Q.e.d. Environmental Systems, Inc.

Graco Minnesota Inc.

Oed Environmental Systems, Inc.

David A Fischer

David Mioduszewski

David B Kaminski

John F Schaupp

William C Allen, Iii

Leonard Felton Stevens-Moman

Mark T Weinberger

Kevin L Newcomer

K Lynn Niehaus

David H Edwards

Steven R Wells

Bryan D Spicer

Matthew Thomas McKeown

Kenneth L Niehaus

Craig A Bamm

A fluid level sensor system is disclosed for sensing a fluid level in a well. The system has a main body and an inlet housing coupled to the main body. The inlet housing has an internal chamber in communication with an ambient environment within the well. A bellows within the main body communicates with the internal chamber of the inlet housing. A movable element is responsive to movement of the bellows. A sensor detects when the movable element moves from a first position, indicating a first fluid level in the well, to a second position indicating a second fluid level within the well. An indicator is operably associated with the movable element and moves into a position to be viewable when the sensing element is moved to the second position, to provide a visual indication that the second fluid level has been reached.

Liquid level sensor system

Various embodiments concern a pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter comprising a spring located within a housing passage and a shuttle comprising a shuttle magnet, the shuttle located within the passage. The shuttle can be configured to move axially by the spring within the passage in an upstream direction to a home position, move axially by one or both of air pressure differential and airflow within the passage in a downstream direction away from the home position to a hold position. The cycle counter can further comprise a counter comprising an element responsive to a magnetic field of the shuttle magnet, the counter configured to increment a numeric count for each complete cycle of the shuttle moving from the home position to the hold position and then back to the home position.

Pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter

A well cap assembly is disclosed which is well suited for use with a wellhead. The well cap assembly has a port component and a cap element. The port component has a bore extending therethrough, an upper neck portion, and an upper threaded portion. The port component further has a lower threaded portion and a barb formed on the upper neck portion. The barb can receive an external flexible tube which is temporarily secured to the port component. The cap element has an internally threaded portion which engages with the upper threaded portion of the upper neck portion and seals the bore of the port component. The cap element also has a tether for securing it to the port component.

Landfill gas wellhead cap assembly

An air stripper apparatus is disclosed which incorporates a plurality of trays that are removably supported within a cabinet. A plurality of downcomers are also fixedly disposed within the cabinet, rather than on the trays. Removing the downcomer from each tray enables a simpler, lighter and easier to clean tray to be constructed.

Air stripper system and method

The present disclosure relates to a self-regulating, landfill well control system for automatically controlling a flow of landfill gas (LFG) through a wellhead associated with a landfill well at a landfill. The system has a combination unit operably associated with the wellhead, with a valve actuator, a flow measurement element and a controller. The valve actuator controls a LFG flow control valve, to thus control an LFG flow through the wellhead. The flow measurement element produces differential pressures proportional to a LFG flow rate. The controller controls the valve actuator and, based on data obtained using the flow measurement element, adjusts a setting of the LFG flow control valve to obtain a specific control point setting, and automatically maintains the control point setting thereafter.

Devices and methods for landfill gas well monitoring and control

The present disclosure relates to a system for controlling an extraction of landfill gas flow (LFG) from a plurality of wellheads at a landfill. The system has a first wellhead located at the landfill, a first processor having a first rule set, and a first LFG flow control valve controllable by the first processor. A second wellhead is located at the landfill in a vicinity of the first wellhead and has a second processor and a second LFG flow control valve. The second processor has a second rule set and is operable to control the second LFG flow control valve. The first and second processors use their said rule sets to control the first and second LFG flow control valves, respectively, to control an LFG flow through their said first and second wellheads, respectively.

System and method for distributed control of multiple wellheads

A landfill well control system is disclosed which provides the ability to input a user selected set point to control a flow related variable at a landfill wellhead. A flow control actuator controls movement of a landfill gas (LFG) flow control valve. A sensor may be used for sensing the flow related variable. A controller is operably associated with the flow control actuator and the sensor. A user interface has a set selection for enabling a set point associated with the flow related variable, which is to be controlled by the system, to be input by the user. The controller operates to control the LFG flow control valve as needed to maintain the set point in an autopilot-like fashion.

A landfill well control system includes a mobile hand-held device provided with a software monitoring application including a table having data related to determination of a desired methane gas output flow rate. A landfill gas (LFG) wellhead gas control valve includes: an electronically controlled, powered flow control device actuator; a flow measurement element producing differential pressures proportional to a gas flow rate; a pressure sensor/transducer; and a microprocessor having control logic capability and the ability to communicate via a local wireless signal to the mobile hand-held device. The powered flow control device actuator using data from the table of the mobile hand-held device or remotely stored data provides automatic valve positioning.

A device for detecting the presence of water in a product-only hydrocarbon pump system particularly used for the removal of subterraneous hydrocarbons from a remediation site through a well. The device comprises a sealed float switch chamber, positioned either upstream or downstream from the hydrocarbon pump, wherein when a threshold amount of water is present in the hydrocarbon product being pumped through the float chamber, a switch is actuated by the float mechanism, electrically signaling an alarm, shutting off the power supply to the pump, or further activating a system controller or log.

Device for detecting water in product-only pump flow stream

A method for using a controller to control a fluid pump by controlling the rate at which the pump fills with fluid and subsequently discharges fluid. The pump includes a chamber for collecting fluid from within a well bore in which the pump is disposed. A user inputs a pump cycle time and a pump cycle volume to the controller. The pump cycle time input is used to determine a cycling period for the pump. The pump cycle volume is used to allot a portion of the cycling period to the refilling of the pump with fluid and the remaining portion of the cycling period to the discharging of fluid from the pump. The controller controls the pump such that the pump is vented to atmosphere during the refill portion, allowing the pump to fill with fluid, and such that pressurized fluid, such as compressed gas, is injected into the pump during the discharge cycle, causing fluid collected within the pump to be discharged. In another mode of operation, a sensor is coupled to the controller. The sensor sense when the water level in the well bore drops below a maximum desired drawdown level, and the controller adjusts the pumping rate to avoid exceeding the maximum drawdown level.

Bladder-type sampling pump controller

A method and apparatus for monitoring the fluid level in a well bore to limit fluid drawdown in the well bore to a maximum set level. The user first determines the static water level in the well bore by lowering a sensor into the well bore. The sensor is configured to sense when it makes contact with water, so that the user can be made aware that the sensor has reached the static water level. The user then lowers the sensor to a maximum desired drawdown level. The sensor is then set to sense when it loses contact with the water. The sensor is then monitored to determine if the fluid had has dropped below the maximum desired drawdown level, and an audible and/or visual alarm alerts the user whenever the maximum desired drawdown level is exceeded.

Method and apparatus for measuring groundwater levels

The present invention provides a method for monitoring select purge water parameters and determining when the parameters have stabilized. The method includes the steps of selecting which parameters are to be monitored and selecting the time interval between which evaluation readings are performed. The time interval may be selected in set time increments from within a predetermined time range. With the passing of each interval, the results of the evaluation readings are stored in a memory device for at least one, and more preferably a plurality, of consecutive readings. If the readings do not fall within the defined stabilization ranges for the selected parameters, the oldest scan is deleted from the memory device. The comparison of the reading results is again performed with the start of the next interval, with the new reading results being compared to the two old reading results. When the selected parameter values do fall within the defined ranges for three consecutive readings, the operator is alerted that stabilization has been obtained.

Method for analyzing purge water

There is provided a dual pump floating layer recovery apparatus for pumping a floating layer of contaminant out of a well. The apparatus comprises an upper pump and a lower pump. The lower pump creates a cone of depression which increases the amount of the floating layer within the well. The upper pump pumps the contaminant from the well or cone of depression. The upper and lower pumps preferably are gas-actuated pumps. The lower pump preferably includes an automatic switching device to activate the lower pump upon sensing a predetermined amount of fluid within the pump. A gas conduit interconnects the actuation chambers on both pumps such that when the lower automatic pump is provided with pressurized gas, the upper pump is simultaneously provided with the identical pressurized gas. Upon deactivation, both pumps relieve the activation pressure through the lower pump.

Dual pump floating layer recovery apparatus

There is provided an apparatus for obtaining liquid samples from a well which incorporates a vented packer. The packer reduces the amount of groundwater which must be pumped by the pump of the apparatus in order to purge the well by isolating the input of the pump to a reduced volume of groundwater. The region below the packer, which is the region in communication with the pump, is vented to the atmosphere in order to permit the pump to operate at its maximum pumping rate regardless of the recovery rate of the well. The venting of the packer eliminates the condition where the pump is trying to pull a vacuum due to a low recovery rate of the well.

Vented packer for sampling well

There is provided a fluid sampling apparatus for withdrawing samples of groundwater or other fluids from a well or other monitoring site. The apparatus preferably includes pump means, packer means, conduit means and a wellhead assembly that are permanently installed at the well or monitoring site and are thereby dedicated thereto in order to avoid or minimize cross-contamination of samples from site to site. The packer is integral with the pump and isolates the groundwater below the packer in order to minimize the amount of groundwater which must be pumped in order to purge the well prior to taking an acceptable sample. The apparatus preferably also includes a removable and portable controller means adapted for easy and convenient transportation and connection to such dedicated fluid sampling components at various wells or monitoring sites.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

David A Fischer