Operational results of an agricultural biogas plant equipped with modern instrumentation and automation

2008 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 803-808 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wiese ◽  
O. Kujawski
Keyword(s):  
Energy Crops ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Biogas Plants ◽  
Technical Details ◽  
Modern Instrumentation

Agricultural biogas plants based on energy crops gain more and more importance because of numerous energetic, environmental and agricultural benefits. In contrast to older biogas plants, the newest generation of biogas plants is equipped with modern ICA equipment and reliable machines/engines. In this paper, the authors present technical details and operational results of a modern full-scale agricultural biogas plant using energy crops.

Self-heating of anaerobic digesters using energy crops

2006 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 159-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Lindorfer ◽  
R. Braun ◽  
R. Kirchmayr
Keyword(s):  
Energy Crops ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
The Self ◽  
External Energy ◽  
Anaerobic Digesters ◽  
Self Heating ◽  
Biogas Plants ◽  
High Starch ◽  
The Impact

With the increasing application of energy crops in agricultural biogas plants and increasing digester volumes, the phenomenon of self-heating in anaerobic digesters appeared in some cases. Until now this development was just known from aerobic systems. To obtain an idea of the thermodynamics inside an anaerobic digester, a detailed analysis of all heat fluxes in a full-scale agricultural biogas plant was carried out. Several experiments were realised to quantify the influences of different internal and external energy sources. To estimate the impact of self-heating in anaerobic systems, data of other full-scale agricultural biogas plants in Austria were collected. Alternatives to the cooling of the digesters are discussed based on individual experiences of several plants. A connection between carbohydrate-rich substrates, especially with high starch contents, and the self-heating could be shown. From the results it can be assumed that the anaerobic digestion of most energy crops is exothermic, which is in contrast to the current thermodynamic belief.

From a black-box to a glass-box system: the attempt towards a plant-wide automation concept for full-scale biogas plants

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wiese ◽  
R. König
Keyword(s):  
Critical Load ◽  
Black Box ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Biogas Plants

Biogas plants gain worldwide increasing importance due to several advantages. However, concerning the equipment most of the existing biogas plants are low-tech plants. E.g., from the point of view of instrumentation, control and automation (ICA) most plants are black-box systems. Consequently, practice shows that many biogas plants are operated sub-optimally and/or in critical (load) ranges. To solve these problems, some new biogas plants have been equipped with modern machines and ICA equipment. In this paper, the authors will show details and discuss operational results of a modern agricultural biogas plant and the resultant opportunities for the implementation of a plant-wide automation.

Anaerobic digestion foaming in full-scale biogas plants: a survey on causes and solutions

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 889-895 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. G. Kougias ◽  
K. Boe ◽  
S. O-Thong ◽  
L. A. Kristensen ◽  
I. Angelidaki
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Production Loss ◽  
Filamentous Bacteria ◽  
Biogas Plants ◽  
Common Operation ◽  
Negative Impacts

Anaerobic digestion foaming is a common operation problem in biogas plants with negative impacts on the biogas plants economy and environment. A survey of 16 Danish full-scale biogas plants on foaming problems revealed that most of them had experienced foaming in their processes up to three times per year. Foaming incidents often lasted from one day to three weeks, causing 20–50% biogas production loss. One foaming case at Lemvig biogas plant has been investigated and the results indicated that the combination of feedstock composition and mixing pattern of the reactor was the main cause of foaming in this case. Moreover, no difference in bacterial communities between the foaming and non-foaming reactors was observed, showing that filamentous bacteria were not the main reason for foaming in this case.

scholarly journals Determination of mixing quality in biogas plant digesters using tracer tests and computational fluid dynamics

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 1269-1278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luděk Kamarád ◽  
Stefan Pohn ◽  
Günther Bochmann ◽  
Michael Harasek
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Tracer Tests ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Tracer Concentration ◽  
Anaerobic Digesters ◽  
Biogas Plants

The total electricity demand of investigated biogas plants (BGP) makes up 7–8 % of the total electricity produced. Nearly 40 % of this energy is consumed just for mixing in digesters and the energy demand for mixing in some biogas plants can be even higher. Therefore, optimal mixing in anaerobic digesters is a basic condition for efficient plant operation and biogas production. The use of problematic substrates (e.g. grass silage or other fibrous substrates), installation of unsuitable mixing systems or inconvenient mixing intervals may lead to mixing problems. Knowledge about mixing in biogas digesters is still insufficient, so the objective of this study was to fill the information gaps in the literature by determining the minimal retention time of substrates fed into anaerobic digesters and to describe substrate distribution and washing out rates from investigated digesters. Two full-scale biogas plant digesters (2000 m3 and 1500 m3) using different mixing systems and substrates were investigated. To characterize the substrate distribution, lithium hydroxide monohydrate solutions were used for tracer tests at concentrations of 47.1 mg Li+ / kg TS and 46.6 mg Li+ / kg TS in digester. The tracer concentration in the digester effluents was measured during two hydraulic retention times and compared. Although the tracer was detected in the digester effluent at nearly the same time in both cases, the tracer tests showed very different distribution curves. The tracer concentration in effluent B grew much slower than in effluent A and no significant short circuiting streams were detected. Although the data calculated by computational fluid dynamics methods (CFD) showed a very good agreement with the full scale results, full comparison was not possible.

scholarly journals State estimation for anaerobic digesters using the ADM1

2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 1088-1095 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Gaida ◽  
C. Wolf ◽  
C. Meyer ◽  
A. Stuhlsatz ◽  
J. Lippel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
State Estimation ◽  
Ph Value ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Actual State ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Biogas Plants

The optimization of full-scale biogas plant operation is of great importance to make biomass a competitive source of renewable energy. The implementation of innovative control and optimization algorithms, such as Nonlinear Model Predictive Control, requires an online estimation of operating states of biogas plants. This state estimation allows for optimal control and operating decisions according to the actual state of a plant. In this paper such a state estimator is developed using a calibrated simulation model of a full-scale biogas plant, which is based on the Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1. The use of advanced pattern recognition methods shows that model states can be predicted from basic online measurements such as biogas production, CH4 and CO2 content in the biogas, pH value and substrate feed volume of known substrates. The machine learning methods used are trained and evaluated using synthetic data created with the biogas plant model simulating over a wide range of possible plant operating regions. Results show that the operating state vector of the modelled anaerobic digestion process can be predicted with an overall accuracy of about 90%. This facilitates the application of state-based optimization and control algorithms on full-scale biogas plants and therefore fosters the production of eco-friendly energy from biomass.

scholarly journals Indicative Marker Microbiome Structures Deduced from the Taxonomic Inventory of 67 Full-Scale Anaerobic Digesters of 49 Agricultural Biogas Plants

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1457
Author(s):  
Julia Hassa ◽  
Johanna Klang ◽  
Dirk Benndorf ◽  
Marcel Pohl ◽  
Benedikt Hülsemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Process ◽  
Process Condition ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Process Efficiency ◽  
Process Conditions ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
General Process ◽  
Specific Distribution ◽  
Biogas Plants

There are almost 9500 biogas plants in Germany, which are predominantly operated with energy crops and residues from livestock husbandry over the last two decades. In the future, biogas plants must be enabled to use a much broader range of input materials in a flexible and demand-oriented manner. Hence, the microbial communities will be exposed to frequently varying process conditions, while an overall stable process must be ensured. To accompany this transition, there is the need to better understand how biogas microbiomes respond to management measures and how these responses affect the process efficiency. Therefore, 67 microbiomes originating from 49 agricultural, full-scale biogas plants were taxonomically investigated by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. These microbiomes were separated into three distinct clusters and one group of outliers, which are characterized by a specific distribution of 253 indicative taxa and their relative abundances. These indicative taxa seem to be adapted to specific process conditions which result from a different biogas plant operation. Based on these results, it seems to be possible to deduce/assess the general process condition of a biogas digester based solely on the microbiome structure, in particular on the distribution of specific indicative taxa, and without knowing the corresponding operational and chemical process parameters. Perspectively, this could allow the development of detection systems and advanced process models considering the microbial diversity.

scholarly journals Empirical Validation of a Biogas Plant Simulation Model and Analysis of Biogas Upgrading Potentials

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2424
Author(s):  
Jan Martin Zepter ◽  
Jan Engelhardt ◽  
Tatiana Gabderakhmanova ◽  
Mattia Marinelli
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Model ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Biogas Upgrading ◽  
Integrated Energy Systems ◽  
First Order Kinetics ◽  
Biogas Plants ◽  
Plant Simulation ◽  
Kinetics Of

Biogas plants may support the transformation towards renewable-based and integrated energy systems by providing dispatchable co-generation as well as opportunities for biogas upgrading or power-to-X conversion. In this paper, a simulation model that comprises the main dynamics of the internal processes of a biogas plant is developed. Based on first-order kinetics of the anaerobic digestion process, the biogas production of an input feeding schedule of raw material can be estimated. The output of the plant in terms of electrical and thermal energy is validated against empirical data from a 3-MW biogas plant on the Danish island of Bornholm. The results show that the model provides an accurate representation of the processes within a biogas plant. The paper further provides insights on the functioning of the biogas plant on Bornholm as well as discusses upgrading potentials of biogas to biomethane at the plant from an energy perspective.

An Economic Alternative to Replacing Centralized Gas Supply with Autonomous Biogas Facilities in Russian Cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 582-612
Author(s):  
G. S. Chebotareva ◽  
◽  
A. A. Dvinayninov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Efficiency ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Main Trend ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Biogas Plants ◽  
Gas Consumption ◽  
Gas Supply ◽  
Climatic Features

The main trend in energy development is to increase energy efficiency by reducing the use of limited natural resources, the spread of renewable energy, and reducing the negative impact on the environment. An effective response to these challenges is the use of biogas plants that produce clean energy and solve the environmental problems of waste disposal and recycling. The purpose of the article is to assess the economic efficiency of replacing district gas supply with autonomous biogas plants in public utilities. A hypothesis has been put forward that the feasibility of using such technologies depends on climatic features and the specific provisions of state regulation of prices and gas consumption rates. A cost approach was applied that assesses the overall structure of equipment costs, as well as a comparative assessment method according to the principle “with / without a biogas plant”, and a scenario analysis, the criterion of which is the size of the family owning the plant. An auxiliary method for forecasting retail and economically justified prices for natural gas for the population was used. The object of calculations is the “HomeBiogas” installation intended for home use. Three Russian cities were chosen as territorial subjects: Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk and Krasnodar. The cities which differ significantly in their natural characteristics and approaches to the formation of retail gas prices. It has been proved that although the average monthly temperatures differ significantly in the cities considered, none of them has a constant temperature exceeding the required standard value of 17°C. In each case, the initial capital investment is driven up by the cost of installing additional insulation and heating systems. This equalizes the costs of warmer and colder areas. Therefore, the climatic features of cities are not significant and do not affect the economic efficiency of using a biogas plant. In turn, state regulation of prices and norms of gas consumption by the population is of decisive importance. The findings are of theoretical and practical importance. The methodology can be applied to assess the efficiency of using biogas plants in industry and gasification projects in the remote areas of Russia.

Monitoring of full-scale hydrodynamic cavitation pretreatment in agricultural biogas plant

2018 ◽  
Vol 247 ◽  
pp. 599-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirco Garuti ◽  
Michela Langone ◽  
Claudio Fabbri ◽  
Sergio Piccinini
Keyword(s):  
Full Scale ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Hydrodynamic Cavitation

scholarly journals Evaluation of Eco-Efficiency of Two Alternative Agricultural Biogas Plants

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 2083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Muradin ◽  
Katarzyna Joachimiak-Lechman ◽  
Zenon Foltynowicz
Keyword(s):  
Waste Heat ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Waste To Energy ◽  
Cost Calculation ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Levelized Cost Of Electricity ◽  
Biogas Plants

Implementation of the circular economy is one of the priorities of the European Union, and energy efficiency is one of its pillars. This article discusses an effective use of agri-food industry waste for the purposes of waste-to-energy in biogas plants. Its basic objective is the comparative assessment of the eco-efficiency of biogas production depending on the type of feedstock used, its transport and possibility to use generated heat. The environmental impact of the analysed installations was assessed with the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Cost calculation was performed using the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) method. The LCA analysis indicated that a biogas plant with a lower level of waste heat use where substrates were delivered by wheeled transport has a negative impact on the environment. The structure of distributed energy production cost indicates a substantial share of feedstock supply costs in the total value of the LCOE ratio. Thus, the factor affecting the achievement of high eco-efficiency is the location of a biogas plant in the vicinity of an agri-food processing plant, from which the basic feedstock for biogas production is supplied with the transmission pipeline, whereas heat is transferred for the needs of production processes in a processing plant or farm.

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