Precision Air/Gas Flow Measurement Helps Turn Landfills Into Green Electric Power Generators

A leading supplier of landfill gas extraction and recovery systems located in the Midwest region of the US relies on flow meters from Fluid Components International (FCI) for gas flow measurements in landfills. The company has developed hundreds of landfill gas system flares and extraction system skids that are in operation worldwide, which all require accurate gas flow measurement.

With the help of landfill gas extraction and recovery systems, landfill owners and operators are solving the challenges and meeting ever increasing regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, meeting good neighbor goals and reducing operating costs. Decaying organic materials in landfills are a continuous, rich source of biomethane gas that can be harvested for the production of onsite electric power generation for and/or be delivered and sold to the local power grid, either as electricity or as natural gas to support nearby homes and businesses.

The biomethane gas is extracted from the landfill with multiple wellhead taps and collected via a network of pipes leading to a common header pipe. This main pipe collects enough gas to fuel to drive turbines that in turn produce clean electric power (Figure 1). Typical landfill gas extraction systems for co-gen electric power require turbines, compressors, blowers, pumps, flow meters, knock-out pots and a flare burner or oxidizer gas unit.