Air quality monitoring system and method
In one illustrative configuration, an air quality monitoring system may enable wide-scale deployment of multiple air quality monitors with high-confidence and actionable data is provided. Further, the air quality monitoring system may enable identifying a target emission from a plurality of potential sources at a site based on simulating plume models. The simulation of plume models may take into consideration various simulation parameters including wind speed and direction. Further, methods of determining a plume flux of a plume of emissions at a site, and methods of transmitting data from an air quality monitor are disclosed.
1. A method of optimizing weather data collection at a site monitored for a target emissions, the method comprising:
surveying the site by procuring:
an equipment log of a plurality of leak-prone equipment at the site,
a centroid of the plurality of leak-prone equipment, and
a wind-rose diagram representing wind at the site;
attaching the wind-rose diagram to the site, the wind-rose diagram comprising:
a predominate downwind direction,
a secondary downwind direction angularly offset from the predominate downwind direction, and
a tertiary downwind direction angularly offset from the predominate downwind direction and oppositely disposed from the secondary downwind direction;
installing a predominate air quality monitor in the predominate downwind direction from the centroid at a first location where the first location has a maximal angular separation between the plurality of leak-prone equipment;
installing a secondary air quality monitor in the secondary downwind direction from the centroid at a second location where the second location has minimal observational overlap with the predominate air quality monitor;
installing a tertiary air quality monitor in the tertiary downwind direction from the centroid at a third location where the third location has minimal observational overlap with the predominate air quality monitor and with the secondary air quality monitor;
providing a predominate weather station communicatively coupled to the predominate air quality monitor;
providing a secondary weather station communicatively coupled to the secondary air quality monitor;
providing a tertiary weather station communicatively coupled to the tertiary air quality monitor;
transmitting current weather data from each of the predominate weather station, the secondary weather station, and the tertiary weather station;
analyzing the current weather data to determine redundant or non-contributing current weather data; and
removing, upon analyzing, at least one of:
the predominate weather station,
the secondary weather station, and
the tertiary weather station.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the current weather data comprises:
analyzing a wind speed; and
analyzing a wind direction.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the predominate downwind direction, the secondary downwind direction, and the tertiary downwind direction are extracted from historical weather data for the site.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein each of the first location, the second location, and the third location is determined on a criterion based on maximizing angular coverage of the plurality of leak-prone equipment.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein surveying the site further comprises:
procuring a 3D point cloud of topography of the site; and
procuring a 3D point cloud of the plurality of leak-prone equipment of the site.
6. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:
before installing the predominate air quality monitor, directing a site operator to:
install a first vertical object where the predominate air quality monitor will be installed;
install a second vertical object where the secondary air quality monitor will be installed; and
install a third vertical object where the tertiary air quality monitor will be installed;
wherein installing further comprises:
attaching the predominate air quality monitor to the first vertical object;
attaching the secondary air quality monitor to the second vertical object; and
attaching the tertiary air quality monitor to the third vertical object.
7. The method of claim 2 and further comprising:
providing a connector communicatively coupled the predominate air quality monitor;
providing a weather station comprising:
an anemometer comprising:
a due-north indicia;
communicatively coupling the weather station to the predominate air quality monitor at the connector;
aligning the due-north indicia of the anemometer to north of Earth; and
transmitting a first weather reading of local weather from the weather station, wherein the first weather reading of the local weather comprises:
the wind speed, and
the wind direction.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the predominate air quality monitor, the secondary air quality monitor, and the tertiary air quality monitor is configured to:
obtain the first weather reading of local weather from the weather station; and
modify transmission of an emission data according to the first weather reading obtained from the weather station.
9. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:
creating at least one simulation model for the site for identifying an emission rate of a target chemical at a source, based on the current weather data from each of the predominate weather station, the secondary weather station, and the tertiary weather station.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the current weather data from each of the predominate weather station, the secondary weather station, and the tertiary weather station is obtained based on at least one of:
during a predefined period of time of a day; and
a predefined range of concentration intensity in air as detected by each of the predominate weather station, the secondary weather station, and the tertiary weather station.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removing comprises at least one of:
discarding current weather data from at least one of the predominate weather station, the secondary weather station, and the tertiary weather station; and
physically removing at least one of:
the predominate weather station,
the secondary weather station, and
the tertiary weather station.
12. A system for optimizing weather data collection at a site monitored for a target emissions, the system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing a plurality of processor-executable instructions, which upon execution by the processor, cause the processor to:
attach a wind-rose diagram to the site, the wind-rose diagram comprising:
a predominate downwind direction,
a secondary downwind direction angularly offset from the predominate downwind direction, and
a tertiary downwind direction angularly offset from the predominate downwind direction and oppositely disposed from the secondary downwind direction;
wherein the wind-rose diagram is obtained based on a surveying of the site, wherein the surveying further comprises procuring:
an equipment log of a plurality of leak-prone equipment at the site, and
a centroid of the plurality of leak-prone equipment;
receive current weather data from each of a predominate weather station, a secondary weather station, and a tertiary weather station;
wherein the predominate weather station is communicatively coupled to a predominate air quality monitor installed in the predominate downwind direction from the centroid at a first location where the predominate air quality monitor has a maximal angular separation between the plurality of leak-prone equipment;
wherein the secondary weather station is communicatively coupled to a secondary air quality monitor installed in the secondary downwind direction from the centroid at a second location where the secondary air quality monitor has minimal observational overlap with the predominate air quality monitor;
wherein the tertiary weather station is communicatively coupled to a tertiary air quality monitor installed in the tertiary downwind direction from the centroid at a third location where the tertiary air quality monitor has minimal observational overlap with the predominate air quality monitor and with the secondary air quality monitor;
analyze the current weather data to determine redundant or non-contributing current weather data; and
remove, upon analyzing, at least one of:
the predominate weather station,
the secondary weather station, and
the tertiary weather station.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the predominate downwind direction, the secondary downwind direction, and the tertiary downwind direction are extracted from historical weather data.
14. The system of claim 12 , wherein each of the first location, the second location, and the third location is determined on a criterion based on maximizing angular coverage of the plurality of leak-prone equipment.
15. The system of claim 12 and further comprising:
creating at least one simulation model for the site for identifying an emission rate of a target chemical at a source, based on the current weather data from each of the predominate weather station, the secondary weather station, and the tertiary weather station.
16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the current weather data from each of the predominate weather station, the secondary weather station, and the tertiary weather station is obtained based on at least one of:
a predefined period of time of a day; and
a predefined range of concentration intensity in air as detected by each of the predominate weather station, the secondary weather station, and the tertiary weather station.
17. A method of installing an air quality monitor system at a site, the method comprising:
procuring:
a predominate downwind direction for the site,
a secondary downwind direction for the site, wherein the secondary downwind direction is angularly offset from the predominate downwind direction, and
a tertiary downwind direction for the site, wherein the tertiary downwind direction is angularly offset from the predominate downwind direction and oppositely disposed from the secondary downwind direction;
installing a predominate air quality monitor in the predominate downwind direction from a centroid at a first location;
installing a secondary air quality monitor in the secondary downwind direction from the centroid at a second location;
installing a tertiary air quality monitor in the tertiary downwind direction from the centroid at a third location;
providing a predominate weather station communicatively coupled to the predominate air quality monitor;
providing a secondary weather station communicatively coupled to the secondary air quality monitor;
providing a tertiary weather station communicatively coupled to the tertiary air quality monitor;
transmitting current weather data from each of the predominate weather station, the secondary weather station, and the tertiary weather station;
analyzing the current weather data to determine redundant or non-contributing current weather data; and
removing, upon analyzing, at least one of:
the predominate weather station,
the secondary weather station, and
the tertiary weather station.
18. The method of claim 17 and further comprising:
surveying the site by procuring:
an equipment log of a plurality of leak-prone equipment at the site;
the centroid of the plurality of leak-prone equipment; and
a wind-rose diagram representative of wind at the site, wherein the wind-rose diagram comprises:
the predominate downwind direction.