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Fixed Dome Biogas Plant Size and Gas
Amount Calculations
KENPROMarch 2, 2023
By Anthony M. Wanjohi: Determination of the size of biogas plant is
a critical issue in biogas installation process. Another sphere of
interest is the question of the amount of biogas produced. This
article provides the calculations of the size of biogas plant (digester
and gas holder), and calculations of the amount of biogas produced
by the plant.
1. Introduction
For the purpose of determining the biogas plant size and the
amount of biogas produced, the following background details of a
case Household Fixed Dome Biogas Plant are outlined:
A household with 3 cows (zero grazing),
10 kg of dung per cow in a day (from literature)
Total solid (TS) is estimated at 20%,
Volatile Solid (VS) estimated at 80% of TS,
Cattle manure biogas yield/Kg: 0.35 (from literature)
Optimum mixing ratio, dung: water (1:3) (1:1 ratio may also be
used – Literature)
2. Biogas Plant Size Determination
2.1 Digester Size Calculations
Amount of waste per day: In order tom determine the size of the
digester, we need to assess the amount of waste per day. Thus,
based on background details pro:
3 Cows ∗10 Kg/Day = 30 Kg/Day
The animal waste is mixed with water using dung to water ratio of
1:3
Thus, 1*30 + 3*30 = 120 Litres
Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT): The ideal HRT for a tropical climate
with an average ambient temperature of 25–30°C is recommended
to be around 30 days.
Thus, reaction time = 30 days
Thus, digester size: To obtain the size of the bio digester, we
multiply the amount of feedstock per day and Hydraulic Retention
Time:
120 L/ Day ∗ 30 Days = 3600 = 3.6M3
2.2 Gas holder Size Calculations
Based on literature, the size of a digester is 75% while the gas
holder is 25%. Thus, gasholder size is calculated as follows:
If 75% = 3.6 M3; 25% = 1.2 M3
2.3 Total Biogas Plant Size
The total volume of the biogas plant is:
Digester Size + Gasholder Size
3.6M3 + 1.2 M3 = 4.8 M3
3. Amount of Biogas Calculations
In order to determine the amount of gas, we compute the feedstock
quality using Total Solids, Volatile Solids and Organic Loading Rate
(OLR) as follows:
3.1 Feedstock Quality
Total Solid is (TS) content is 20%.
Thus, Total Solid (TS) for 30 Kgs is: 30 Kg ∗ 20% = 6 Kgs
Volatile Solids (VS) content on the other hand is estimated at 80% of
TS (dry matter).
Thus, Volatile Solids (VS) = 80% ∗ 6 Kg = 4.8 Kgs VS/Day.
To arrive at the concentration / quality of the feedstock in cubic
meters, we compute:
VS / daily feedstock *1000
4.8 /120 ∗1000 = 40Kgs VS/ M3
3.2 Organic Loading Rate (OLR)
Organic loading rate (OLR) in biogas refers to the rate at which
organic matter is added to an anaerobic digestion system
Organic Loading Rate (OLR) = Flow Rate ∗ Feedstock
Concentration / Digester Volume
Flow Rate = 120/1000 = 0.12 M3/ Day
Thus, 0.12 M3 ∗ 40 Kgs VS/ M3 / 3.6 M3 = 1.33 Kgs VS/ M3
Note: From literature, OLR below 2 kg is appropriate.
3.3 Biogas Amount
Amount of biogas = Organic Loading Rate (OLR) * Biogas Yield from
cow dung * Digester Volume.
Thus: 1.33 Kgs VS/ M3 ∗ 0.35 ∗ 3.6 M3 =1.7 M3/Day
Note: The biogas yield for cow dung is computed based on the one
cow dung-production in a day, which is 10Kg. From literature, 1 kg
of cow dung produces about 0.035 M3 (35 liters of biogas). Thus, gas
yield for one cow per day is about 0.35 M 3(350 liters).
Number of cooking hours in 1 burner stove
Estimating the average consumption of a biogas stove to be 0.4
M3/hour, the plant therefore provides 4 hours of cooking for 1 burner
stove.
4. Conclusion
In the construction of a biogas plant, calculating the estimates of
plant size and the amount of biogas amount is an important step in
biogas plant project planning and implementation phases. Without
these estimates, it is hard to make other estimations including
financial and application of the biogas.
About the Author
Wanjohi is an author, a scholar, an educationist, a social research
scientist, a development expert in the field of sustainable
development and an innovator. He is the founder and Director of
Projects and Research at KENPRO and Editor in-chief of the African
Research Journal of Education and Social Sciences (ARJESS). In the
last 2 decades, Wanjohi has reviewed and edited over 1,000
scholarly and scientific works in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Author E-mail:
[email protected] |
Website: http://www.kenpro.org/
Further Reading Resources
Vögeli Y., Lohri C. R., Gallardo A., Diener S. and Zurbrügg C.
(2014). Anaerobic Digestion of Biowaste in Developing Countries:
Practical Information and Case Studies. Swiss Federal Institute of
Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Dübendorf, Switzerland.
Wanjohi, A.M. (2022). The Blue Flame: Biogas Training
Blueprint. Nairobi: KENPRO Publications.
Kenpro Biogas Program covers both portable domestic biogas
and fixed dome biogas plants installations. For inquiries about
Biogas installation at institutional and household levels, kindly
contact Kenpro Biogas Program Team or call
us +254725788400.
About KENPRO
Kenya Projects Organization is a membership organization founded
and registered in Kenya in the year 2009. The main objective of the
organization is to build individual and institutional capacities
through project planning and management, research, publishing
and IT.
View all posts by KENPRO→
Kenpro Biogas Program Amount of Biogas Calculations, Biogas Amount
Estimation, Biogas Plant Size Determination, Biogas Total Solids, Biogas
Volatile Solids, Digester Size Calculations, Digester size ratio, Feedstock
Quality, Fixed dome biogas plant installation, Fixed Dome Biogas Plant
installation cost, Fixed dome biogas plant size calculations , Fixed dome
digester sizes, Gas holder Size Calculations, Household Fixed Dome Biogas
Plant Details, Organic Loading Rate (OLR), Total Biogas Plant Size. permalink.
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One thought on “Fixed Dome Biogas Plant Size and Gas Amount
Calculations”
1. Aluta josphat
March 16, 2023 at 2:21 pm
Interested to learn how to construct biogass plant
Comments are closed.
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