[Digestion] {Disarmed} RE: Small Digester and Rankine Engine Questions
Dominic Lapointe
projet at aptq.info
Fri Jan 14 07:21:33 CST 2011
I’m also interested in the report.
signature3
De : digestion-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org [mailto:digestion-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] De la part de Marie
Envoyé : 13 janvier 2011 17:42
À : For Discussion of Anaerobic Digestion
Cc : digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org
Objet : Re: [Digestion] Small Digester and Rankine Engine Questions
All,
I am currently doing a report on approximately 20 small scale UK farm digesters, looking at various parameters and what makes a successful digester installation. Current 'industry' thinking is that digesters at this scale are not economically viable. However, the smallest of these has been running successfully for 20 years on an organic farm with 65 cows, saving thousands by using the gas to heat the house and diary washings. The average Uk dairy herd is about 112 cows. Another one here has been running for more than 20 years, heating a very large manor house. Another interesting digester running for more than two years digesting slurry from cows bedded on woodchip and sand,, as well as chicken muck. It has an automatic degritting system and the digester does not have to be stopped.
At this scale, the reason for the success of these systems are that they separate the digestate which comes out of the digester, they use inexpensive and easily maintained gas mixing which means a low parasitic load (one is as little as 1watt/cubic meter), the loading is typically simple auger or gravity feed straight into the digester, the control system is very simple and the digester is integrated into the farmyard. Suitable cast iron boilers have lasted for 20 years and are still running.
If you are interested in the report, let me know and I can send a link/copy when it is published.
Regards
Angie Bywater
On 13 Jan 2011, at 17:16, <armoss at umd.edu>un wrote:
Charles-
There's at least one small-scale digester of that size currently operating in the U.S. - at the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, MD. The dairy's herd size is roughly 125-130, with ~100 milking and producing manure at any given time (dry cattle are let out to pasture). The digester was built in 1994 and was constructed as a continuous stirred-tank reactor. I have tentative plans to conduct research on this digester simultaneously with a low-cost, pilot-scale digester project operating on the same waste-stream that's being constructed by our lab group at the University of Maryland. I don't have intimate knowledge of the USDA CSTR's history, but I can tell you what I know.
The digester was originally constructed for odor control as an upright, cylindrical concrete tank (I'm not sure enough of the designed HRT to give you information on it), and was later insulated with gunnite-coated styrofoam. It operates on mechanically screw-press separated, scraped waste, and utilizes the biogas produced to power a boiler that circulates hot water through a conveyance system installed within the digester for heating; a combined heat and power electric generator was installed in the mid-2000s, but it has never been brought online. The digester's had a number of problems come up, including repeated clogging of the supply lines (originally 3-4" ID, now 6"), the break down of the screw-press separator and supply pumps, and the corrosion of the boiler due to inadequate scrubbing. To be fair, many of the problems associated with the digester are the result of fluctuating research interest, funds, management, and the lack of an effective biogas scrubbing system, but they exist all the same. Currently, the digester is up and operating... although obviously not ideally.
Although most of the digestion systems are covered lagoons, the AgSTAR website <http://epa.gov/agstar/projects/index.html> contains a link to a Excel file detailing the digesters currently registered in the EPA's system (look under "Farm Project Profiles"). A few of them approximate the herd numbers you're interested in.
As a side note, our research at the University of Maryland, together with research at Ohio State and the University of Wisconsin, is attempting to introduce smaller-scale, lower-cost systems in the U.S. I gave a presentation in October on small-scale digestion and some of the current efforts that you can find here <http://www.jgpress.com/biocycleenergy/pres_tue/Moss_bcre10_s.pdf> .
Good luck hunting!
-Andy
Andrew R. Moss
Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Fellow
University of Maryland Dept. of Environmental Science and Technology
1445 Animal Sci./Ag. Engineering (Bldg. 142)
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
Phone: (865) 363-5535
---- Original message ----
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:00:06 -0800
From: <digestion-request at lists.bioenergylists.org>
Subject: Digestion Digest, Vol 5, Issue 5
To: <digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org>
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>________________ >Today's Topics: > > 1. Small Digester and Rankine Engine Questions (Gould, Merrill) > 2. Re: 250kW hot water biogas boiler (Ian Bywater) > 3. Re: Small Digester and Rankin Engine Questions (Randy Mott) > 4. Re: Small Digester and Rankin Engine Questions (Sam Wampler) > 5. Re: Small Digester and Rankine Engine Questions (David Fulford) >________________ >Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:07:41 +0000 >From: "Gould, Merrill" <gouldm at anr.msu.edu> >Subject: [Digestion] Small Digester and Rankine Engine Questions >To: "digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org" <digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org> >
Greetings:
I have two questions I am hoping someone has answers for:
1. Are there small farms with digesters in the United States? When I say small farm I don’t mean 2-3 cows, I mean a farm with around 125 dairy cows, which is the average herd size in Michigan. If so, where are they and what has been their experience with their digester? I suspect there probably are no small farms with digesters in the US, but I would really like to know. I have had numerous inquiries from farmers with small farms in West Michigan about putting in a digester on their farm. If my assumption is correct that there are no small farms with digesters, are there farms with comparable numbers of dairy cattle with digesters outside of the United State? If so, where are they and what has their experience been with their digester?
2. Has anyone had experience using a Rankine engine as part of an energy producing system?
Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide me.
Charles Gould
Michigan State University Extension
West Olive, Michigan
>________________ >Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2011 20:51:07 +1300 >From: Ian Bywater <ian.bywater at naturalsystems.co.nz> >Subject: Re: [Digestion] 250kW hot water biogas boiler >To: For Discussion of Anaerobic Digestion <digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org> >
Hi Edward,
I know a boiler expert here in Christchurch, New Zealand that I'm sure has the right expertise and can help.
Ian Bywater
On 7/01/2011, at 8:42 PM, Edward Matos wrote:
A milk processing company in our vicinity (Tanga, Tanzania) has had a lasting interest in converting its milk pasteurising process from running on propane to running on biogas. I am doing them a little favour by helping them to make a feasibility study and find the right people that will make this happen. Unfortunately I have very little experience in biogas combustion and would like to find out if anyone here is/knows someone who could help us on this subject.
_________________
Director, Natural Systems Limited
(Unit 5B/ 3 Settlers Crescent)
PO Box 41032
Christchurch 8247
New Zealand
T +64(0)3 376 5549
M +64(0)27 579 6333
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S bywateri
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>________________ >Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:50:57 +0100 >From: "Randy Mott" <randymott at ceeres.eu> >Subject: Re: [Digestion] Small Digester and Rankin Engine Questions >To: "'For Discussion of Anaerobic Digestion'" <digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org> >
We don’t do projects in the US, but my understanding is that 500 cows is a rule of thumb. I have some literature….
On Rankin cycle engines, we have followed it closely in Europe and the US. There is about 15% more electricity that can come from the heat exhaust of the initial generators. The capex is about 1250 Euro/kW. We don’t have much incentive to do it in Poland since we sell the heat and also obtain a co-generation certificate for each MWe.
GE Jenbacher is doing some development in Europe and eventually, I believe, will be trying to offer this as an option on its generators.
Randy Mott
CEERES
Warsaw
From: digestion-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org [mailto:digestion-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Gould, Merrill
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 6:08 PM
To: digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org
Subject: [Digestion] Small Digester and Rankine Engine Questions
Greetings:
I have two questions I am hoping someone has answers for:
1. Are there small farms with digesters in the United States? When I say small farm I don’t mean 2-3 cows, I mean a farm with around 125 dairy cows, which is the average herd size in Michigan. If so, where are they and what has been their experience with their digester? I suspect there probably are no small farms with digesters in the US, but I would really like to know. I have had numerous inquiries from farmers with small farms in West Michigan about putting in a digester on their farm. If my assumption is correct that there are no small farms with digesters, are there farms with comparable numbers of dairy cattle with digesters outside of the United State? If so, where are they and what has their experience been with their digester?
2. Has anyone had experience using a Rankine engine as part of an energy producing system?
Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide me.
Charles Gould
Michigan State University Extension
West Olive, Michigan
>________________ >Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:20:28 -0800 >From: Sam Wampler <smwampler at avatarenergy.com> >Subject: Re: [Digestion] Small Digester and Rankin Engine Questions >To: For Discussion of Anaerobic Digestion <digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org> >
Nick,
Why don’t you have Kevin answer the below question about a small digester.
Sam
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From: digestion-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org [mailto:digestion-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Randy Mott
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 2:51 AM
To: 'For Discussion of Anaerobic Digestion'
Subject: Re: [Digestion] Small Digester and Rankin Engine Questions
We don’t do projects in the US, but my understanding is that 500 cows is a rule of thumb. I have some literature….
On Rankin cycle engines, we have followed it closely in Europe and the US. There is about 15% more electricity that can come from the heat exhaust of the initial generators. The capex is about 1250 Euro/kW. We don’t have much incentive to do it in Poland since we sell the heat and also obtain a co-generation certificate for each MWe.
GE Jenbacher is doing some development in Europe and eventually, I believe, will be trying to offer this as an option on its generators.
Randy Mott
CEERES
Warsaw
From: digestion-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org [mailto:digestion-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Gould, Merrill
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 6:08 PM
To: digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org
Subject: [Digestion] Small Digester and Rankine Engine Questions
Greetings:
I have two questions I am hoping someone has answers for:
1. Are there small farms with digesters in the United States? When I say small farm I don’t mean 2-3 cows, I mean a farm with around 125 dairy cows, which is the average herd size in Michigan. If so, where are they and what has been their experience with their digester? I suspect there probably are no small farms with digesters in the US, but I would really like to know. I have had numerous inquiries from farmers with small farms in West Michigan about putting in a digester on their farm. If my assumption is correct that there are no small farms with digesters, are there farms with comparable numbers of dairy cattle with digesters outside of the United State? If so, where are they and what has their experience been with their digester?
2. Has anyone had experience using a Rankine engine as part of an energy producing system?
Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide me.
Charles Gould
Michigan State University Extension
West Olive, Michigan
>________________ >Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:22:12 +0000 >From: David Fulford <davidf at kingdombio.com> >Subject: Re: [Digestion] Small Digester and Rankine Engine Questions >To: For Discussion of Anaerobic Digestion <digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org> >Cc: "Gould, Merrill" <gouldm at anr.msu.edu> >
Charles and listers,
The best source of information on AD in USA is the AgSTAR project run by EPA (www.epa.gov/agstar/). They have a database of digesters, which includes a few small ones.
They point to the Minnesota Project (www.mnproject.org) which is trying to concentrate on biogas for small farms (125 cattle or less).
Regards,
David F
On 11/01/2011 17:07, Gould, Merrill wrote:
Greetings:
I have two questions I am hoping someone has answers for:
1. Are there small farms with digesters in the United States? When I say small farm I don’t mean 2-3 cows, I mean a farm with around 125 dairy cows, which is the average herd size in Michigan. If so, where are they and what has been their experience with their digester? I suspect there probably are no small farms with digesters in the US, but I would really like to know. I have had numerous inquiries from farmers with small farms in West Michigan about putting in a digester on their farm. If my assumption is correct that there are no small farms with digesters, are there farms with comparable numbers of dairy cattle with digesters outside of the United State? If so, where are they and what has their experience been with their digester?
2. Has anyone had experience using a Rankine engine as part of an energy producing system?
Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide me.
Charles Gould
Michigan State University Extension
West Olive, Michigan
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