AU2011100274A4 - A system and method for monitoring green house gas related data of an entity - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING GREEN HOUSE GAS RELATED DATA OF AN ENTITY The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing TITLE OF THE INEVENTION A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING GREEN HOUSE GAS RELATED DATA OF AN ENTITY 5 FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of information systems. 10 Particularly, the invention relates to the field of Green House Gas (GHG) related information systems. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED IN THE SPECIFICATION 15 The term 'entity' used in the specification refers to premises, manufacturing plants, organizations, geographical regions and the like comprising movable and / or non-movable equipment wherein the equipment invariably emits or sequesters green house gases. 20 The terms 'short term impact' and 'long term impact' refer to outcomes of operation of entities comprising equipment, based on diagnosis and prognosis of patterns generated when compared with benchmark patterns tailored by domain experts for each equipment for a particular entity. 25 These definitions are in addition to those expressed in the art. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Rapid industrialization, deforestation, proliferation of concrete jungles has 30 harmed the environment, perhaps irreparably. The amount of green house gases (GHG) emitting from industrial setups have crossed the benchmark of 1 safe and controlled emissions. Industrialization and its lucrative outcome have lured more and more economies to join this race and now, they seem to have forgotten the adverse effects they pile on the environment, which indeed is the key of a sustainable planet. 5 Considering the amount of greenhouse gas emissions today and the projected figures for tomorrow, environmentalists predict melting of entire polar ice and rise in the sea levels leading to submerging of most of the low lying countries and continents. 10 Not too long ago, recognizing the need for environmental protection for sustainable planet, nations and organizations alike have started to focus on reducing emissions. However, the steps taken by them are feeble and need well structured policies and effective enforcement of the policies. 15 One of the gargantuan impediments in formation of such policies and their enforcement mainly at an organizational level and also, at a national and international level is the lack of organized, customized, integrated and structured information relating to green house gas emissions. Such 20 information can be of great help in observing the status of greenhouse gas emissions of any organization and analyzing the impact. On a larger scale, such information can help nations devise there strategies to wane their emissions and contributing to the planet. 25 In order to address the issue field instruments and systems were developed to sense emission related parameters such as CO 2 emission, fuel consumed and the like. 2 One of the systems which address the issue, although superficially, is a greenhouse gas online monitoring system disclosed in Chinese patent document CN1O1782562. The system employs a gas detector set connected to a computer installation. The gas detector set including the control chip, a 5 gas detector, the connection control chip and the gas detector A/D transformation chip along with GPRS module. The invention monitors carbon dioxide, the methane, the nitrous oxide many kinds of greenhouse gases in real-time. But, this system is merely used for sensing or monitoring the greenhouse gases and is of little importance when it comes to handling 10 heterogeneous environments and intelligently automating the entire process of monitoring. Further, this system and other such systems available today lack to show current and projected global picture of the effects of greenhouse gas 15 emissions with factual data. Moreover, it has been observed that the present systems are not capable of eliminating network data losses and are vulnerable to hacking and malpractices due to use of unsecured data exchange over network. 20 Additionally, every day new norms and standards and policies are made and brought into practice by governments and organizations and the present systems are incapable of complying with them. 25 Hence, there is felt a need for a system which can render computerized green house gas emissions calculation and prediction of reduction; 3 - provide an emission credit management system for effectively utilizing computing and managing emission credits; - rapidly and precisely calculate the amount of cuts of toxic substances contained in exhaust gas; and 5 - time efficient, cost efficient and space efficient system for monitoring of green house gas related parameter. OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 10 An object of the present invention is to provide a system for monitoring green house gas related parameters. Another object of the present invention is to provide intelligence through diagnosis & prognosis of an entity's GHG related information. 15 Another object of the present invention is to provide a reliable system for monitoring green house gas related parameters. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an authentic system 20 for monitoring green house gas related parameters. Still another object of the present invention is to ensure zero percent loss during data acquisition. 25 Still another object of the present invention is to effectively monitor equipment in different scenarios. Still further an object of the present invention is to render computerized green house gas emission calculation and prediction of reduction. 30 4 One more object of the present invention is to provide an emission credit management system for effectively utilizing, computing and managing emission credits. 5 Still one more object of the present invention is to rapidly and precisely calculate the reduction in green house gases. Additionally, an object of the present invention is to provide a time efficient, cost efficient and space efficient system for monitoring green house gas 10 related parameters. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a computer aided 15 system for monitoring green house gas (GHG) related data of an entity comprising movable and non-movable equipment, the equipment adapted to emit or sequester green house gas, the system comprising: - a first repository adapted to store green house gas related parameters 20 and rules governing the parameters; - a sensing subsystem comprising: - a plurality of sensors adapted to be coupled to each of the equipment at appropriate locations, the plurality of sensors further adapted to continuously sense at least one of the 25 parameters and generate corresponding signals; - first transmission means adapted to transmit the signals corresponding to the parameters over a first communication network; 5 - a second repository adapted to store the signals as records; a green house gas prognostic and diagnostic subsystem comprising: - registering means adapted to register the plurality of sensors 5 with the green house gas prognostic and diagnostic subsystem and a report generation subsystem; - sampling and collation means adapted to receive the transmitted signals and sample at least one of the transmitted signals and further adapted to collate the sampled signals into 10 groups; - pattern building means adapted to access the first repository and extract the rules to build benchmark patterns and current patterns for the groups of signals; - a third repository adapted to store the benchmark patterns of 15 groups of sampled signals corresponding to the parameters, wherein the third repository is populated by domain experts; - comparator means adapted to match the current patterns with the benchmark patterns stored in the third repository to extract matched patterns; 20 " parsing means adapted to parse the matched patterns to predict short term and long term impact on green house gas emission of the entity and solutions thereof, based on the matched patterns; - notification generation means adapted to generate notifications based on the prediction; 25 - a central repository adapted to store the groups as records; - a reporting subsystem comprising: 6 - sequestration data collection means adapted to communicate with dedicated sequestration equipment in order to collect sequestration data; - data acquiring means coupled to the central repository and the 5 sequestration data collection means and adapted to acquire the groups and the sequestration data; - computation means adapted access the acquired groups to compute emission data selected from the group consisting of project emission, leakage emission, and baseline emission, the 10 computing means further adapted to access the acquired sequestration data; and - report generation means adapted to access the computed emission data, perform inventorying and generate reports. 15 The system as described herein above further comprises: requesting means coupled with the central repository, the requesting means being adapted to request the sensing subsystem to retransmit the signals stored in the second repository, the signals corresponding to the parameters; and 20 " facilitation means adapted to extract the signals stored in the second repository, and trigger the first transmission means to transmit the extracted signals. Typically in accordance with the present invention, the system further 25 comprises first editing means adapted to edit the rules for building the benchmark patterns and the current patterns. 7 Typically in accordance with the present invention, the system further comprises second editing means adapted to edit the benchmark patterns stored in the third repository. 5 Alternatively, in accordance with the present invention, the sensing subsystem is a part of a SCADA system. Typically in accordance with the present invention, map generation means is adapted to generate green house gas element maps for a specified region 10 using the reports pertaining to the equipment of the specified region. Additionally, in accordance with the present invention, the first transmission means is adapted to transmit the signals being embedded with messages, the messages are in a form selected from the group consisting of email, SMS, 15 MMS, packets, and their combinations thereof. Preferably, the diagnostic and prognostic subsystem further comprises: second transmission means adapted to transmit the notifications and solutions to users over a second communication network; and 20 " receiving means adapted to receive feedback from the users and update the third repository. Additionally, in accordance with the present invention, the second transmission means is adapted to transmit the notifications and the solutions 25 to users the notifications and solutions being embedded with messages, the messages are in a form selected from the group consisting of emails, SMS, MMS, packets, and combinations thereof. 8 The first communication network and the second communication network is typically selected from the group consisting of internet, PSTN, mobile network, GSM network, CDMA network, VPN, OFDM network, LAN, MAN, WAN, 3G network, satellite communication network and 5 combinations thereof. Further, the system described herein above, comprises remote vigilance means adapted to capture real time audio, video data and transmit it to the users using the second transmission means. 10 In accordance with the present invention, the parameters (for instance, for a heat generating equipment) are typically selected (but not limited to) from the group (for e.g. heat generating equipment, not limited to) consisting of steam flow, steam temperature, steam pressure, feed water temperature, 15 electrical energy consumption, fluid flow, inlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid at the inlet, temperature of the heat transfer fluid at the outlet of the heater, electrical energy consumption, calorific value of fuel, fuel usage, capacity of equipment, moisture content values, chemical reactions, operating pressure, ambient temperature, operating load, age of equipment, 20 steam generation frequency, meter reading, delta energy consumption, and their combinations thereof. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for monitoring green house gas (GHG) related data of an entity comprising 25 movable and non-movable equipment, the method comprising: providing a first repository for storing green house gas related parameters and rules governing the parameters; 9 - coupling a plurality of sensors to the equipment; - registering the sensors with a green house gas prognostic and diagnostic subsystem and a report generation subsystem; - continuous sensing by a sensing subsystem of at least one of the 5 parameters and generating signals corresponding to the sensed parameters; - providing a second repository for storing signals corresponding to the parameters as records; - transmitting the signals corresponding to the parameters over a first 10 communication network; - receiving the transmitted signals; - sampling at least one of the transmitted signals and collating the sampled signals into groups; - accessing the first repository and extracting the rules for building 15 benchmark patterns and current patterns for the groups; - comparing the current patterns with the benchmark patterns stored in a third repository to extract matched patterns; - parsing the matched patterns to predict short term and long term impact on green house gas emission of the entity based on the 20 matched patterns and their solutions thereof; - generating notifications based on the predictions; - colleting sequestration data; - receiving the transmitted signals; - computing emission data selected from the group consisting of project 25 emission, leakage emission, and baseline emission from the transmitted signals; - accessing said sequestration data and computed emission data; and 10 - generating reports by performing inventorying of the sequestration data and the computed emission data. The method described herein above, further comprises the step of generating 5 green house gas element maps for a specified region using the reports pertaining to the equipment of the specified region; and the step of capturing real time audio, video data and transmitting it to users using second transmission means. 10 The method described herein above still further comprises the following steps: - transmitting the notifications and solutions to users over a second communication network; and - receiving feedback and updating the third repository. 15 Furthermore, the method described herein above comprises the following steps: - requesting the sensing subsystem to retransmit the signals stored in the second repository when data is not received for specified time 20 interval; - extracting the signals stored in the second repository,; and - triggering the first transmission means for transmitting the extracted signals. 25 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS 11 The invention will now be described in relation to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 illustrates a schematic of a system for monitoring green house 5 gas related data of an entity in accordance with the present invention; FIGURE 2 illustrates a schematic of a method for monitoring green house gas related data of an entity in accordance with the present invention; FIGURE 3 illustrates matching of stored patterns of signals with a current patterns for the same entity in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of 10 the present invention; and FIGURE 4 illustrates matching of stored patterns of signals with a current pattern for different entities in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 15 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The drawings and the description thereto are merely illustrative of a computer aided system for monitoring green house gas related data of an entity comprising movable and non-movable equipment. The drawings and 20 description only exemplify the invention and in no way limits the scope thereof. The invention focuses on an intelligent, reliable & authentic system that enables monitoring & managing greenhouse gas related parameters of an 25 entity. Also, it is within the scope of the invention to manage and monitor greenhouse gas related parameters of an individual or community. In accordance with the invention, a diagnostic & prognostic subsystem is provided to analyze the parameters related to greenhouse gas emission 12 sensed using a sensing subsystem. Further, the diagnostic and prognostic subsystem proactively suggests to users, solutions to avoid system/process failures and comply with current greenhouse gas standards and has the ability to comply with upcoming greenhouse gas standards and norms. The 5 diagnostic & prognostic subsystem also alerts the user for the actions to be taken during various events. In accordance with the invention, the system considers various types of project emissions, leakages and sequestration natural/artificial to compute 10 effective greenhouse gas emissions, thus improving greenhouse gas assessment, verification, audit and certification anywhere in the world. The invention includes the features and capabilities of communicating via internet / GSM/ 3G/ GIS/ Satellite Communication; providing audiovisual 15 aid on any handheld device; use of highly secured data transfer models; and use of interactive tools & online validations. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the system includes a greenhouse gas inventorying subsystem which performs functions of 20 maintaining an inventory of the sensed parameters and generating reports on pre defined intervals such as daily, monthly, yearly and the like. In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, in order to ensure zero percent data loss during server system or network 25 communication shutdown or server system or network communication malfunction, a sensing subsystem is provided with a local storage to continuously store the sensed parameters. These stored parameters can be 13 accessed again anytime by request coming from central repository and hence, there is no data loss. Further, the invention includes the features of generating greenhouse gas 5 element maps for specified region/area/country. The invention also proposes visualizing the data/ equipment / premises through audio visual aid on any handheld device anytime. Referring to figure 1, there is shown a computer aided system for 10 monitoring green house gas related data of an entity, the equipment adapted to emit or sequester green house gas. The system 100 includes a sensing subsystem 105 which is used for sensing; a diagnostic and prognostic subsystem 110 for performing the function of prediction of short term and long term impact on greenhouse gas emission of the entity; and a reporting 15 subsystem 115 to generate reports after performing the function of inventorying. The sensing subsystem 105 basically has sensors 105a coupled with each of the equipment which continuously senses at least one greenhouse gas related 20 parameters associated with the equipment. Also, it is within the scope of the invention to use sensing systems as part of SCADA systems for greenhouse gas related data of the equipment. For instance, the parameters for a heat generating equipment can be included from but not limited to steam flow, steam temperature, steam pressure, feed water temperature, electrical energy 25 consumption, fluid flow, inlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid at the inlet, outlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid at the outlet of the heater, electrical energy consumption, calorific value of fuel, fuel usage, capacity of equipment, moisture content values, chemical reactions, operating pressure, 14 ambient temperature, operating load, age of equipment, steam generation frequency, meter reading, delta energy consumption, combinations thereof and the like. 5 The output signals from the sensors correspond to the values of sensed parameters. These signals are transmitted using a first transmission means 105b which transmits the signals over a first communication network. This network, in a preferable embodiment, is an internet or a GPRS network. Alternatively, the network can be a mobile network, a GSM network, a 10 CDMA network, VPN, an OFDM network, LAN, MAN, WAN, a 3G network, a satellite communication network and combinations thereof. Also, the first transmission means 105b transmits the signals after embedding the signals with messages; the messages for instance, are in the form of an email, SMS, MMS, packets, and combinations thereof. 15 The prior art systems suffer from a problem of data loss occurring due to server down time or network delays and the like. To overcome such problems and ensuring zero percent data loss the sensing subsystem 105 includes a second repository 105c which stores the signals as records, to be 20 accessed and retransmitted at a later point in time, in case of any discrepancy in the communication of signals or incorrect processing. The system includes a greenhouse gas prognostic and diagnostic subsystem 110 which comprises a registering means 110a to register the sensors with 25 the greenhouse gas prognostic and diagnostic subsystem 110 and a report generation subsystem 115. 15 Further, a sampling and collation means 1Ob is provided which receives the transmitted signals, samples the signals and collates the sampled signals into groups. Further, the collated samples are used by a pattern building means 110c to access a first repository 102 and extract rules governing the 5 parameters to build benchmark patterns and current patterns for the groups of signals. These groups are also stored in a central repository 103 as records. The current patterns are then compared with the benchmark patterns stored in a third repository 110d. Using comparator means 110e, the matched patterns are extracted. The third repository 110d stores the 10 benchmark patterns of groups of sampled signals corresponding to green house gas related parameters, the third repository 110d is populated by domain experts using the rules stored in the first repository and used at a later stage in order to match the current patterns of the signals. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the domain experts build the 15 patterns for selected equipment capable of generating green house gas or for the entire entity. The benchmark patterns are verified from time to time. The extracted patterns are parsed by parsing means 110f which parses the matched patterns to predict short term and long term impact on green house 20 gas emission of the entity, based on the matched patterns. The parsing means also provides solutions based on the matched patterns. This parsing can be done using mathematical analysis, statistical analysis or computer aided analysis of the matched patterns. 25 Further, a notification generation means 110g is provided to generate notifications based on short term and long term impact of the entity. These notifications include qualitative flags, for instance, a negative short term or 16 long term impact can be represented by a "Negative" flag and vice versa can be represented by "Positive" flag. The generated notifications and the solutions are transmitted to users using a 5 second transmission means 110h to transmit the notifications and suggestions to users over a second communication network. This network in a preferable embodiment is an internet or a GPRS network. Alternatively, the network is a mobile network, a GSM network, a CDMA network, VPN, an OFDM network, LAN, MAN, WAN, a 3G network, a satellite 10 communication network and combinations thereof. Also, the second transmission means 110h transmits the signals after embedding the signals with messages which are typically in the form of an email, SMS, MMS, packets, and combinations thereof. Users' feedback on the notifications and the suggested solutions are received using receiving means 110i and the 15 third repository 110d is updated accordingly. In order to generate reports for analyzing the emission credits, the reporting subsystem 115 is used. The reporting subsystem 115 includes sequestration data collection means 115a to communicate with dedicated sequestration 20 equipment (not shown) in order to collect sequestration data. A data acquiring means 115b is provided which acquires the groups stored in the central repository and the collected sequestration data and sends it to a computation means 115c for computing emission data including project emission, leakage emission, and baseline emission and further accesses the 25 acquired sequestration data. A report generation means 115d then accesses the computed emission data and the sequestration data, performs inventorying and generates reports. 17 In order to ensure zero percent data loss, the central repository 103 is coupled with a requesting means 120 which requests the sensing subsystem 105 to retransmit the signals corresponding to green house gas related 5 parameters which are missing in the central repository, stored in the second repository 105c. Consequently, the sensing subsystem 105 is provided with a facilitation means 105d to extract the signals stored in the second repository, and trigger the transmission means to transmit the extracted signals. 10 The system in accordance with the present invention further includes remote vigilance means 125 coupled to said sensing subsystem 105 which captures real time audio, video data of the entity and transmit it to the users using second transmission means 110h. 15 The system also includes first editing means (not shown in figure) to edit the rules governing these parameters stored in the first repository and a second editing means to edit the benchmark patterns of groups of sampled signals stored in the third repository. The edition of benchmark patterns is typically a function carried out by domain experts related to the corresponding 20 equipment or entity in the event that the current pattern obtained includes parameters not forming a part of the benchmark patterns. The system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention further includes map generation means to generate green house gas element 25 maps for a specified region using the reports pertaining to the equipment of the specified region. 18 In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the benchmark patterns of the group of signals relating to parameters of an entity stored in the third repository are used for a different entity in order to interrelate and perform diagnosis and prognosis. 5 In accordance with the present invention a method for monitoring green house gas related data of an entity comprising movable and non-movable equipment is provided, as shown in figure 2, the method comprising the following steps: 10 - providing a first repository for storing green house gas related parameters and rules governing the parameters, 201; - coupling a plurality of sensors to the equipment, 203; - registering the sensors with a green house gas prognostic and 15 diagnostic subsystem and a report generation subsystem, 205; - continuous sensing by a sensing subsystem of at least one of the parameters and generating signals corresponding to the sensed parameters, 207; - providing a second repository for storing signals corresponding 20 to the parameters as records, 209; - transmitting the signals corresponding to the parameters over a first communication network, 211; - receiving the transmitted signals, 213; - sampling at least one of the transmitted signals and collating the 25 sampled signals into groups, 215; - storing the groups as records into a central repository, 217; 19 - accessing the first repository and extracting the rules for building benchmark patterns and current patterns for the groups, 219; - comparing the current patterns with the benchmark patterns 5 stored in a third repository to extract matched patterns, 221; - parsing the matched patterns to predict short term and long term impact on green house gas emission of the entity based on the matched patterns and their solutions thereof, 223; - generating notifications based on the predictions, 225; 10 - collecting sequestration data from dedicated sequestration equipment, 227; - acquiring the groups stored in the central repository and the collected sequestration data, 229; - computing emission data from the acquired groups wherein the 15 emission data is selected from the group consisting of project emission, leakage emission, and baseline emission, 231; - accessing said sequestration data and computed emission data and, 233; and - generating reports by performing inventorying of the 20 sequestration data and the computed emission data, 234. The method described herein above further comprises the step of generating green house gas element maps for a specified region using the reports pertaining to the movable and immovable equipment of the specified region, 25 235. 20 Additionally, the method further comprises the step of capturing real time audio, video data and transmitting it to users using second transmission means, 237. 5 The method described herein above further comprises the following steps: - transmitting the notifications and solutions to users over a second communication network, 239; and - receiving feedback and updating the third repository, 241. 10 The method described herein above still further comprises the following steps: - requesting the sensing subsystem to retransmit signals stored in the second repository, 243 - extracting the signals stored in the second repository, 245; and 15 - triggering transmission means to transmit the extracted signals, 247. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, project emissions include CO 2 emissions from on-site fossil fuel and electricity consumption that is attributable to the project activity (PECO2,FF,y 20 and PECO2,EC,y), CO 2 emissions from off-site transportation of biomass residues, that are combusted in heat generation equipment, to the project site

(PECO

2 TR,y), and, if included in the project boundary, CH 4 emissions from combustion of biomass residues for heat generation (PECH4,BF,y) PE, = PECO2,FF,y + PECO2,EC,y + PECO2,TR,y+ GWPCH 4 . PECH 4 ,BF,y 25 Where: PEy Project emissions during the year y (tCO 2 /yr) PECO2,FF,y CO 2 emissions from on-site fossil fuel combustion 21 attributable to the project activity (tCO 2 /yr) PECO2,EC,y CO 2 emissions from on-site electricity consumption attributable to the project activity (tCO 2 /yr) PECO2,TR,y CO 2 emissions from off-site transportation of biomass residues to the project site (tCO 2 /yr)

GWPCH

4 Global Warming Potential of methane valid for the commitment period (tCO 2 e/tCH 4 ) PEH4,BF,y CH 4 emissions from combustion of biomass residues in the heat generation equipment (tCH 4 /yr) In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, baseline emissions include CO 2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion in 5 heat generation equipment in the absence of the project activity and, if included in the project boundary, CH 4 emissions from the treatment of biomass residues in the absence of the project activity: BE, = BE HG,y+ BE BF ,y Where: BEY Baseline emissions during the year y (tCO 2 e/yr) BEHG,y Baseline emissions from fossil fuel combustion for heat generation in the heat generation equipment in year y (tCO 2 /yr) BEBF,y Baseline emissions due to uncontrolled burning or decay of the biomass residues in year y (tCO 2 e/yr) 10 For instance, the base line emissions include BE thermal, co2, y (EG thermal, y / BL, thermal) * EFFF, C02 where 22 BE thermal, co2, y = the baseline emissions from steam/heat displaced by the Project activity during the year y (tCO2) EG thermal, y = the net quantity of steam/heat supplied by the Project activity 5 during the year y (TJ) ] BL, thermal = the efficiency of the plant using fossil fuel that would have been used in the absence of the project activity. EFFF, C02= The C02 emission factor of the fossil fuel that would have been used in the Baseline plant; tCO2 / TJ, obtained from reliable local or 10 national data if available, Otherwise, IPCC default emission factors are used. For example, the base line emission for a boiler is computed as follows EG thermal Q steam * (Hs - Hw) * 4.186 * 10 -6 where 15 EG thermal Net quantity of heat supplied by the Project activity Q steam Quantity of steam supplied in Tons Hs = Specific enthalpy of steam at corresponding absolute pressure and temperature at the outlet (Kcal/kg) Hw = Specific Enthalpy of feed water at corresponding temperature at the 20 Boiler inlet (Kcal/kg) As an example, the base line emission for a heater is computed as follows EG thermal Q Flow * Cpout * Sout ( Tout - Tin) * 4.186 * 10 where 25 Q Flow Flow of heat transfer fluid at the heater outlet (m3). Cpout = the specific heat of heat transfer fluid at Tout temperature (kCal/kg. 0 C). 23 6out = density of heat transfer fluid at Tout temperature of the heater (kg/m3).at the outlet of the heater (kg/m3). Tout Temperature of the heat transfer fluid at the outlet of the heater ( 0 C). Tin Temperature of the heat transfer fluid at the inlet of the heater ( 0 C). 5 In accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, leakage emissions is calculated as follows. In cases where the biomass residues are not generated directly at the project 10 site, project participants can determine C02 emissions resulting from transportation of biomass residues to the project plant. In many cases transportation is undertaken by vehicles. These project participants can alternatively choose between two different 15 approaches to determine emissions: an approach based on distance and vehicle type (Option 1) or on fuel consumption (Option 2). Option 1: Emissions are calculated on the basis of distance and the number of trips (or the average truck load): 20 PECO2,TR,y N,- AVD, EFnCo2 or SBFpky PEc2T, k - AVD, Ekmn,co2,, PC02,TR~y TLY E Where: 24 Option 2: Emissions are calculated based on the actual quantity of fossil fuels consumed for transportation. PECO2,TR,y = ZFCTR,i,y -NCV- JEFC 0 2,FF,i 5 Where: PECO2,TR,y CO 2 emissions from off-site transportation of biomass residues to the project site (tCO 2 /yr) FCTR,i,y Fuel consumption of fuel type i in trucks for transportation of biomass residues during the year y (mass or volume unit)Error! Bookmark not defined. NCVi Net calorific value of the fossil fuel type i (GJ/mass or volume unit) EFCO2,FFi CO 2 emission factor for fossil fuel type i (tCO 2 /GJ) (d) CH 4 emissions from combustion of biomass residues in the heat generation equipment (PECH4,BF,y) PECO2,TR,y CO 2 emissions from off-site transportation of biomass residues to the project site (tCO 2 /yr) NY Number of truck trips during the year y AVD, Average round trip distance (from and to) between the biomass fuel supply sites and the site of the project plant during the year y (km) EFkm,CO2,y Average CO 2 emission factor for the trucks measured during the year y (tCO 2 /km) BFPJk,y Quantity of biomass residue type k used for heat generation as a result of the project activity during the year y (tons of dry matter or liter) TL, Average truck load of the trucks used (tons or liter) If this source has been included in the project boundary, emissions are 10 calculated as follows:

PECH

4 ,BF,y= EFCH 4 ,BF - BFJk -NCV k 25 Where: PECH4,BFy CH 4 emissions from combustion of biomass residues in the heat generation equipment (tCH 4 /yr) EFCH4,BF CH 4 emission factor for the combustion of the biomass residues in the heat generation equipment (tCH 4 /GJ) BFPJk,y Quantity of biomass residue type k used for heat generation as a result of the project activity during the year y (tons of dry matter or liter)Error! Bookmark not defined. NCVk Net calorific value of the biomass residue type k (GJ/ton of dry matter or GJ/liter) Further, to determine the emission factor of CH4, measurements are 5 conducted at the plant site or pre-defined IPCC values are used. The uncertainty of the CH4 emission factor is generally high (relatively). In order to reflect this and for the purpose of providing conservative estimates of emission reductions, a conservativeness factor is applied to the CH4 emission factor. The level of the conservativeness factor depends on the 10 uncertainty range of the estimate for the CH4 emission factor. Appropriate conservativeness factor is chosen to multiply with the estimate for the CH4 emission factor. In accordance with still another exemplary embodiment of the present 15 invention, the sequestration data taken from dedicated equipment is based on either natural sequestration procedures or remote sensing. Natural Sequestration: 20 For instance, considering the standards given by United states Department of Energy, sequestration procedure is performed as follows: 26 Considering a gallon of gasoline emits 8.9 kilograms of C02, which corresponds to roughly 2.4 kilograms of carbon which in turn corresponds to the carbon sequestered in converting 1.8x10-5 of a hectare of land into 5 mature forest. Thereby planting a hectare of riparian forest, over the next one hundred years, one can expect to offset the carbon emissions caused by about 54,000 gallons of gasoline. A trip of 1000 miles in a car that gets 20 miles to the hectares of forest that 10 need to be planted, that is a forest patch of about 10 square meters or roughly 3.5 x 3.5 meters. The resulting formula is gallon; you consume 50 gallons of gas, which corresponds to 50x 1.8x10-5~10-3 Square meters of forest planted =0.18x(distance traveled)miles/gallon 15 Forest Guardians plants approximately 150 cottonwood trees per square acre or 370 trees per hectare. One hectare is 10,000 square meters. Thus, planting 0.037 trees per square meter, i.e. planting one tree for every 1/0.037 = 27 square meters. As a general rule, the number of trees that need to be planted 20 equals the number of square meters divided by 27. This is the figure for the number of trees to be planted and estimating that 1 in 10 trees will survive from planting to full maturity (approximately 100 years). Therefore, multiplying the calculation by a factor of 10 to reach the formula: 25 Trees planted = 0.0667 x ((distance traveled)/(miles per gallon)). This is the formula used for individual travel. In order to offset all the carbon produced in a year, enough trees need to be planted to sequester 5 metric tons of carbon over the next 100 years. Based on the above estimates, the 27 land area needed is 5/130 = 0.04 hectares = 0.016 acres, which translates into 2.4 mature trees. Multiplying this by ten for loss of trees, to offset all your carbon emissions for this year, trees needed to be planted are 24. 5 Remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of data from sensors on board an aircraft or space-based platforms. Remote sensing is useful in forest carbon accounting for measurement of total forest area, forest types, canopy cover 10 and height, and branch surface to volume ratios. There are two categories of sensors, passive and active: the first measures the reflectance of naturally occurring solar radiation (as in photography, for example) and the second measures radiation that is transmitted and reflected from the earth's surface (radar, for example). Aircraft sensors principally involve aerial photos linked 15 to a geographical reference system, or Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) imagery giving image resolutions of up to 1m or less. Satellite based sensors acquire mosaics of images covering large geographical areas and have variable resolution: 'ultrafine' has less than 5m resolution while 'coarse' is defined as being greater than 250m, and a range of image 20 resolutions lie in between these extremes. Besides differing in spatial resolution, remotely sensed images differ in other characteristics, such as frequency and availability of historical imagery at a single location. There are various types of data used for accounting forest carbon stocks. 25 They can be classified and used into the offsetting (sequestration). For instance, this data can be Above-ground biomass (AGB), Below-ground biomass (BGB, Dead organic matter (wood), Soil organic matter (SOM) 28 Accordingly, values for every equipment/community/region/country are calculated which are used for benchmarking for deciding an offsetting value. To compute the effective emission for equipment/community/region/country, we need to have the Baseline 5 emission on the standard parameters, the natural sequestration data collected for the equipment/community/region/country from the standard methodologies or certified online web services & Project emissions. We can formulate this as follows: 10 In accordance with one more exemplary embodiment of the present invention, Effective Emission is calculated as follows: ERy =(BEy) - (PE, + LEy) Or 15 ER, =(BE,) - (PE, + LE,) where: ER=Emission Reduction BE=Baseline Emission PE=Project Emission LE=Leakage Emission (due to biomass transportation) y = Over a year , = Over any defined period 20 29 TEST RESULTS Further, in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the invention, there is provided an operating example of parameters being compared with 5 a stored benchmark pattern of the same entity. Referring to figure 3, there is shown a benchmark pattern formed by a domain expert, containing values obtained from signals corresponding to certain green house gas parameters of an entity based on predefined rules. 10 These parameters are Steam Generation per hour (In Tons), Energy Meter Reading (In KW), Energy Consumed (In KW), and Delta Energy Consumption. The patterns built using a system provided with the same entity are 15 compared with the pre-stored benchmark patterns for the same entity. The sensors' signals are read continuously on an hourly basis and the patterns are formed as shown in figure 3. For ease of understanding, only the parameters related to a Boiler have been 20 shown where the operating conditions (which also form a part of rules) are - Capacity of Boiler: 4TPH - Energy consuming Equipments: Feed Water Pump, I.D. Fan, F.D. Fan - Feed Water Temperature: (typically) 28 deg. C to 75 deg. C 25 The figure also shows that in addition to pattern matching a statistical analysis is done in order to effectively perform prognosis. As shown, mean difference from mean, standard deviation of the current reading and the bench mark reading are calculated. 30 Using the diagnostic and prognostic subsystem, following diagnosis is done and the notifications are generated 5 Energy consumption for the same output of steam differs and is higher than that of the benchmarked pattern. The prognosis based on this diagnosis is as follows: 10 Higher vibration might occur in rotary equipment; Discrepancies in Lubrication, hence, system needs over-oiling; and Bearing malfunctioning. Still further, in accordance with an additional exemplary embodiment of the 15 invention, there is provided another operating example of parameters being matched with the stored benchmark patterns of a different entity. Referring to figure 4 there is shown a benchmark pattern formed by a domain expert containing the values obtained from signals corresponding 20 to certain green house gas parameters of an entity as per the rules. These parameters are Fuel Usage per day (F) containing Biomass Briquette (In Tons) and fossils (In Tons); Steam Generation per day (S) (In Tons); and ratio of S / F. 25 The patterns built using the system for a different entity are compared with the pre-stored benchmark patterns for a different entity. The sensors' signals are read continuously on an hourly basis and the patterns are formed as shown in figure 4. 31 For ease of understanding, only the parameters related to a Boiler have been shown where the operating conditions (which also form a part of rules) are - Capacity of Boiler: 4TPH - Energy consuming Equipments: Feed Water Pump, I.D. Fan, F.D. 5 Fan - Feed Water Temperature: (typically) 28 deg. C to 75 deg. C - Fossil Fuel: Coal is used as fossil fuel Using the diagnostic and prognostic subsystem following diagnosis is done 10 and notifications are generated Low efficiency of boiler, low calorific values offuel. The prognosis based on this diagnosis is as follows: 15 Flow-meter malfunctioning, calibration required; Higher moisture content in fuel; and Check for other boiler efficiency impacting parameter. Based on the fact that electricity is mainly obtained from thermal power 20 plants, specifically coal plants, it can be concluded from the above exemplary working examples that there is a direct relationship between the energy consumed and the amount of green house gas emitted. TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS 25 The technical advancements of the present invention include in - providing a system for monitoring green house gas related parameters; 32 - providing intelligence through diagnosis & prognosis of an entity's GHG related information and alert the defined user for the actions to be taken on occurrence of certain events; 5 - providing reliability through standard process of data acquisition, use of encryption algorithm, and secured network system; - providing authenticity in monitoring of greenhouse gas related parameters through audiovisual aid to check the equipment/ site/ 10 premises anytime; - ensuring zero percent loss, during data acquisition; - effectively monitoring equipment in different scenarios; 15 - computerized calculation of green house gas emission and prediction of reduction; - providing an emission credit management system for effectively 20 utilizing, computing and managing emission credits; - rapidly and precisely calculating the reduction in green house gases; and 25 " providing a time efficient, cost efficient and space efficient system for monitoring green house gas related parameters. The numerical values given for various physical parameters, dimensions and quantities are only approximate values and it is envisaged that the values 30 higher or lower than the numerical value assigned to the physical 33 parameters, dimensions and quantities fall within the scope of the invention and the claims unless there is a statement in the specification to the contrary. While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and 5 component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the 10 art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation. 15 20 34

Claims (5)

1. A computer aided system for monitoring green house gas (GHG) related 5 data of an entity comprising movable and non-movable equipment, said equipment adapted to emit or sequester green house gas, said system comprising a first repository adapted to store green house gas related 0 parameters and rules governing said parameters typically selected from the group consisting of steam flow, steam temperature, steam pressure, feed water temperature, electrical energy consumption, fluid flow, inlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid at the inlet, temperature of the heat transfer fluid at the outlet of the heater, 5 electrical energy consumption, calorific value of fuel, fuel usage, capacity of equipment, moisture content values, chemical reactions, operating pressure, ambient temperature, operating load, age of equipment, steam generation frequency, meter reading, delta energy consumption, and their combinations thereof; - a sensing subsystem; typically part of a SCADA system, comprising - a plurality of sensors adapted to be coupled to each of the equipment at appropriate locations, said plurality of sensors further adapted to continuously sense at least one of said parameters and 25 generate corresponding signals; - first transmission means adapted to transmit said signals corresponding to said parameters over a first communication network selected from the group consisting of internet, PSTN, mobile network, GSM network, CDMA network, VPN, OFDM 35 network, LAN, MAN, WAN, 3G network, satellite communication network and combinations thereof and said signals typically being embedded with messages, said messages are in a form selected from the group consisting of email, SMS, MMS, packets, and their 5 combinations thereof; - a second repository adapted to store said signals as records; - a green house gas prognostic and diagnostic subsystem comprising: 0 - registering means adapted to register said plurality of sensors with said green house gas prognostic and diagnostic subsystem and a report generation subsystem; - sampling and collation means adapted to receive said transmitted signals and sample at least one of said 5 transmitted signals and further adapted to collate the sampled signals into groups; - pattern building means adapted to access said first repository and extract said rules to build benchmark patterns and current patterns for said groups; - a third repository adapted to store said benchmark patterns of groups of sampled signals corresponding to said parameters, wherein said third repository is populated by domain experts; - comparator means adapted to match said current patterns 25 with said benchmark patterns stored in said third repository to extract matched patterns; - parsing means adapted to parse said matched patterns to predict short term and long term impact on green house gas 36 emission of the entity and solutions thereof, based on said matched patterns; - notification generation means adapted to generate notifications based on the prediction and optionally second 5 transmission means adapted to transmit said notifications and solutions to users over a second communication network selected from selected from the group consisting of internet, PSTN, mobile network, GSM network, CDMA network, VPN, OFDM network, LAN, MAN, WAN, 3G network, 0 satellite communication network and combinations thereof and receiving means adapted to receive feedback from the users and update said third repository; - a central repository adapted to store said groups as records; 5 - a reporting subsystem comprising: - sequestration data collection means adapted to communicate with dedicated sequestration equipment in order to collect 10 sequestration data; - data acquiring means coupled to said central repository and said sequestration data collection means and adapted to acquire said groups and said sequestration data; - computation means adapted access the acquired groups to 25 compute emission data selected from the group consisting of project emission, leakage emission, and baseline emission; and - report generation means adapted to access the computed emission data and said sequestration data, perform 30 inventorying and generate reports. 37

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said system further comprises: - requesting means coupled with said central repository, said 5 requesting means being adapted to request said sensing subsystem to retransmit said signals stored in said second repository, said signals corresponding to said parameters; - facilitation means adapted to extract said signals stored in said second repository, and trigger said first transmission means to 0 transmit the extracted signals; - first editing means adapted to edit said rules for building said benchmark patterns and said current patterns; and - second editing means adapted to edit said benchmark patterns stored in said third repository; and 5 map generation means adapted to generate green house gas element maps for a specified region using said reports pertaining to the equipment of said specified region. 0

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second transmission means is adapted to transmit said notifications and said solutions to users said notifications and solutions being embedded with messages, said messages are in a form selected from the group consisting of emails, SMS, MMS, packets, and combinations thereof. 25

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, further comprising remote vigilance means adapted to capture real time audio, video data and transmit it to said users using said second transmission means. 38

5. A method for monitoring green house gas (GHG) related data of an entity comprising movable and non-movable equipment, said method comprising: 5 - providing a first repository for storing green house gas related parameters and rules governing said parameters; - coupling a plurality of sensors to the equipment; - registering said sensors with a green house gas prognostic and diagnostic subsystem and a report generation subsystem; 0 - continuous sensing by a sensing subsystem of at least one of said parameters and generating signals corresponding to the sensed parameters; - providing a second repository for storing signals corresponding to said parameters as records; 5 - transmitting the signals corresponding to said parameters over a first communication network; - receiving the transmitted signals; - sampling at least one of said transmitted signals and collating said sampled signals into groups; 20 " storing said groups as records into a central repository; - accessing said first repository and extracting said rules for building benchmark patterns and current patterns for said groups; - comparing said current patterns with said benchmark patterns stored in a third repository to extract matched patterns; 25 - parsing the matched patterns to predict short term and long term impact on green house gas emission of the entity based on the matched patterns and their solutions thereof; - generating notifications based on the predictions; 39 - collecting sequestration data from dedicated sequestration equipment; - acquiring said groups stored in said central repository and the collected sequestration data; 5 - computing emission data from the acquired groups wherein said emission data is selected from the group consisting of project emission, leakage emission, and baseline emission; - accessing said sequestration data and computed emission data; - generating reports by performing inventorying of said sequestration 0 data and said computed emission data; - (optionally) generating green house gas element maps for a specified region using said reports pertaining to the equipment of said specified region; - (optionally) capturing real time audio, video data and transmitting 5 it to users using second transmission means; - (optionally) transmitting said notifications and solutions to users over a second communication network and receiving feedback and updating said third repository; and - (optionally) requesting said sensing subsystem to retransmit said 20 signals stored in said second repository, extracting said signals stored in said second repository and triggering said first transmission means for transmitting the extracted signals. Applicant: Thermax Sustainable Energy & Solutions Ltd 25 By Jogias Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 11 March 2011 40