Rokai Pig Farm Demonstration Biogas Plant
Kaunas, Lithuania
The present project was initiated by the Danish Folkecenter for Renewable Energy, and has been financially supported with 88% from the Danish Environmental Protection Ministry. The remaining 12% has been financed by the AB VYCIA Farming Company, where the biogas plant is installed and operated. The project is intended as a pilot demonstration and education plant for Lithuania and the surrounding Baltic countries.
The project has been supported by the Lithuanian Environmental Protection Ministry and Energy Agency. The Lithuanian Energy Institute along with Kaunas Energy Office contributed in assisting the project implementation. The Lithuanian Academy of Agriculture has participated in the technology transfer as well.
Technology
The Biogas Plant is based on Folkecenter's Farm
Biogas Concept, which means, that the plant is scaled to the
amount of resource available on the VYCIA farm. The daily 60 m3
of manure from the 11.000 pigs, is by the anaerobic digestion
converted into a "more ready to use" fertiliser. The
produced biogas is by co-generation converted into electricity
and heat, which will reduce the farms expenses for energy
significantly. The technology gives possibility for much higher
production with surplus of electric energy, which will be sold to
the public grid.
The biogas plant consists of 3 horizontal digesters in a parallel configuration - fed by the same raw material - the manure. This gives unique possibilities to obtain continuously local experiences of operation of the plant. Different additives and conditions of operating can be tested, and the results can easily be compared.
 Schematic drawing of the biogas plant 1) Technical building, control room,
show room, laboratory, boilers. |
Function
Each 300 m3 digester receives daily
20m3 manure in the 30m3 individual mixing
tanks. Waste additives are added and mixed in the same tank. The
manure is pumped into the digester in intervals during the 24
hours, for instance every 2 hours. An equivalent volume of manure
is displaced at the outlet end of the digester. The process is
heated to a temperature between 35 °C and 50 °C. Heating is
obtained by integrated heat exchanger, and heat loses are
minimised by a 200 mm insulation covered by weather proof steel
plate coating. To keep the manure homogeneous and to avoid scum
layer, the manure is mixed at intervals by a slowly rotating
axial agitating system. The agitator also transports the
sediments to the sand outlet, where it can be removed. The biogas
leaves from the top of the digester at a low pressure, sufficient
to overcome the losses in pipes and the counter pressure from the
floating gas holder. The gas holder delivers pressure enough to
operate gas burner and co-generation motor without any compressor
to raise pressure. If the system pressure exceeds 45 mbar, the
gas is released from the digester by a siphon trap.
left picture Manure inlet, mixer tanks, agitator motors/gears. right picture Manure outlet, gas outlet.
left picture Technical buildings. right picture Gasholder
Digester (click for animation)
| Technical data | |
| Manure | : 60 m3 pig manure / day |
| Waste, concentrated | : ~ 3 t / day (depending on availability) |
| Digester | : 3 x 300m3 horizontal steel digesters |
| Gas production | : 1200 - 3600 m3/day |
| System pressure | : 25 mbar, (max. 45 mbar by safety siphon trap) |
| Gas storage | : 60m3 |
| Co-generation | : 1 x 75 kW and 1 x 110 kW |
| Boiler/burner | : 1 x 300 kW gas burner and 1 x 300 kW oil/gas burner |
| Sulphur cleaning | : Aerobic external biological process |
| Control system | : PC based control- and data acquisition system (developed by Folkecenter). |
| Production data | |
| Biogas production | : 1200-3600 m3/day 1) |
| Electric production | : 2400 kWhel/day |
| Electric production | : 700.000 kWhel/year 2) |
| Heat production | : 4200 kWhheat/day |
| Heat production | : 1.600.000 kWhheat/year 3) |
| 1) from manure only. By
adding concentrated waste, the technology gives
possibility for gas production of 3600 m3/day. 2) by 80% duty time of co-generation. 3) by 80% duty time of co-generation and boilers 80% duty time of remaining 20%. Maximum 25% is used for process heat. There will be surplus of heat during summer. |
|
| Farm Energy Consumption | |
| Electricity | : 3.700.000 kWhel /year 4) |
| 4) 2.300.000 kWh is used for heating. Will be replaced by heat and electricity from biogas | |
| Parties involved | Activities |
| Folkecenter
for Renewable Energy Kammergaardsvej 16, P.O. box 208 DK-7760 Hurup Thy, Denmark biogas*folkecenter.dk, www.folkecenter.dk Preben Maegaard, Director Niels Ansų , Project Engineer  Folkecenter location |
Project
Initiative Project Leader Project management Technical design Documentation |
| AB Vycia Farming
Company Roku apyl, LT- 4311 Kauno raj, Lithuania  Vycia Farm location |
Financing (12%) Construction foundations, piping, technical buildings, electric installations, concrete work |
| Danish Environmental Protection Ministry | Financing (88%), Co-ordination |
| Environmental Protection Ministry, Republic of Lithuania | Project implementation, Co-ordination |
| Lithuanian Energy
Institute Juozas Savickas, Arturas Klementavicius |
Technology Transfer,
Project implementation, Participation project application |
| Lithuanian University
of Agriculture Department of Agroenergetics , Kestutis Navickas |
Technology Transfer Project implementation |
| Kaunas Energy Office Mindaugas Stalnionis |
Technology Transfer Project implementation |
| Kaunas University of
Technology Gintaras Dervinis |
Programming Software for control & data acquisition system |
| ICC, International
Construction Corp. Vilnius, Mazeikiai, Kaunas - Lithuania |
Construction, Steel work digester, gas holder |
| D+O
Drawing Office Vestervig, Denmark Kenneth Olsen, Architect |
Architectural design |
This page was revised 25-10-2006.
Questions and comments to this page can be addressed to biogas*folkecenter.dk