1. A grill support apparatus for mounting a grill to a bumper of vehicle which permits the grill to be positioned in a stowed position where the grill is directly behind the vehicle and a deployed position where the grill can be positioned between the stowed position and a position approximate a side the vehicle, the grill support apparatus comprising:
a pivot assembly comprising:
a pivot collar; and
a first clamp means for securing said pivot collar to a bumper of a vehicle in a vertical orientation;
a support arm having first and second ends, and a horizontal portion intermediate to and extending between said first and second ends, said first end extending vertically downward from said horizontal portion and said second end extending vertically upward from said horizontal portion, said horizontal portion including an offset bend made at a location that is intermediate said first and second ends and being made such that the entire horizontal portion remains in the same plane and such that said first and second ends are offset from each other;
said first end of said support arm is inserted into said pivot collar and rotatable therewith such that said pivot collar supports said support arm in a cantilever fashion and said support arm is permitted to rotate about said first end;
a grill support platform having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top surface including at least two grill mounting flanges, said bottom surface including a centrally located and downwardly extending attachment collar;
said second end of said support arm is inserted into said attachment collar and rotatable therewith such that said grill support platform is rotatable about said second end; and
a retainer assembly comprising:
a retainer means to removably receive said horizontal portion of said support arm and retain said horizontal portion of said support arm such that said support arm can not be rotated about said first end thereof; and
a second clamp means for attaching said retainer means to the vehicle bumper at a spaced distance along the bumper from said first clamp means.
2. The grill support apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first end of said support arm includes a bearing surface in bearing contact with an upper edge of said pivot collar.
3. The grill support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a thumb screw threadably received by a hole formed through said pivot collar that when tightened prevents said first end of said support arm from rotating in said pivot collar.
4. The grill support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a thumb screw threadably received by a hole formed through said attachment collar that when tightened prevents said attachment collar from rotating about said second end of said support arm.
5. The grill support apparatus of claim 1, wherein said grill support platform is at least 1.5 times the length as a grill to be attached to said at least two mounting flanges and wherein said mounting flanges are positioned such that grill is attached to said top surface of said grill support platform towards one side thereof, thereby leaving a portion of said top surface uncovered for use as a working surface.
6. The grill support apparatus of claim 1, wherein said receiver member is generally U-shaped and includes a pair of legs having longitudinally aligned holes formed therethrough, and said support arm having a through hole formed therethrough that is in cooperative alignment with said longitudinally aligned holes when said support arm is received between said pair of legs.
7. A grill support apparatus for mounting a grill to a bumper of vehicle which permits the grill to be positioned in a stowed position where the grill is directly behind the vehicle and a deployed position where the grill can be positioned between the stowed position and a position approximate a side the vehicle, the grill support apparatus comprising:
a pivot assembly comprising:
a pivot collar; and
a first clamp means for securing said pivot collar to a bumper of a vehicle in a vertical orientation;
a support arm having first and second ends, and a horizontal portion intermediate to and extending between said first and second ends, said first end extending vertically downward from said horizontal portion and said second end extending vertically upward from said horizontal portion, said horizontal portion including an offset bend made at a location that is intermediate said first and second ends and being made such that the entire horizontal portion remains in the same plane and such that said first and second ends are offset from each other;
said first end of said support arm is inserted into said pivot collar and rotatable therewith such that said pivot collar supports said support arm in a cantilever fashion and said support arm is permitted to rotate about said first end;
a grill support platform having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top surface including at least two grill mounting flanges, said bottom surface including a centrally located and downwardly extending attachment collar;
said second end of said support arm is inserted into said attachment collar and rotatable therewith such that said grill support platform is rotatable about said second end; and
a retainer assembly comprising:
a retainer means to removably receive said horizontal portion of said support arm and retain said horizontal portion of said support arm such that said support arm can not be rotated about said first end thereof and
a second clamp means for attaching said retainer means to the vehicle bumper at a spaced distance along the bumper from said first clamp means;
said first end of said support arm includes a bearing surface in bearing contact with an upper edge of said pivot collar;
a first thumb screw threadably received by a hole formed through said pivot collar that when tightened prevents said first end of said support arm from rotating in said pivot collar; and
a thumb screw threadably received by a hole formed through said attachment collar that when tightened prevents said attachment collar from rotating about said second end of said support arm.
8. The grill support apparatus of claim 6, wherein said grill support platform is at least 1.5 times the length as a grill to be attached to said at least two mounting flanges and wherein said mounting flanges are positioned such that grill is attached to said top surface of said grill support platform towards one side thereof thereby leaving a portion of said top surface uncovered for use as a working surface.
9. The grill support apparatus of claim 7, wherein said receiver member is generally U-shaped and includes a pair of legs having longitudinally aligned holes formed therethrough, and said support arm having a through hole formed therethrough that is in cooperative alignment with said longitudinally aligned holes when said support arm is received between said pair of legs.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A landfill gas extraction system for controlling the extraction of gas from a landfill having a plurality of gas well cells, each cell including one or more gas wells, and a source of vacuum in fluid communication with the cells, comprising:
a computer; and
a plurality of control valves, each control valve being in fluid communication with a respective cell, each control valve being controllable by the computer for controlling gas extraction from the cell.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising, for each cell, at least one sensor for generating a feedback signal representative of a parameter from the group consisting of: pressure, temperature, flow rate, oxygen concentration, methane concentration, and carbon dioxide concentration, wherein the feedback signal is communicated to the computer and the computer controls the respective control valve in response thereto.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor is a flow rate sensor and the feedback signal represents flow rate through the cell, and the computer controls the respective control valve to establish a predetermined flow rate.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the predetermined flow rate through each cell is based on a predetermined landfill total flow rate.
5. The system of claim 3, further comprising, for each cell, a pressure sensor for generating a vacuum signal representative of pressure in the cell, and the computer includes computer readable code means for comparing the vacuum signal to a predetermined vacuum setpoint and controlling the control valve in response thereto.
6. The system of claim 5, further comprising, for each cell, an oxygen sensor for generating an oxygen signal representative of oxygen concentration in the cell, and the computer includes computer readable code means for comparing the oxygen signal to a predetermined oxygen setpoint and controlling the control valve in response thereto.
7. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor and the feedback signal represents vacuum pressure in the cell, and the computer controls the control valve of each cell to establish a predetermined vacuum pressure.
8. The system of claim 7, further comprising, for each cell, an oxygen extraction sensor for generating an oxygen extraction signal representative of oxygen extraction from the cell, and the computer includes computer readable code means for comparing the oxygen extraction signal to a predetermined oxygen extraction setpoint and controlling the control valve in response thereto.
9. The system of claim 8, further comprising, for each cell, a temperature sensor for generating a temperature signal representative of gas temperature in the cell, and the computer includes computer readable code means for comparing the temperature signal to a predetermined setpoint and controlling the control valve in response thereto.
10. The system of claim 3, further comprising an oxygen sensor for generating an oxygen feedback signal, and the computer controls the control valve of each cell to maintain oxygen concentration below a predetermined oxygen concentration setpoint.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer includes computer readable code means for controlling the control valves such that the sum of the gas flow rates through all the cells is maintained within a predetermined field flow rate range.
12. The system of claim 3, further comprising a methane sensor for generating a methane signal, wherein the computer controls the control valve of each cell in response to the methane signal.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer includes computer readable code means for controlling the control valves such that the sum of the gas flow rates through all the cells is maintained within a predetermined field flow rate range, and wherein the computer causes relatively more gas to be extracted from cells having relatively high methane concentrations.
14. The system of claim 2, further comprising a respective vault for holding each control valve, each vault including a respective pressurized enclosure for holding the sensor therein with the control valve being external to the enclosure, wherein the control valve is a pneumatically-operated valve.
15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a vault controller disposed in the enclosure, the vault controller being in communication with the computer.
16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a solenoid valve disposed in the enclosure and electrically connected to the vault controller for control of the solenoid valve to selectively isolate the sensor, whereby a positive pressure is maintained within the enclosure to prevent the flow of gas into the enclosure, and whereby no electrically-powered components of the vault are located outside the enclosure.
17. A computer program device comprising:
a computer program storage device readable by a digital processing system; and
a computer program on the program storage device and including instructions executable by the digital processing system for performing method steps for controlling at least one valve disposed in a landfill cell gas extraction pipe to thereby control gas extraction from the pipe, the method steps comprising:
receiving a feedback signal representative of at least one of: gas pressure in the pipe, gas flow rate through the pipe, oxygen concentration of gas in the pipe; and
moving the valve in response thereto.
18. The device of claim 19, wherein the method steps further comprise moving the valve in response to methane concentration in the pipe.
19. The device of claim 18, wherein the method steps further comprise:
determining a desired gas flow rate through the pipe based on the number of wells in the landfill and at least one of: landfill flare capacity, methane concentration in the pipe.
20. A digital processing apparatus for controlling a valve in a landfill to regulate the flow of gas from the landfill through the valve, comprising:
computer readable code means for receiving a feedback signal representative of at least one of: gas pressure in the pipe, gas flow rate through the pipe, oxygen concentration of gas in the pipe; and
computer readable code means for causing the valve to move in response to the feedback signal.
21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising computer readable code means for moving the valve in response to methane concentration in the pipe.
22. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:
computer readable code means for determining a desired gas flow rate through the pipe based on the number of wells in the landfill and at least one of: landfill flare capacity, methane concentration in the pipe.
23. A landfill, comprising a piping system for extracting gas from the landfill through a plurality of landfill cells, each cell including one or more wells, comprising:
a computer; and
for each cell:
a pneumatic control valve disposed in the cell for selectively blocking gas communication therethrough;
an enclosure;
a source of air for pressurizing the enclosure to prevent gas from leaking into the enclosure;
at least one sensor disposed in the enclosure for generating a feedback signal representative of an attribute of gas in the cell; and
at least one solenoid valve disposed in the enclosure and configured for selectively establishing fluid communication between the cell and the sensor, wherein the computer generates, in response to the feedback signal, a control signal for controlling the control valve.
24. The landfill of claim 23, further comprising, for each cell:
a controller disposed within the enclosure and electrically connected to the solenoid valve for sending control signals thereto, the controller also being electrically connected to the control valve and the sensor to communicate feedback signals to the computer.
25. The landfill of claim 24, wherein the computer includes:
computer readable code means for receiving the feedback signal, the feedback signal being representative of at least one of: gas pressure in the pipe, gas flow rate through the pipe, oxygen concentration of gas in the pipe; and
computer readable code means for causing the control valve to move in response to the feedback signal.
26. The landfill of claim 25, wherein the computer further comprises computer readable code means for moving the control valve in response to methane concentration in the pipe.
27. The landfill of claim 26, wherein the computer further comprises computer readable code means for determining a desired gas flow rate through the pipe based on the number of wells in the landfill and at least one of: landfill flare capacity, methane concentration in the pipe.