DESIGN OF A BIOGAS DIGESTER

(THREE STAGE) TO PRODUCE

250MJ/DAY
Prepared by Shayantan Sahoo,
Under the supervision of Prof. Chanchal Mondal
BIOGAS
Biogas is a renewable energy source that is produced through the anaerobic digestion or
fermentation of organic matter by bacteria in the absence of oxygen. This organic matter can
include various types of biomass, such as agricultural residues, animal manure, sewage, and
organic waste from households, industries, or landfills.

Composition of Biogas
BIODIGESTER
• In a Biogas Digester, bacteria biodegrade organic
materials such as solid animal manure, bio waste, and
food waste in the absence of oxygen in a process known
as anaerobic digestion.
• Biogas production in a Biogas Digester is done in gas-
sealed units called digesters, which are designed and
built in different forms and sizes depending on the types
of feedstock and loading amount.
Methane Formation Pathways (Different Steps of
Biogas Digestion)
 STEP 1

Fats, complex carbohydrates and proteins are

hydrolysed to their monomeric form by enzymes.
 STEP 2

The monomers are further degraded into short chain

acids and these short chain acids are converted to
hydrogen, carbon dioxide and acetate.
 STEP 3

In the final step, the intermediate products are

converted to methane and carbon dioxide by
methanogens.
TYPES OF BIOGAS DIGESTERS
PLUG FLOW DIGESTERS
 This digester uses a long, narrow
horizontal tank in which a
material(manure) is added at a constant rate
which forces other material to move
through the tank and get digested.
 The vessel is insulated and heated, and is
made or reinforced concrete, steel or
fiberglass.
FIXED DOME DIGESTERS
 Fixed dome digesters are usually built
underground.
 A well and dome are made out of
concrete cement. The digestion occurs
in the well and biogas is collected
through the dome.
FLOATING DRUM DIGSTERS
 Very similar to the Fixed Dome
Digester, the tank has a cylindrical
dome made of stainless steel that
floats on the slurry and collects the
gas generated, hence the name.
DESIGN OF BIODIGESTER
The shape and material of construction plays a role during
designing of biogester.We will consider a cylindrical shape
made of stainless steel to avoid reaction with the contents.A
digester is fitted with an electronic relief valve, an impeller,
thermostat with heating coils.The operating principles are
similar to a floating drum digester.The digester will be fitted
with an electronic relief valve to enable the monitoring of the
effect of pressure on the composition of the biogas and the
activity of the micro-organism during anaerobic digestion.The
impeller will be used for mixing and thermostat will be used to
heat up the content.
DESIGN PARAMETER
 Selection of materials
 Total solid (TS) content

Solid part : Total solid contained in a certain amount of materials is usually used as the material unit to
indicate the biogas- producing rate of the materials. Most favorable TS value desired is 8%.

Liquid part : As per data table.

 Favorable temperature, pH value & C/N ratio for effective fermentation

Temperature: Mesophilic, 20˚C to 45˚C

pH value : Neutral PH and ranges 6.8 to 7.2

C/N ration : Ranges from 20:1 to 30:1

HYDRAULIC RETENTION TIME(HRT)
Hyrdaulic Retention Time (HRT) in a biodigester refers to
the average amount of time that liquid waste or substrate
remains in the system. It is a critical parameter used to assess
the efficiency of anaerobic digestion process. HRT is
calculated by dividing the volume of the biodigester by the
liquid inflow rate.

HRT =
For Mesophilic digestion where temperature varies from
20˚C to 45˚C and HRT is greater than 20 days.

A longer and optimal HRT enhances

 Digestion efficiency
Relationship between temperature, HRT & TS
 Biogas Production value of 8%
 Stability of the system

 Nutrient Availability
Table Containing Total Solid(TS) Discharge
Data
Kinds Body Weight(kg) Discharge per TS value of Water to be added
day(kg) fresh with fresh discharge
discharge(% by to make the TS
wt) content 8%
Human 50 0.5 20 0.75
Garden Waste 200 10 16 10
Cow 150 9 44 5
Rice straw - - 40 -
Wheat straw - - 45 -
Chicken 1.5 0.1 20 0.15
Pig 50 5 16 0.75
MODEL
 Volume of gas collecting chamber = Vc

 Volume of gas storage chamber= Vgs

 Volume of fermentation chamber = V f

 Volume of hydraulic chamber=V H

 Volume of sludge layer= Vs

 Total volume of digester,

V = Vc + Vgs + Vf + Vs

GEOMETRICAL
REPRESENTATION
OF MODEL
DESIGN ASSUMPTIONS
DESIGN CALCULATIONS(Using Garden Waste as
Feedstock)
 Volume Calculation of Digestion Chamber and
Hydraulic Chamber
CONCLUSION
The design and use of common biogas digesters have been reviewed and presented hereby. A limitation with respect to regulating
the internal pressure to increase yield has also been highlighted. Choosing a relevant digester in practical application is a very
important decision to make during the design stage. In this stage, factors such as solid material that need to be digested, the
geological conditions, the shape of the digester, the yield and the availability of the construction material should be evaluated
before the design is done. Materials for construction like PVC (poly vinyl chloride) and PE (poly ethylene) are also very
important as they determine the life span of the digester.

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