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Studies on the performance of a laboratory scale upflow anaerobic solids removal (UASR) digester were carried out using sand-laden cow manure slurries having total solids (TS) concentration as 50 and 100 g/l. Hydraulic retention time (HRT) was maintained as 32.4 days, which resulted in the volatile solids (VS) loading rates of 1 and 1.64 g/l d. The UASR system was designed to remove sand from the manure slurry, while anaerobically digesting biodegradable solids inside a single reactor. To enhance the contact of microorganisms and substrate, the liquor from the top of the digester was recirculated through the bed of settled solids at its bottom. Volatile solids reduction through this process was observed to be 62% and 68% in the case of feed slurries having TS concentration as 50 and 100 g/l (referred in the text as 5% and 10% feed slurries), respectively. The methane production rates were observed to be 0.22 and 0.38 l/l d, while methane yield was 0.21 and 0.27 l CH(4)/g VS loaded, for 5% and 10% feed slurries, respectively. This indicates that the increase in the VS loading had a positive impact on methane production rate and methane yield. It would be of interest to study the performance of a UASR digester at higher solids loadings and with longer solids retention times. Nonetheless, the presented study showed that sand-laden manure slurries can be successfully digested in a UASR digester producing methane energy equivalent to 4 kW h per m(3) of digester volume per day.

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Laboratory-scale digesters were operated to study the effect of mixing (via biogas recirculation, impeller mixing, and slurry recirculation) on biogas production. Three sets of experiments were performed using cow manure slurry feed with either 50, 100, or 150 g/L total solids (TS) concentrations (referred in the text as 5%, 10%, and 15% manure slurry). The experiments were conducted at a controlled temperature of 35 degrees C and a hydraulic retention time of 16.2 days, resulting in TS loadings of 3.1, 6.2, and 9.3g/Ld for 5%, 10%, and 15% manure slurry feeds, respectively. Results showed that the unmixed and mixed digesters performed quite similarly when fed with 5% manure slurry and produced biogas at a rate of 0.84-0.94 L/Ld. The methane yield was found to be 0.26-0.28 L CH4/g volatile solids loaded. However, the effect of mixing and the mode of mixing became important when the digesters were fed thick manure slurry feeds (10% and 15%). Digesters fed with 10% and 15% manure slurry and equipped with external mixing produced about 10-30% more biogas than the unmixed digester. While the mixed digesters produced more biogas than unmixed digesters, digester mixing during start-up was not beneficial, as it resulted in lower pH, performance instability and prolonged start-up time. Mixing using biogas recirculation system was found not to be effective in the case of 15% manure slurry feed under the experimental conditions studied.

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We studied the effect of mode of mixing (biogas recirculation, impeller mixing, and slurry recirculation) and waste strength on the performance of laboratory scale digesters. The digesters were fed with 5% and 10% manure slurry, at a constant energy supply per unit volume (8 W/m3). The experiments were conducted in eight laboratory scale digesters, each having a working volume of 3.73 L, at a controlled temperature of 35+/-2 degrees C. Hydraulic retention time (HRT) was kept constant at 16.2 days, resulting in a total solids (TS) loading rate of 3.08 g/Ld and 6.2 g/Ld for 5% and 10% manure slurry feeds, respectively. Results showed that the unmixed and mixed digesters performed quite similarly when fed with 5% manure slurry and produced biogas at a rate of 0.84-0.94 L/Ld with a methane yield of 0.26-0.31 L CH4/g volatile solids (VS) loaded. This was possibly because of the low solids concentration in the case of 5% manure slurry, where mixing created by the naturally produced gas might be sufficient to provide adequate mixing. However, the effect of mixing and the mode of mixing became prominent in the case of the digesters fed with thicker manure slurry (10%). Digesters fed with 10% manure slurry and mixed by slurry recirculation, impeller, and biogas recirculation produced approximately 29%, 22% and 15% more biogas than unmixed digester, respectively. Deposition of solids inside the digesters was not observed in the case of 5% manure slurry, but it became significant in the case of 10% manure slurry. Therefore, mixing issue becomes more critical with thicker manure slurry.

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Six laboratory scale biogas mixed anaerobic digesters were operated to study the effect of biogas recycling rates and draft tube height on their performance. The digesters produced methane at 0.40-0.45 L per liter of digester volume per day. A higher methane production rate was observed in unmixed digesters, while increased biogas circulation rate reduced methane production. However, different draft tube heights caused no difference in the methane production rate. Air infiltration (up to 15% oxygen in the biogas) was observed in the digesters mixed by biogas recirculation. Slight air permeability of tubing or leakage on the vacuum side of the air pump may have caused the observed air infiltration. The similar performance of the mixed and unmixed digesters might be the result of the low solids concentration (50 g dry solids per liter of slurry) in the fed animal slurry, which could be sufficiently mixed by the naturally produced biogas.

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Mixing patterns inside a simulated flat bottom digester were imaged using the non-invasive techniques of computer automated radioactive particle tracking (CARPT) and computed tomography (CT). Mixing/agitation was provided using gas (air) recirculation at three different flow rates (Q(g)) of 28.32, 56.64 and 84.96 l/h, corresponding to superficial gas velocities of 0.025, 0.05 and 0.075 cm/s, respectively. Better mixing was observed in the upper zone near the top of the draft tube. However, at the bottom of the digester there was a total stagnancy at all the three gas flow rates. The maximum value of the time-averaged axial velocity inside the draft tube, at a gas flow rate of 84.96 l/h, was observed as 34.4 cm/s. The turbulent kinetic energy was observed to be maximum (724 dyn/cm(2)) inside the draft tube, and decreases radially toward the wall of the digester. The present study showed that the CARPT and CT techniques could be successfully used to identify the flow pattern in the digester and to calculate velocity and turbulence parameters quantitatively. On the other hand, the increase in gas circulation rate from 28.32 to 84.96 l/h did not significantly reduce the dead zones inside the flat bottom digester. To achieve the desired mixing and reactor performance, the operating conditions and reactor configuration need to be optimized.

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In the past decade, radioactive particle tracking techniques have emerged in the field of chemical engineering and have become increasingly popular for non-invasive flow mapping of the hydrodynamics in multiphase reactors. Based on gamma-ray sensitization of an array of scintillation detectors, the Computer Automated Radioactive Particle Tracking (CARPT) technique measures flow fields by monitoring the actual motion path of a single discrete radioactive flow follower which has the physical properties of the phase whose motion is being followed. A limitation to the accuracy of CARPT lies in the error associated with the reconstruction of the tracer particle position which affects the space-resolution capability of the technique. It is of interest, therefore, to minimize this error by choosing wisely the best hardware and an optimal configuration of CARPT detectors' array. Such choices are currently based on experience, without firm scientific basis. In this paper, through theoretical modeling and simulation, we describe how the accuracy of a radioactive particle tracking setup may be assessed a priori. Through an example of a proposed implementation of CARPT on a gas-solids riser, we demonstrate how this knowledge can be used for choosing the hardware required for the experiment. Finally, we show how the optimal arrangement of detectors can be effected for maximum accuracy for a given amount of monetary investment for the experiment.