PILOT SCALE BIOGAS REACTOR WITH COMPUTER SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AND CONTROL

Autor/autori: Ivan SIMEONOV (Bulgaria), Elena CHORUKOVA (Bulgaria), Sette DIOP (Franta), Nicolai CHRISTOV (Franta)

Abstract: Тhe paper describes research on biogas new technologies carried out at the new pilot-scale biogas plant of the Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The pilot biogas plant was designed to work out and scale up various anaerobic digestion technologies based on different types of feedstock. All the data are stored on a PC for quick reference, data mining, and for parameter identification and validation of different anaerobic digestion mathematical models. Some data are further processed to produce some unmeasurable AD process variables or optimized control parameters on the basis of various estimation and control algorithms which are under development and testing. In the present paper new monitoring system of the pilot scale biogas reactor developed in the Institute of Microbiology - BAS is presented as well. The system is equipped with a PC with specialized software (LabVIEW) which allows recording of conventional hardware sensors measurements, and new sensors such as those for pH of the effluent and specific biochemical analysis. The PC equipment also allows implementation of software sensors for the estimation of specific growth rates of two main bacteria populations. Many experimental studies have demonstrated good performances of this system and its potential interest in industrial applications

Keywords: anaerobic digestion, biogas, pilot-scale bioreactor, hardware sensors for physicochemical variables, software sensors, LabVIEW, monitoring and control system

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