Biogas plant design
This is a wonderful document complete with illustrations, drawings and photos like the one below.

Before building a biogas plant, there are different circumstances which should be considered. For instance, the natural and agricultural conditions in the specific countries are as important as the social or the economic aspects. To consider the most important factors, we provide a checklist for the planning procedure, a planning guide and a checklist for construction of a biogas plant.

Failure or unsatisfactory performance of biogas units occur mostly due to planning mistakes. The consequences of such mistakes may be immediately evident or may only become apparent after several years. Thorough and careful planning is, therefore, of utmost importance to eliminate mistakes before they reach irreversible stages. As a biogas unit is an expensive investment, it should not be erected as a temporary set-up. Therefore, determining siting criteria for the stable and the biogas plant are the important initial steps of planning.

Biogas Plant Design
Throughout the world, a countless number of designs of biogas plants have been developed under specific climatic and socio-economic conditions. Chosing a biogas plant design is essentially part of the planning process. It is, however, important to familiarize with basic design considerations before the actual planning process begins. This refers to the planning of a single biogas unit as well as to the planning of biogas-programs with a regional scope.

The material in this 80 page document is some of the most detailed and comprehensive information available on biogas plant design and is a great companion to the 3 Cubic Metre Biogas Plant Construction Manual.

Biogas – Application and Product Development
Planning a biogas plant
Design
Types of plants
Parts of a biogas plant
Construction details
Starting the plant
Managing input- and output-material

Biogas – Digester types ………………………..8
Fixed-dome plants
Floating-drum plants

Biogas Plant Types and Design……………..15
Digester types in industrialized countries
Selection of appropriate design
Ballon plants
Horizontal plants
Earth-pit plants
Ferrocement plants

Parts of Biogas Plants……………………………19
Influent collecting tank
Inlet and outlet
Digester
Gasholders
Gas pipe, valves and accessories
Stirring facilities

Optional Parts of Biogas Plants……………..26
Heating systems
Pumps
Weak ring

Balancing Biogas Production and Energy Demand…..29
Determining the biogas production
Determining the energy demand

Biogas Planning Guide …………………………32
Detailed planning guide for biogas plants

Step-by-Step Planning Checklist for Biogas Plants……38

Sizing a biogas plant ……………………………39
Sizing the digester
Calculating the daily gas production
Sizing the gasholder

Siting of the Biogas Unit………………………41
Stable
Biogas plant

Substrate types and management………….43
Cattle dung and manure
Pig dung and manure
Goat dung
Chicken droppings
Human excrements
The problem of scum

Construction Details of Biogas Plants……..46
Checklist for building a biogas plant ………46

Piping Systems ……………………………………..48
PVC piping
Galvanized steel piping
Pipe diameters
Lay-out of the piping system
Water traps
Valves

Pumps for Biogas Plants………………………..51
Types of pumps

Biogas Plant Design – Heating……………….53
Internal and external heating systems

Agitation ……………………………………………..55
Mixing methods

Slurry-Use Equipment …………………………..59
Separation of slurry and drying of the moist sludge
Composting of slurry

Plasters and Coats for Digester and Gas-Holder…..61
Cement plaster with special additives
Bitumen (several layers)
Bitumen coat with aluminum foil
Water-thinnable dispersion paint
Single- and dual component synthetic resin paints
Paraffin

Underground Water ………………………………..63
Operation and Use ………………………………….65
Daily operation
Weekly / monthly operation
Annual operation
Security

Biogas – Sludge Management…………………..68
Sludge storage
Composition of sludge
Fertilizing effect of effluent sludge

Annual Manure Yield and Nutrient Content of Animal Excrements…..71
Maintainance, Monitoring and Repair
Daily maintenance work
Weekly/monthly (prophylactic) maintenance work
Annual maintenance work
Monitoring
Repair

Biogas Utilization……………………………………76
Gas production
Conditioning of biogas
Biogas burners
Efficiency
Gas demand

Gas Yields and Methane Contents for Various Substrates………80

NOTE: The Biogas Plant Design is a downloadable e-book. No physical products will be shipped. After you order, you will get INSTANT ACCESS to download the e-book. The e-book format is adobe acrobat PDF, which can be viewed on Mac or PC. This 80 page Biogas Plant Design document (titled: Biogas Digest Volume II Biogas – Application and Product Development) was developed by Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA). It makes available to individuals and groups technical resources aimed at fostering self sufficiency. The complete document is available for download at a facilitating cost of $9.00, which covers our bandwidth usage and site maintenance.