DETERMINING THE THERMAL ENERGY REQUIRED TO HEAT A BIOGAS PLANT FERMENTER

Abstract

The paper presents a procedure for determining the optimal amount of thermal energy for the profitable operation of a biogas plant. The temperature at which anaerobic fermentation takes place shortens the time of fermentation and biogas production, but also the provision of higher temperatures requires a certain amount of thermal energy, whose consumption reduces the energy effects of the biogas production system. In this paper the results of the average outdoor temperature and the temperature of inlet mass in fermenter are shown by months, the thermal energy is calculated so as the heat losses of primary and secondary fermenter, and the total required thermal energy to heat the fermenter by months is determined. The required thermal energy for heating the fermenter is presented in percentages, on average 16 % in relation to the total produced thermal energy. Careful analysis determined that the temperature for most profitable anaerobic fermentation process (mesophilic temperature is 40.5 °C), so that the fermentation rate would be optimal with the use of minimum amount of thermal energy to heat the fermenter.