[Digestion] Studies/Investigations into AD explosions

[Anand Karve]

Dear Will,
In a newly constructed biogas plant, the gas holder part of the biogas
plant contains ordinary air. When biogas gets mixed with it, it forms an
explosive mixture. I have heard anecdotes of newly constructed biogas plants
exploding right at the first attempt to ignite the gas.  Therefore, before
commissioning a newly constructed biogas plant, one should release the
accumulated biogas without holding a match to it. After the chamber has been
emptied of air and oxygen, the biogas that now occupies the chamber is quite
harmless. When biogas is ignited, the flame cannot travel backwards into the
biogas plant, because there is no oxygen in it to sustain combustion.
Yours
A.D.Karve
On Tue, Jan 25, 2011 at 5:02 PM, <en2wgm at bath.ac.uk> wrote:

> Dear forum members,
>
> There has been a recent interest in the UK regarding the safety of AD
> plants in terms of risk of explosions. I was wondering whether anyone had
> studied or known of any research showing evidence of past explosions or
> incidences relating to the operation of biogas plants?
>
> Many thanks
>
> Will
>
>
>
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>


-- 
***
Dr. A.D. Karve
President, Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI)

*Please change my email address in your records to: adkarve at gmail.com *
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