[Digestion] Use of centrifugal pump for transferring feedstock into digester

David davidf at kingdombio.com
Sat Nov 16 13:15:44 CST 2013


Dr Karve and listers, Hello,

Tests I tried in a laboratory which involved pumping material into a 
digester suggested that flow velocity is important. The microbes do not 
seem to like being accelerated, and stop working. A centrifugal pump 
works by accelerating the fluid, so is not really suitable for use in an 
anaerobic digester. The type of pump most often used is a progressive 
cavity pump, although an archimedes screw is also good.

Unfortunately, the project was not properly written up, mainly because 
it did not produce biogas. I did try to write a patent on the idea, but 
as it did not work, it became rather pointless.

Best wishes,
David
davidf at kingdombio.com

******************************************************
Dr David Fulford CEnv MEI, 15, Brandon Ave, Woodley, Reading RG5 4PU
        Tel: +44(0)118 969 5039 Mob: +44(0)7746 806401
Kingdom Bioenergy Ltd, www.kingdombio.com, davidf at kindombio.com
                                 Skype Identity: djfulford



------ Original Message ------
From: "Anand Karve" <adkarve at gmail.com>
To: "For Discussion of Anaerobic Digestion" 
<digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org>
Sent: 16/11/2013 07:35:15
Subject: Re: [Digestion] Use of centrifugal pump for transferring 
feedstock into digester
>Dear Marc,
>the feedstock is going into the digester all right. So obstruction in 
>the feed line is not the problem.
>Yours
>A.D.Karve
>
>
>On Sat, Nov 16, 2013 at 8:04 AM, Marc de Piolenc 
><piolenc at archivale.com> wrote:
>>There are at least two other possibilities
>>
>>- cavitation within the pump leading to loss of "prime"; this is 
>>heavily dependent on where the pump is installed, bends and 
>>constriction in the feed line and so on
>>
>>- formation of gas bubbles in the feed; why wouldn't fermentation 
>>start in the feed, given the right conditions? Those gas bubbles will 
>>act just like water vapor (cavitation) or air intrusion, and make the 
>>pump lose its "prime."
>>
>>The usual remedy is installing a manual, reciprocating pump in line 
>>with the centrifugal pump. This is used for initially priming the 
>>centrifugal pump and for re-priming it if it gets gas-locked or "sucks 
>>dry." Whether this will work with a relatively thick slurry or not, I 
>>don't know.
>>
>>Marc de Piolenc
>>--
>>Archivale catalog: http://www.archivale.com/catalog
>>Polymath weblog: http://www.archivale.com/weblog
>>Translations (ProZ profile): http://www.proz.com/profile/639380
>>Translations (BeWords profile): http://www.bewords.com/Marc-dePiolenc
>>Ducted fans: http://massflow.archivale.com/
>>
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>>for more information about digestion, see
>>Beginner's Guide to Biogas
>>http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/
>>and the Biogas Wiki http://biogas.wikispaces.com/
>>
>
>
>
>--
>***
>Dr. A.D. Karve
>Trustee & Founder President, Appropriate Rural Technology Institute 
>(ARTI)
>
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