Does moisture in Biogas matter and how to take it out?
Does moisture in biogas really matter?
Yes. The impact of moisture or water in biogas is often underestimated AND there is plenty of moisture in biogas as biogas produce in wet and warm conditions.
Raw biogas contains up to 10 % water vapor and also a mixture of hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, dust and sediment, chloride and fluoride. This combination corrodes many components in a waste to energy system, especially the engines and exhaust components in combined heat and power generators.
The correct purification and drying of biogas are critical for the reliable and efficient operation of combined heat and power generators producing renewable energy from the biogas.
What are the five main benefits of drying biogas?
Installing a biogas drying and cleaning system will:
1. Eliminate water condensate forming in the gas pipe lines and obstructing the gas flow in your pipework. These blockages cause a frustrating loss of CHP production running time.
2. Improve performance of combined heat and power generators by around 5%. Yes, your CHP will produce more energy running on dry gas! You can either use less gas to create the same amount of energy, or, produce more power, the choice is yours.
3. Reduce corrosion problems in CHP exhaust system, including the mufflers, which are corroded by the combination of condensate, carbon dioxide and hydrosulphuric acid. Your CHP will last longer.
4. Increase the life expectancy of CHP engine oil and extend life of the oil pumps too. Your CHP will require fewer oil changes.
5. Reduce CHP system downtimes and lower your maintenance costs.
Drying your biogas will improve many aspects of your sites performance and is highly recommended.
How is biogas dried?
At Inoplex, we dry biogas by simply cooling down to 3 C in a water chilled heat exchanger. The water in the biogas changes state, from vapour to liquid droplets during this chilling process and coalesce or collect collect inside the cooling chamber. This water automatically discharged to keep the dryer working automatically.
The enhance the efficiency of this process, we add turbulators inside the cooling and condensing tubes. These inexpensive devices allow the engineering team to fine tune the operation of the dryer to optimally suit your site’s operation.
Once the water is condensed and removed from the biogas, the cold dried biogas is warmed by incoming biogas using additional heat exchange capacity which pre-cools the incoming biogas. This reduces the power consumed by the cooling system to maximise your site’s returns.
Do you need to know how much energy is in your dry biogas?
If you have any questions regarding biogas drying, give Inoplex a call on 0448 307 282 today. We are experts when it comes to biogas and cogeneration systems across Australia, so get in contact now.