REQUIREMENTS

What waste parameters will Spectrum's technical team evaluate when determining which biogas plant is right for you? 

 

• Waste Density 
• COD
• Total Solids
• Volatile solids
• Carbon content
• Nutrient total volume (N,P, K, Mg) 
• Soluble nutrients (nitrate, ammonium, magnesium, phosphate, potassium)
• Heavy metals
• Fibre content (lignin, cellulose)
• Soluble salt content
• Alkaline acting substances 
• pH levels

 

What are the scope of works required on-site prior to the delivery of your BioBowser®?

We recommend a 1000 sq. feet (93m2) of flat land with load bearing capacity of 200 Kg's/m2.

If constructed in civil work/concrete, it needs to be 300 mm higher than the ground level. The platform/flat land needs to be done using water level marking precision as the BioBowser® requires a completely flat site.

A water connection is required to the site using 25mm ID pipe with a flow rate of 1 m3/hr. This can be controlled at the time of operations but it needs to have a reasonably good force of delivery. 

Electrical connection is also required to the site, 30 HP for BB2000. The connection needed is calculated with maximum connected load but won’t necessarily be used at that capacity.

What activities are involved in installation of a BioBowser®?

It is optimal to charge the BioBowser® with cow manure at the start up (ideally 20t @ 9-10% Solids). This is a one time start up requirement; however, the BioBowser® will work at its best efficiency levels if 500kgs of cow manure is added every month.

What daily monitoring is required?

Daily monitoring and data collection needs are to be done according to the scheduled operations procedure in the Operations Manual provided with each BioBowser®.

What maintenance is required?

Maintenance of moving parts like the motors, agitator, burner, generator (if any), gas blower should be performed on regular intervals for smooth operations.

 

TRAINING

What installation training is provided?

We provide installation training to our distributors including one on-site visit for their first installation.

What commissioning and operator training is provided?

We provide commissioning training to our distributors including one on-site visit for their first commissioning.  This includes charging the system with your waste stream. During this visit Spectrum personnel will also providing training to our distributor in delivering onsite operator training.  We also have operating manuals and training manuals which will be provided during this first installation visit.

ORDERS, SHIPPING & DELIVERY

Timeframe from order to delivery

Manufacturing will generally take 45 days from date of order. As our sales volume increase we plan to move from batch to mass manufacturing to further reduce these timeframes. Shipping timeframes will vary. We quote our product ex-works Pune, India, the nearest seaport is Mumbai.

FEEDBACK

What feedback systems do you have in place to monitor plant performance?

We recommend that distributors maintain regular contact with their clients and  provide data and feedback to Spectrum so we can continue to help you support your clients needs and favourable experience of the BioBowser®.

OPERATING CONDITIONS

Will the BioBowser® operate effectively in very cold climates?

Yes, the only change needed is that we need to fit a bigger heating system. The standard system has 15 kW heaters but in very cold climates we need to provide a 25 kW heater and a bigger heat exchanger. Approximately 21500kCal/hr will be transferred to the BioBowser® from the larger heat exchanger.

The heat exchanger will not be used continuously but only to recover the Delta T in the loss of the temperature. The temperature losses will mainly occur when the digester is fed with its daily load of substrate and as such it will require a lot of heat at this time, the rest of the time it will require 1/10^th of that quotient to maintain the desired temperature inside the digester.

In order to avoid further heat loss, we also have to insulate the BioBowser® with Glass Wool instead of expanded polystyrene. The heating pipes will also need to be insulated.

In cold climates the BioBowser® should preferably be enclosed in a shed sufficient to accommodate the digester and the gas storage balloon.

 

BIOGAS

What is the most efficient use of biogas?

Direct combustion of the biogas is still the most energy efficient option. The biogas can be directly used for cooking, heating, cleaning, drying and hot water. Spectrum designs and manufactures a range of direct biogas usage equipment. Biogas can also be used to generate electricity. 

Can Biogas be used to supplement natural gas consumption?

Yes. Natural gas has higher percentage of Methane so for the same ultility it will require less flow rate as compared to biogas. Therefore, all that needs to be done is to adjust the valve in the pipeline to reduce the flow rate.

The burners Spectrum have developed can be used both natural gas as well as biogas without any change in settings or minimal adjustment which can be done manualy. If you need to be use biogas and LPG alternatively, special bi-fuel burners need to be used. If liquid fuels such as diesel is to be used with biogas, again seperate bi-fuel burners need to be used.

POWER GENERATION

Can the BioBowser generate electricity?

 Yes, to generate electricity, the BioBowser has to have a gas powered electric generator. However, much of the biogas produced must be used in the heat exchanger to heat up the digester. The gas quantity used will depend on the climatic conditions outside. The more gas produced, the more excess gas is available to generate electricity. 

What size and type of generators can be used in conjunction with a BB2000 plant?

Gas production varies dramatically from substrate to substrate but by way of example if the BB2000 model is operated on food waste with medium grease content, the gas production would be around 60-70 m3/Day.

Approximately 120 kWhr of electricity can be produced from gas production of 60 m3/day but this is highly dependant on the engine efficiency. Kohler Engines stand out to be most efficient ones.

To determine the appropriate engine size we need to know how many hours the electricity is required each day. For example:

If 120 kWhr is required over an 8 Hour day then a 20 KVA engine would be needed to produce 15 kW per hour.

If 120 kWhr is required over a 20 hour period then a much smaller engine, such as a 7.5 KVA or a 10 KVA is required.

The best option is to provide the exact gas specification based on the substrates you are treating and let the engine supplier recommend the appropriate model.

Can you supply these generators?

Yes we can supply dedicated biogas Kohler Engines.