Software Technology for Methods and apparatus for reducing the emission of fugitive gases at oil refineries

PROJECT CANARY, PBC (Denver, CO)

Methods and apparatus for detecting and reporting pollution at an oil facility are disclosed. This technology uses a logic control system which reads from a pollution sensor to identify leaks and then reports the data as a pollutant. The leakage of pollutants can be further managed and diminished.

Our ecosystem depends on air quality monitoring and reduction. Monitoring air pollution was not a good science in the past. It didn’t incorporate visual diagnostics or any other senses that humans use (e.g. hearing, smelling, etc.). Recently, portable and handheldsensors have been utilized to sample air as part of simple air monitoring. The handheld sensors were used to pinpoint sources of emission (e.g. methane emission, a chemical compound which is the primary ingredient in natural gas). Methane is anattractive fuel, but capturing and storing it becomes difficult. This is evident in the fact that atmospheric methane has increased by around 150% since 1750. It is because methane increasing total radiative forcing (i.e. causing global warming). While monitoring and reducing air pollution is critical however, the above human or sensor systems have had limitations (e.g. being non-simultaneous, inaccurate, overly-complex, expensive, etc. ).

The identification and reporting of pollutants from an oil facility is important for a variety of reasons (e.g. corporate performance, quality of environment regulations, etc.). For example the oil facility that is responsible for removing natural gas (and/oroil) from an underground reservoir utilizes equipment (e.g. pumpjacks, holding tanks valves, pipes, etc.) which require maintenance. Sometimes, the equipment releases pollutants to the air. This is referred to as emission of fugitive gases or, more generally the term pollution. It must be reported for corrective actions.

To address emission/pollution, the disclosed system monitors, detects and reports the differential concentrations of gases from a group of monitors located around the perimeter of a location. A group of monitors located in an area that is monitored will reveal differential concentrations of gas. This is a sign of a leak. An oil facility configured with the present system is able to detect the presence or increase of emissions by taking readings from a number of monitors for pollution. Each pollution monitorutilizes an electronic control system that can read at most one pollution sensor. in addition, the aggregation of pollution monitors provides the sensed location data to determine whether there is an issue. It is possible to fix the pollution leak by following these steps: noted,repaired, observed, etc. ).

A housing that has an interior and exterior, and a venturi opening inside the housing that allows airflow between the interior and exterior of an oil facility is one example of a pollution monitor. A second venturi window could be added to the housing in order to permit airflow to flow between the exterior and interior. This allows airflow to flow in an interior passageway that is located between the second and first venturi openings. A digital package is included in the housing’s interior, adjacent to the airstream path. An electronic package could include an air pollution sensor electrically linked to the electronics package. It can be configured to create a signal indicating an airborne concentration of pollutant. The electronics package might also contain a communications module that is electrically interfaced with the electronics package, and configured to send the airborne pollution concentration. The pollution monitor mayfurther include a panel mount attached to the housing, which includes a top and a pitch angle formed between the top and a global-horizontal plan. A solar panel may be attached to the top of the panel mount, which can have an angle of that is greater than zero degrees. The electronics module is attached to the solar panel and it is able to be set up to take out water. The power conductor could be connected to the solar panel to maximize solar charging. The powerconductor terminates at the electronics module and can traverse the housing. These components work together to cut down on the emissions of fugitive gases from an oil facility as explained in this article.

A housing could be utilized to house a pollutant monitor that is used for monitoring air quality at the oil plant. The housing may be configured to receive several components, and to protect the components from the outdoor environment. The additional components can include an electronic package integrated into the housing, and an environmental sensor that communicates with the electronics package. A signal representative of a concentration of pollutants could be generated from the sensor. The pollution monitor can also contain a specific location determined by geolocation as well as physical sampling systems that is in electrical communication with the electronics program. A rule can be set to initiate a sampling event, and then be monitored for any violations. In the event of a violation the pollution monitor could be invoked to initiate sampling of air pollution through taking the air sample with the physical sampling device and storing the position of the air sample.

In another general aspect the method of recording atmospheric pollution that originates at an oil facility may include providing a first pollution monitor that has a housing configured to receive components of the monitor, and to shield the components from environmental conditions. An electronic package can be connected to the components. In addition, the components can comprise a pollution sensor in electrical communication with the electronics package, and the first sensor can be configured to report an initial amount of pollution. The first pollution monitor may be located at a specific location, as identified by a geo-location. The method could also include providing a second pollutionmonitor including an enclosure designed to accommodate components of the second monitor and to protect the components from environmental conditions. The second pollution monitor may include an electronics package adjacent to the housing, and a second pollution sensor in electrical communication with the electronics package. The second sensor could be set up to detect an additional amount of pollution. A second location may be added to the second monitor. This could be defined as a separate location from the first. The method could also include the comparison of the first amount of pollution reported by the first sensor to the second amount of pollution reported by the second pollution sensor. If the initial level of pollution is greater than the second, the method can also be used to report air pollution emanating from the oil plant. The method could also create, after the reporting instructions for addressing the pollution emanating from the oil facility.

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