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Development of a method for calculating a anaerobic digester with

bubbling mixing
To cite this article: D Y Suslov 2021 IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 1089 012034

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ICES 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1089 (2021) 012034 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/1089/1/012034

Development of a method for calculating a anaerobic digester

with bubbling mixing

D Y Suslov
Department of heat and gas supply and ventilation, Belgorod State Technological
University named after V.G. Shukhov, Kostyukov St., 46, Belgorod, 308012, Russia

E-mail: Suslov1687@mail.ru

Abstract. Currently, there is a development of biogas technologies designed to obtain an alter-

native source of biogas energy and utilize organic waste. When developing and designing bio-
gas plants, an important task is to determine the design and technological parameters of the an-
aerobic digester in order to obtain the maximum biogas yield. For the research, an anaerobic
digester equipped with a bubbling mixing system was used. The bubble tube is made in the
form of a spiral and forms a cone with the base downward. A calculation method has been de-
veloped that makes it possible to determine the physical and chemical properties of the bio-
mass, the geometric parameters of the digester, the specific and total volume of biogas pro-
duced, the design parameters of the digester heating system, the design and technological pa-
rameters of the bubbling-type mixing system. With the help of the developed methodology, the
design and technological parameters of the anaerobic digester of the biogas station for the dis-
posal of organic waste from a pig breeding enterprise and a meat processing plant were deter-
mined. As a result of calculations, it was established that the station contains 3 anaerobic di-
gester tanks with a volume of 200 m3 each, utilizes 40 m3 of waste per day and produces 1600
m3 of biogas per day.

1. Introduction
Recently, biogas stations and biomethane plants have been introduced in the agro-industrial sector, the
main task of which is the production of a renewable energy source - biomethane [1-4]. In addition,
organic waste from various industries is utilized and biological fertilizers are obtained. Utilization of
organic matter occurs in digesters due to the active vital activity of microorganisms that digest pro-
teins, fats and carbohydrates. To provide a comfortable environment for reproduction and life, micro-
organisms need to maintain a uniform temperature level and distribution of bacteria throughout the
biomass. For this, various mixing systems are used, while in biogas plants the mechanical method is
most widely used [5-7]. However, during the operation of mechanical mixers, intensive mixing of the
biomass occurs only in the horizontal plane in the area of movement of the mixer blades. And in the
upper parts of the digester, little intensive mixing of the biomass is observed [8, 9].
The solution to these problems is possible through the use of bubble-type mixing systems [10, 11].
Recently, much attention has been paid to the bubbling method of mixing biomass, which, in contrast
to the mechanical method, does not require the installation of rotating units and elements [12-15]. It is
known that rotating assemblies are the most fragile element in the operation of mechanisms.
During the operation of bubbling mixing systems, an upward gas flow is formed, which carries
away the biomass. This leads to the circulation of biomass from the lower part of the digester to the

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ICES 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1089 (2021) 012034 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/1089/1/012034

upper part, as a result of which intensive and effective mixing of the entire volume of the digester oc-
curs.
However, at present the process of obtaining biogas in digesters with a bubbling-type mixing sys-
tem is poorly studied.
The purpose of this work is to develop a method for calculating the design and technological pa-
rameters of the digester equipped with heating and bubbling mixing systems.

2. Materials and Methods

A digester equipped with a bubbling-type mixing system has been developed. The model of the di-
gester of the developed design is shown in Figure 1. The novelty of the digester lies in the design of
the bubbling mixing system, consisting of a supply pipeline and a bubbling pipe. The bubble tube is
made in the form of a vertical spiral with holes for gas outlet. The spiral is made in the form of a cone
and is located with the base down (Figure 1, a). To maintain a stable temperature of the biomass in the
digester, a heating system with hot water is adopted. The heating system contains a heat exchanger
made in the form of a coil located on the outer wall of the digester (Figure 1, b).

a b
Figure 1. Digester with a bubble-type mixing system: a – the location of the bubbling pipeline in
the digester; b – location of the heat exchanger - coil on the digester wall.

To determine the yield of biogas during anaerobic fermentation in a mesophilic temperature re-
gime, the dependence of Chen and Hashimoto is used [16]. Chen and Hashimoto's model most fully
describes the biogas production process depending on the most important parameters of the anaerobic
fermentation process.
To determine the design and technological parameters of heating and mixing systems, dependen-
cies describing hydrodynamic [17] and heat exchange processes are used.

3. Results and Discussion

On the basis of a set of theoretical and experimental studies of the biogas production process, a meth-
od for calculating a digester with bubbling mixing has been developed. The calculation provides for
two tasks - "direct" and "reverse". The algorithm for calculating the digester is shown in Figure 2.
"Direct" task: the volume and the properties of the initial substrate for processing are set, it is nec-
essary to determine the design dimensions of the digester, heating and bubbling mixing systems in
order to obtain the maximum biogas yield.
"Inverse" task: the design dimensions of the digester and the technological parameters of the bio-
mass in the digester are known; it is required to determine the efficiency of the digester - biogas out-
put.

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ICES 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1089 (2021) 012034 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/1089/1/012034

Figure 2. Algorithm of the methodology for calculating the design and tech-
nological parameters of the digester with bubbling mixing.

Consider the methodology for calculating the "direct" problem. In this case, the initial data are var-
iable and constant factors.
Variable factors include: daily volume of the initial substrate (manure yield from the farm), vs.s, м3;
moisture content of biomass in digester W,%; temperature of biomass in digester T, K; hydraulic re-
tention time (duration of the fermentation process) τ, days.
Constant factors include:
 moisture content of the original substrate Ws, %;
 density of the dry part of the substrate d, kg / m3;
 ash content of the dry part of the substrate A,%;
 gas velocity in the bubble pipe υbp, m/s;
 gas flow rate from the holes of the bubble pipe υhol, m/sec;
 gas consumption for mixing Qg,, m3 / min;
 biogas pressure above biomass in the digester р0, Pa;
 the density of the bubbling gas ρg, kg / m3;
 kinematic viscosity of biogas γg, m2 / s;
 coolant speed ωh, m/sec.

3.1. Calculation of biomass parameters.

The density of biomass depends on the moisture content and density of the dry part of the original
substrate and is determined by the expression, kg / m3:

  W v  (1  W ) d , (1)

where ρv is the density of water, kg / m3.

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ICES 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1089 (2021) 012034 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/1089/1/012034

The viscosity of biomass depends on the viscosity of water and moisture, Pa s:

  v (1  2,5(1  W )), (2)

where μv – dynamic viscosity of water, Pa·s.

The concentration of the substrate depends on its composition and the content of volatile solids
(VS) in the total biomass, kg VS / m3:
S = ρ(100 -W)×(100 - A)×10-4 (3)

3.2. Calculation of the geometric parameters of the digester.

The volume of the digester depends on the volume of the substrate and the technological parameters of
the biogas production process:
v  v s  vv , (4)
where:
vs is the volume of the substrate in the digester, m3;
vv is the volume of water required to achieve the required biomass moisture, m3.
The volume of substrate in the digester depends on the hydraulic retention time of the biomass in
the digester and the daily volume of the initial substrate:

vs    vs.s (5)

The volume of water added to the digester to achieve optimum moisture content can be deter-
mined by the formula:
W  Ws
vv  ms ( ), (6)
100  W
where ms – substrate weight, kg.

3.3. Determination of biogas yield.

The main parameters to be determined are the maximum specific growth rate of microorganisms, the
biogas yield rate and the total biogas yield.
Maximum specific growth rate of microorganisms, day-1:

 m   0  1  T   2  T 2 , (7)

where 0, 1, 2 are temperature coefficients.

The biogas release rate is determined by the equation of Chen and Hashimoto, m3 / day • m3:

B0  S K
V  (1  ), (8)
 μm   1  K

where:
B0 is the limiting biogas yield from a unit of volatile solids of a given composition with an infinite du-
ration of the process, m3 / kg;
K is the kinetic parameter.
The total biogas yield of the digester is determined by the expression, m3 / kg VS:

Vtot  V  v (9)

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ICES 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1089 (2021) 012034 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/1089/1/012034

Further, the biogas production process is optimized with the introduction of variable parameters.
At the same time, such values of the variable factors are determined at which the biogas yield will be
maximum.

3.4. Calculation of the design parameters of the heating system.

The purpose of calculating the design parameters of the heating system is to determine the total length
and diameter of the heat exchange pipeline - the coil.
The heat load of the digester is determined from the heat balance, W:
Qh  Qout  Qout
g
 Qout
bg
 Ql  Qin  Qinbg  Qr , (10)
where:
Qout is the amount of heat leaving with the processed biomass, W;
Qoutg is the amount of heat leaving with the produced biogas, W;
Qoutbg is the amount of heat leaving with bubbling biogas, W;
Ql is the amount of heat lost to the environment, W;
Qin is the amount of heat supplied with the original substrate, W;
Qinbg is the amount of heat supplied with bubbling biogas, W;
Qr is the amount of heat released in the exothermic reaction of anaerobic fermentation, W.
The area of the heat transfer surface is determined from the heat transfer equation, m2:
Qh
Fh  , (11)
k h  T
where kh is the coefficient of heat transfer from the coolant through the coil wall to the biomass, W /
(m2·K); ΔT - temperature difference between hot and cold heat carrier, K.
The coefficient of heat transfer from the heat carrier through the walls of the heat exchanger and
the digester to the biomass depends on the material of the digester and the mode of movement of the
coolant and biomass:
1
kh  , (12)
1 1
  rw 
1 2
where:
α1 is the coefficient of heat transfer from the coolant to the coil wall, W / (m2·K);
α2 is the coefficient of heat transfer from the wall surface to the biomass, W / (m2·K);
Σrw is the sum of thermal resistances of all layers that make up the wall, m2·K / W.
The coolant flow rate is determined by the expression, m3 / s:
Qh
Vh  , (13)
сh  ( T1.  T2 )
where:
сh - specific heat capacity of the hot coolant, J / (kg · K);
T1 - initial temperature of the coolant, K;
T2 is the final temperature of the coolant, K.
The cross-sectional area of the heat exchange pipeline can be determined from the flow continuity
equation, m2:
Vh
Sс  , (14)
h
where ωh is the speed of the coolant, m/s,

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ICES 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1089 (2021) 012034 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/1089/1/012034

whence the diameter of the heat exchange pipeline will be, m:

4  Sc
Dc  (15)

and the total length of the heat exchange pipe of the coil will be, m:
Fh
Lc  (16)
π  Dc
The length of one coil of the heat exchanger is determined by the expression, m:

 2  D M2  Lc
2

l c1  , (17)
Lc  H M
2 2

where:
DM is the diameter of the digester, m;
HM - digester height, m.
Distance between axes of adjacent coil turns, m:
H M  lc1 (18)
h
Lc

Number of coil turns:

Lc
nc  (19)
lc1

3.5. Calculation of the design parameters of the bubbling mixing system.

The diameter of the bubble tube depends on the speed and flow rate of the bubbled gas, m:
4  Qg
d bp  (20)
 bp

Length of the bubbling pipeline, m:

 R  h 2  R22 
lbp   R1 h 2  R12  R2 h 2  R22  h 2 ln 2 , (21)
hh  R1  h 2  R12 
 
where:
R1 - radius of the largest turn of the bubble pipe, m;
R2 - radius of the smallest turn of the bubble pipe, m;
hh - horizontal step between the axes of adjacent turns, m.
Horizontal step between the axes of adjacent turns, m:
R1  R2
hh  , (22)
nt .bp

where nt.bp – the number of turns of the bubble pipe.

Vertical pitch between the axes of adjacent turns, m:
H bp
hv  , (23)
nt .bp

where Hbp – height of the bubble pipe made in the form of a spiral, m.

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ICES 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1089 (2021) 012034 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/1089/1/012034

Number of holes in the bubble tube for gas outlet:

l bp
n hol  , (24)
hhol

where hhol – step between adjacent holes, m.

Diameter of one hole, m:

4  Qg
d hol  , (25)
n hol υ hol

where υhol – gas velocity from the holes of the bubble pipe, m/s.

3.6. Calculation of technological parameters of the bubbling mixing system.

The purpose of the technological calculation of the mixing system is to determine the pressure in the
holes of the bubbling pipeline.
The gas pressure in the holes of the bubbling pipeline is determined from the expression, Pa:

ρ g   hol
2

рhol  (26)
2

One of the main tasks in determining the required pressure is to determine the pressure loss in the
bubbling pipeline.
Taking into account the design of the bubbling pipeline made in the form of a vertical spiral in the
form of a cone, the pressure loss is determined from the equation, Pa:

   
l  1     2  Sbp  Sbp e
s  
рbp     1  e   e    4 (1  e )  
bp

 dbp  3  s  s   Sw s 
   (27)

bp 5  dbp 
0.275
rt av    2
)  0,0175   sl  0.45    4  nt .bp 
.bp g bp
f( ,
hol Re  2  rt av dbp  2
 .bp 


where:
λ is the coefficient of friction;
υ – flow rate at the beginning of the pipeline, m/s; υe – flow velocity at the end of the pipeline, m/s;
Sbp – pipeline cross-sectional area, m2;
Sw – is the area of the pipeline walls, m2;
δsl – angle of smooth rotation, ̊;
rt.bpav – average radius of the turns of the bubbling pipeline, m;
ψ – is a coefficient that takes into account the mutual influence of smooth turns.
Then, the adequacy of the results obtained is checked and the final values are displayed.
The "Inverse" task is similar to the method for calculating the direct problem, but the design pa-
rameters of the digester are not calculated.

4. Conclusion
A method for calculating the structural and technological parameters of a digester of an original design
equipped with a heating system and a bubbling mixing system has been developed. The technique con-

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ICES 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1089 (2021) 012034 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/1089/1/012034

tains direct and inverse tasks. The direct task is to determine the parameters of the digester in order to
obtain the maximum yield of biogas from a certain volume of the initial substrate. The inverse task is
to determine the biogas yield with known parameters of the digester and biomass.
The technique makes it possible to determine the physical and chemical properties of the biomass,
the geometrical parameters of the digester, the volume of biogas produced, the design parameters of
the digester heating system, the design and technological parameters of the bubbling mixing system.
The developed methodology was used to design and calculate a biogas station with a total volume
of digesters of 600 m3. The biogas station processes 40 m3 / day of organic waste from the pig breed-
ing complex and meat processing plant, and produces 1600 m3 of biogas per day.

5. Acknowledgments
The study was carried out in the framework of the scholarship of the President of the Russian Federa-
tion SP-180.2019.1.

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IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1089 (2021) 012034 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/1089/1/012034

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