Portable gas monitor

Abstract

A portable monitor used to measure landfill gas and landfill well parameters. The portable monitor includes a control unit and a measuring unit that can communicate wirelessly with one another. The control unit and / or measuring unit can include a heating arrangement to increase the temperature of one or more components in the control unit and / or measuring unit in cold environments.

Description

[0001]The present patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 634,186 filed Dec. 5, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference. The present application also claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 452,655 filed Mar. 17, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference.[0002]The present invention is directed to portable fluid monitoring systems, particularly to a portable fluid monitoring system used to measure fluid pressure and / or fluid composition, and even more particularly to a portable gas monitoring system used to measure gas pressures and compositions of gasses at a plurality of different wells that are located in a location remote from one another. The portable fluid monitor is particularly useful in measuring gas pressures and compositions of gasses from landfill wells; however, the portable fluid monitor can be used for other or additional applications.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Landfills are commonly fo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0018]In still another and / or additional non-limiting aspect of the present invention, the portable monitor includes a plurality of pressure sensors. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the portable monitor includes three or more three pressure sensors. The three or more pressure sensors enable the portable monitor to simultaneously measure three or more different pressures. For instance, when the portable monitor is used to measure pressures on a gas well wherein gas is being drawn by a vacuum (e.g., landfill well, etc.), the three or more pressure sensors enable an operator to simultaneously measure the static or applied vacuum pressure on the well, the impact or differential pressure on the well, and the available vacuum or header pressure that can be applied to the well. Prior art portable monitors for landfill wells only included two pressure sensors. These two pressure sensors were used to measure the applied vacuum pressure or static vacuum of the well. As such, if an operator wanted to measure the available vacuum pressure of the well, the operator had to disconnect one of the tubes from the applied vacuum port on the well and reconnect the tube at available pressure vacuum port on the well. This procedure was not only time consuming and inconvenient, especially in inclement weather, the accuracy of the data readings potentially could be compromised during the disconnecting and reconnecting of the vacuum tubes. These problems associated with prior portable monitors are overcome by the portable monitor of the present invention. The portable monitor of the present invention enables an operator to connect the portable monitor of the present invention to all three pressure ports on a well so that the applied or static vacuum pressure, the differential pressure, and the available vacuum pressure of the well can be determined without having to further reconnect and disconnect vacuum tubes.

[0021]In still yet another and / or additional non-limiting aspect of the present invention, the portable monitor is designed to provide geographic location information. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the measuring unit and / or control unit includes a G.P.S. component that provides G.P.S. location information. Many well locations are located in remote locations, furthermore, on some landfill sites, multiple landfill wells exist. The use of G.P.S. can be used to confirm the location of the proper landfill well to be tested, and / or locate the landfill well to be tested. The G.P.S. location function on the portable monitor can be used to easily identify which well was tested and the exact location of a well that was tested and / or is to be tested. In one non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the control unit includes a G.P.S. component that provides G.P.S. location information. In another non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the measuring unit includes a G.P.S. component that provides G.P.S. location information.

[0026]It is a non-limiting object of the present invention to provide a portable monitor that can be used to more easily obtain information about fluids.

[0030]It is still yet another and / or additional non-limiting object of the present invention to provide a portable monitor that can operate in cold temperatures.

Problems solved by technology

The portable monitor is also not designed to be part of an automated control system for the well.

However, the portable monitor of the present invention is not generally designed to provide constant control of the well.

In prior art portable monitors, one or more components of a prior art portable monitor was prone to sluggishness and even failure when the portable monitor was used in a cold environment (i.e., temperature of less than about 30-40° F.).

As such, it was difficult, if not impossible, to monitor gasses in a particular location (e.g., landfill well, etc.) when the weather was cold.

When the temperature of one or more components of the portable monitor becomes too hot, the one or more components can be damaged and / or malfunction.

This procedure was not only time consuming and inconvenient, especially in inclement weather, the accuracy of the data readings potentially could be compromised during the disconnecting and reconnecting of the vacuum tubes.

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