The AEMS offers 24-7 monitoring of gas extraction systems. Because landfill gas extraction systems are LANDTEC's core expertise, AEMS was developed and tested on landfill gas extraction systems. However, the system is also suitable for the petroleum and natural gas industries and the agricultural sector where gas control, extraction and/or monitoring is a concern.
The system is fully scalable. It can be as simple as a single Field Server Unit (FSU) connected to your existing system and reporting back to EnviroComp. From there, you can add FAUs and other sensors until you are automatically monitoring every aspect of your operation.
The FAU can provide data directly to a PLC in your existing SCADA system, while the FSU can draw data from your existing PLC's.
The Field Analytical Unit (FAU) is a stationary gas analyzer, providing accurate analysis of the Methane, Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide content of a gas stream.
EnviroComp is your AEMS information center. Reports, alarm notifications, status reports and graphs are produced automatically and delivered by email. Your data, and analysis tools, are available at any time via the Internet.
One of the most important features of any data service is data integrity. Data integrity means first and foremost that your data is correct. Data can be incorrect for many reasons:
| Data Integrity Solutions | ||
| Problem | Description | AEMS Solution |
| Duplicate Readings | Readings are taken with a field instrument, then uploaded or saved to a file. Some time later, the readings are inadvertently uploaded or saved again. | When readings are uploaded to EnviroComp, each one is checked to see if it matches the well ID, time and values of any previously uploaded reading. If it does, it is marked as a duplicate reading and not saved, and the duplication is noted in the data posting email. |
| Mismatched Readings | Readings are taken from a single well using different well IDs. The readings should all go together, but they don't. | Well IDs are established once, and are stored in EnviroComp. If manual readings are to be taken, the GEM-2000 downloads Well IDs from EnviroComp first. Readings uploaded by the FSU are identified by channel. |
| Lost/Mismatched Readings | Readings are taken but never downloaded from the instrument. Readings are written on paper, but the paper is lost or illegible. Files are lost or deleted. | Readings are saved on the FSU until they are uploaded. The FSU has a battery backup. Readings once uploaded are saved in at least two locations, with regular backups. |
| Erroneous Readings | An inexperienced Field Technician hooks up the hoses incorrectly, or fails to calibrate the instrument. Or the instrument needs servicing. Or the wellhead is faulty, or waterlogged, or leaking. For stationary equipment, a sensor can fail and produce anomalous readings. A power failure can create bad readings that cascade throughout the whole system. | AEMS checks every piece of data that comes in against the historical trend for that device. Anomalous data is flagged and then reviewed by the EnviroComp staff. Every effort is then made to determine the best possible data to record. As required by law, a complete audit trail is kept of the original data, the changes made and the reason for the changes. |
| Altered Readings | Altering genuine readings to create the illusion of compliance is against the law, and so is not generally practiced. However, an agency may suspect that altering has taken place and require some sort of proof or assurance that it has not. |
Once EnviroComp has stored your raw readings, they cannot be changed or lost. If your readings
have been judged as erroneous and been adjusted, the original values are still saved, along
with a complete record of the change, the name of the party or parties responsible for the
change(s), and the justification for the change. Data which has been stored and then "deleted", is always recoverable. The DataField software that powers EnviroComp is already approved and in use by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. |
| Inconsistent Readings | Readings of interrelated quantities should fit a formula, but don't. This means that at least one piece of data is incorrect. In a manual data recording system, this inconsistency may not even be noticed. | All interrelated data is automatically checked for consistency. Any suspect data is flagged and reviewed by the EnviroComp staff. |