comprising:

• using a mobile hand-holdable device having a processor running a software application to process LFG measurement data to help determine a recommended flow control valve position of an adjustable LFG flow control valve associated with the wellhead in real time, to thus adjust the output flow rate of the landfill gas in real time;
• using a hand-holdable measurement subsystem secured to the wellhead to obtain a measurement associated with a flow of the LFG through the wellhead, and wirelessly transmitting information relating to the obtained measurement directly to the mobile hand-holdable device via a short range wireless signal link;
• and
• using the mobile hand-holdable device to process the obtained measurement data and to determine a recommended flow control valve position setting to for use in adjusting a setting of the adjustable LFG flow control valve.