Unit 4

BIOGAS & GEOTHERMAL POWER

GENERATING SYSTEMS
BIOGAS POWER GENERATION
Biomass energy:

Biomass is organic matter produced by

plants both terrestrial (grown on land)&
aquatic (grown in water) & their derivatives.
Solar energy is stored in the form chemical
energy.
Solar energy Photosynthesis Biomass
Energy generation.
Biomass resources:
Biomass resources falls into 3 categories
1.Biomass in its traditional solid mass i.e wood & agriculture
residue.
The energy is obtained directly by burning.
2.Biomass in its non traditional form i.e liquid fuels.
The biomass is converted into ethanol(ethyl alcohol),&
methanol(methyl-alcohol) to be used as liquid fuels.
3.Bio-gas
To ferment the biomass anaerobically to obtain gaseous fuel
called bio gas.
Biomass includes land & water based vegetation ,wood
waste & bagasse, municipal solid waste, sewage, animal
wastage, forestry & agriculture residue.
Biogas:

* Biogas is a clean & efficient fuel.

* It is a mixture of
- Methane (CH4 )
- Carbon dioxide(CO2 )
- Hydrogen(H2 )
- Hydrogen Sulphide(H2 S)
* The chief constituent of biogas is methane(65%).
* Biogas generally comprise of 55-65 %, methane, 35-45
% carbon dioxide, 0.5-1.0 % hydrogen sulphide and traces
of water vapour.
* The calorific value of biogas is between 5000 to 5500
kCal/Kg.
Biomass Conversion:

Bio conversion takes place in basic three forms

1.Direct combustion
2.Thermochemical conversion
3.Bio chemical conversion
Direct combustion is the simple method to
obtain energy just by burning the biomass.
Thermo chemical Conversion:

Thermo chemical Conversion takes two forms

1.Gasification
2.Liquefaction
Bio chemical Conversion:

Bio chemical Conversion takes two forms

1.Anaerobic digestion
2.Fermentation
Wet processes:

1.Anaerobic digestion
2.Fermentation
Dry processes:

1.Pyrolysis
2.Liquifaction
3.Gasification
 Biogas plants:
The plants which are used to produce biogas are
called biogas plants.
1.Fixed dome type biogas plant.
2.Floating gas holder type biogas plant.
Biogas is produced by digestion, pyrolysis or
gasification.
Digestion is a biological process that occurs in the
absence of oxygen & in the presence of anaerobic
organisms at ambient pressures & temperatures of
35-700 C.
The container in which digestion takes place is
known as digester.
 Utilization of biogas:
-The main products of bio gas plant are fuel gas & organic
manure.
-The biogas can be utilized effectively for household cooking ,
lighting, operating small engines, utilizing power for
pumping water, chaffing fodder & grinding flour.
Cooking: A biogas plant of 2 cubic meters is sufficient for
providing cooking fuel needs of a family of about five persons.
Lighting: Biogas is used in silk mantle lamps for lighting purposes.
The requirement of gas for powering a 100 candle lamp (60 W) is
0.13 cubic meter per hour.
Power Generation: Biogas can be used to operate a dual fuel
engine to replace up to 80 % of diesel-oil. Diesel engines have been
modified to run 100 per cent on biogas. Petrol and CNG engines
can also be modified easily to use biogas.
Transport Fuel: After removal of CO2, H2S and water vapor,
biogas can be converted to natural gas quality for use in vehicles.
Advantages of biogas:
High calorific value.
Clean fuel.
Burns easily-has a convenient ignition
temperature.
Non polluting since no smoke is produced.
Can be supplied through pipelines.
GEOTHERMAL & OCEAN POWER
GENERATION
 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
What is geo thermal energy?
The word geo thermal is originated from Greek roots
Geo means earth
Thermal means heat
In simple geothermal energy means heat energy of the earth.
The heat energy of the earth is generated by various natural
process such as:
Decay of radioactive elements
Friction
Heat when the planet is formed ,accreted and has not lost.
Earth and its layers:
 Geothermal sources
1.Hydro thermal convective systems
(i) Vapour dominated system or dry steam fields
(ii) Liquid dominated system or wet steam
fields..
(iii)Hot water fields
2.Geopressure resources
3.Hot dry rocks or petro thermal
4.Magma resources
5.Valcanoes.
Vapour dominated system :
-In this system steam is dominant. Water is
vaporized into steam that reaches the surface
with about 2000 C and 8bar.
-This type of system is vey less in number.
-The largest geyser plant is located in United
States.
-The problem of such type of systems is the
presence of corrosive gases in the steam.
Liquid dominated system :
-In this system hot water is dominant. Circulating water
is that reaches the surface is about 1750 C to 3150 C.
-This type of systems are more in number when
compared to vapour dominated systems.
-The problem of such type of systems is the presence of
some precipitate particles which form scaling.
-The methods are
* Flashed steam system high temperature range
* Binary cycle system moderate temperature
* Total flow system
 Advantages of geothermal energy:
Least polluting compared to other conventional
energy sources.
Geothermal power plants have highest annual load
factor compared to fossil fuel plants.
Delivers greater amount of net energy.
It is cheaper
Versatile in its use.
Amenable for multiple uses from single source.
Does not require large areas.
Independent of weather conditions.
 Disadvantages of geothermal energy:
Low overall efficiency about 15%.
Drilling operation is noisy.
Large areas are needed for exploitation.
The steam and hot water coming out may contain
harmful gases which cause air pollution.
Results in earth surface subsidence and may lead
to environmental hazards.
Areas with geothermal energy are few.
Applications of geothermal energy:
The three main applications are:
1.Generation of electric power
2.Industrial process heat
3.Space heating for various kinds of buildings.
The other applications are:
Drying farm products- canning of food
Soil warming
Hatching of fish
Sugar processing
Salt production
Textile and paper manufacturing
etc........
 Ocean energy
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion(OTEC):
The conversion of solar energy stored as heat in the ocean into electrical
energy by making use of the temperature difference between the warm surface
water and the colder deep water.
The temperature gradient can be utilized in a heat engine to generate power
is called OTEC.
The temperature difference between the warm surface water of the
tropical oceans & the colder water in depths is about 20-25degree centigrade.
The surface temperatures vary both with latitude & season both being
maximum in tropical, sub tropical & equatorial waters.
It works on the principle of Rankine cycle.
Requirements of OTEC:

1.Coastal zone land available.

2.Sea floor must descend sufficiently from the shore
for plant location.
3.The seasonal availability of warm & cold water.
 Methods of ocean thermal power generation:
The two different methods of harnessing ocean
energy are
1. Open cycle or Claude cycle
2. Closed cycle or Anderson cycle
Advantages of ocean energy:

-Eco friendly
-Minimum maintenance cost
-No fuel cost
 Limitations of ocean power generation:

-Less efficiency
-Production cost is high
- Very far from load centers.
 Tidal energy
Tides are the periodic raise and fall of the water level
of sea which are carried by the action of sun and moon
on the water of the earth.
The large scale up and down movement of sea water is
an unlimited source of energy.
The highest level of tidal water is known as flood or
high tide.
The lowest level is known as low tide or ebb.
The difference in water surface elevations at the high
and at the low tide is known as tidal range main
feature of tidal power generation.
Formation of tides:
*The moon is the major factor in tide
formation.70% of tide producing force is due to
moon & 30 % due to sun.
Principle of tidal power generation:

-During the high tide the high water level are let into
basin to be stored at high level through a turbine.
-The water is again let back into the sea during low
tide through turbine to produce power.
-This produces a difference in head to run the
turbines to generate power.
 Components of tidal power plants:
There are three main components of a tidal
power plant
1. Power house
2. Dam or barrage to form pool or basin
3. Sluice ways from basins to sea and vice
versa.
 Operation methods of utilization of tidal
energy:

1. Single basin arrangement

2. Double basin arrangement

- Double basin scheme produces power continuously.

 1. Single basin arrangement:

-The simplest way to generate tidal power .

a) Single ebb cycle system
b) Single tide cycle system
c) Double cycle system
Advantages of tidal power generation:

-It is an inexhaustible source of energy.

-Tidal power generation is free from pollution.
-Do not demand large area.
-Has long life period.
-Peak power demand can be met when it works in
combination with thermal or hydro systems.
-Maintenance costs are relatively low.
 Limitations of tidal power generation:

-The variation in output caused by variations in tide range.

-Sea water is corrosive & machinery may get damaged.
-The tidal power plant may hamper other natural resources
of estuaries such as fishing or navigation.
-Less efficient due to high variation in tide range.
-Moderate output is obtained.
-The generation is done only at coastal region far away from
consumers and involves high transmission costs.
-Very few ideal conditions available for tidal plants.
-Difficult to plan load sharing everyday.
-Cost of construction is not economical.
-Construction in sea or in estuaries is difficult.