FR2537124A2 - Methane fermentation digester taking the form of covering and bottom sections for vessels and individual belts for recovery of the excreta and intestinal gases for animals - Google Patents

Abstract

System for production of biomethane from organic wastes. The subject of the invention is a device providing the anaerobic fermentation of organic waste originating from agricultural enterprises and individual or collective dwellings with production of biomethane. With reference to the figure, A and B are covering and bottom units which fit into the existing vessels and gutters which they convert into digesters. The unit C is an individual belt for the recovery of the intestinal gases, excreta and urine, to be worn by each animal.

Description

 The object of the present invention is, as a new industrial product, a system for continuous fermentation under anaerobic conditions of all digestible organic waste originating in particular from agricultural holdings, in order to produce energy in the form of biological methane.

 Few projects have seen the light of day, given the high price of the proposed facilities, the depreciation period of which is too long.

 The object of the present invention is the use of special hollow profiles for cover and bottom which can easily fit into the tanks and gutters under gratings existing in agricultural holdings to transform them into methanizers.

 This device makes it possible to build economical digesters.

 The originality of these profiles and that they consist of a triple or double shell forming an alveolar tank and containing a thermal insulator on the outside and a heat transfer liquid inside allowing on the one hand, the insulation of the tanks and, on the other hand, heating the substrate.

 The design of the bottom and cover profiles forming the invention allows industrial mass production.

 Its adaptation to very different cases is possible since it consists of an assembly of identical elements which can easily be adjusted in pre-existing tanks or channels.

 In accordance with the invention, the introduction of the waste into the channel under gratings takes place on the covering elements in the shape of an inverted "U" and between the space left between them and the wall of the channel equipped with elements of background.

 The embedding of the vertical walls of the covering elements in the substrate maintained at a constant level by a threshold, forms a siphoid hydraulic seal anaerobically under anaerobic conditions and allowing the production of biomethane.

 This biomethane produced is stored under the top of the bell formed by the covering elements before being evacuated in a gasometer.

 The object of the invention is also a belt or corset for recovering excrement and intestinal gases, to be worn by each animal.

 This belt has the advantage of preventing animals from soiling their litter and thereby decreasing the work and costs of each breeder.

 The slurry or manure spillways to be installed in the circulation corridors behind the cattle then become useless because the urine and excrement produced by each cow will be carried by it, then evacuated, during daily milkings, in the recovery digesters located at level of the milking parlor.

 The present invention also envisages the possibility of transforming each pipe into a horizontal or vertical digester.

 Finally, it is envisaged, using filter membranes or microfiltration, to increase the percentage of dry matter in a substrate by eliminating the maximum amount of water from it.

 One form of the invention is described below, by way of indication and in no way limiting, with reference to the appended drawings.

Figure 1 is an overview of the installation applied to a farm with gutters under grating. We easily manage with cover elements (A) and bottom (B) to transform these gutters and tanks into digesters for biogas production,
In a farm which is not equipped with gratings and which uses straw bedding, individual anaerobic belts ()) can be used for each animal.

 Organic matter can anaerobic digestion thanks to the cover elements (A) forming a bell and the bottom elements (B) which can be added to the evacuation pits or in the tanks. The cows are fitted with a niethanization belt (Q) which allows the recovery of intestinal gases, their excrement, urine and avoids contaminating the litter.

 Figure 2 shows an overview of the cover elements (A) and bottom (B) equipping ditches under gratings and slurry tanks.

 From the barn (1), the slurry evacuated by existing gratings (2) is stored in an existing gutter (3). Air tightness is ensured by the assembly of the insulating and heating cover elements (A) whose walls are immersed in the effluent. The bottom elements (B) form thermal insulation and immersion heaters. The cover (A) and bottom (B) elements are assembled to each other, end to end, by tenon and mortise assemblies (4) gas and liquid tight. The same system of assembled elements (A) and (B) can equip the slurry tank (5) sto, "- kant the effluent from the gutters under gratings.

 The cover (4) can be movable inside a slurry tank to form a gas bell.

 Figure 3 shows the cross section of a gutter (3) under gratings (2) equipped with a cover element (A) and a bottom element (B).

 The cover element (A) is an inverted "U" shaped honeycomb profile formed by a double steel shell (5), the first recess (6) of which is filled with insulating polyurethane foam and the second recess (7) is traversed by hot water and forms immersion heater. These two recesses (6) and (7) are separated by a wall (8).

The body of the cover (A) is held on the grating by a special fastener (9). The bottom element (B) consists of a triple wall forming two recesses filled with a thermal insulator (10) and hot water (1I) forming a heat exchanger with the effluent.

 Figure 4 is a cross section of the top of the cover element (A) and the fastening system (9) surrounding the grating (2) and held on the top of the cover (A) by a screw-nut system (12).

In the case where the gratings are replaced by cover grids, FIG. 4 shows a variant of the fastening system (9) in the form of a corrugated sheet securing to the bars of the cover grid (13
Figure 5 shows the cross section of the cover elements (A) with the detail of the junction of the different elements (4). The plates (A) have at their end a tenon (14) fitting into a mortise (15) of the following plate; gas tightness being ensured by tightening a neoprene ring (16) during the embedding of the post (14).

 The assembly of the plates between them thus ensures a perfect seal: tee to gases and liquids and allow to put under anaerobic the effluents contained in gutters and ordinary tanks.

 FIG. 6 represents the cross section of the cover elements J with a variant of the junction detail with respect to FIG. 5. The tenon (14) also has a notch (17) and the notch (18) of the mortise is in extra thickness. The assembly, once assembled, thus opposes the opening of the two assembled elements.

 FIG. 7 represents a longitudinal and overall view of the manure recovery belt or cleanliness corset to be worn by each animal.

 The excrement (19) and urine (20) are collected in a plastic or rubber chute (21), then transported by two sheaths (22) and stored in the bottom of the belt (23) while the top of the belt made of flexible materials, collects gases from the excrement.

A pipe (24 coming from the sheath (25) enclosing the tail of the animal transits the biomethane released during the defecation of the animal and stores it in the top of the belt (23) by a siphon (25) filled with oil forming non-return valve
The belt (23) is supported by the back of the animal and held in position by straps with buckle and belt (26). A collar (27) with attachment strap and belt (28) hold the assembly in position.

FIG. 8 represents a rear view of the animal equipped with a cleanliness belt (23) in plasticized or butyl canvas. We can distinguish the reception chute (21), the manure evacuation ducts (22), the belt (23) and its tank as well as the drain valves (29) allowing the contents to be emptied after milking
Each tank (23) formed by the belt can be filled separately with excrement and urine by two troughs (22).

Figure 9 shows the cross section of the belt (23) formed of an inner double shell (30) in plastic canvas and outside (31) in plas canvas
insulated tick.

 The effluent is naturally heated by the heat produced by the cow (370). The methane produced is stored in the upper part (32); in this case, there are two slurry tanks (33) on each side of the cow. A valve (34) collects the biogas.

 FIG. 10 represents the variant to the previous solution of FIG. 9.

 While in Figure 9, the sash (23) is on the back of the animal with strap and belt (26) below, in Figure 10 the sash (23) is under the belly of 1l ' animal with strap and belt (26) on the back of the animal.

 The solution of FIG. 9 has the advantage of leaving the belly of the animal free and of not disturbing the udder of the cow. In the case of a bull or an ox or the urine is rejected at the bottom of the belly, one can consider pumping the urine into the belt (23) by a small pump.

 Figure 11 shows a top view of the seat belt (23) with its various equipment.

 FIG. 12 represents a longitudinal view of a digester appearing in the form of a network of fermentation pipes (24) assembled # between two manholes forming, one, effluent reception hopper (25) and concentrator fermenter manholes ( 26).

 The network (24) acts as a horizontal high-load digester stirred by agitators (27) arranged either vertically or horizontally. The hot fage is provided by the hollow sipho # walls (28) and the hopper bottoms (29) forming immersion heater.

The manhole (26) plays the role of a digester decanter whose decanted sludge is evacuated by a pump (30) and the clarified water (31) is evacuated by gravity, the liquid-solid separation being ensured by the siphoSde partition (32 ),
FIG. 13 shows a longitudinal view of a digester in the form of a pipe (33) provided at each end with two solid plates (34) and two pipes (35) forming a receiving and emptying hopper, a tubing (3 sipho pad # of (37) in oil or water seal with antifreeze. The agitators (38) can other circular plates rotating around a horizontal axis driven by a motor external to the digester.

 The digesters (24) are in battery on digesters (24) of the same type but forming a concentrator and provided with float levels.

 The junctions are made by pipeline (39) arriving on tubing; access (40).

 FIG. 14 represents a cross section of the pipeline digester (24) provided with its feed gutters (41) made with semi-cylindrical pipelines surmounted by gratings (42) and connected by tubing pipes (43) with standard seal (44) to the digester (24). The heat exchanger traversed by hot water consists of a semi-cylindrical double wall (45) equipping the bottom of the digester. A thermal insulator (46) to put in the trench, before and after the installation of the digester (24) forms an insulating sheath. The assembly can also be wrapped in a plastic film, butyl type (47) avoiding contamination with water in floodplain.

 FIG. 15 represents a variant of the solution of FIG. 14 in the event of reduced space in the stable to integrate the digester (24) and when the animals are back to back.

 The feed channel (41) equipped with its gratings (42) can be placed above the digester (24), the effluents will arrive via a cylindrical tube (48) immersed in the substrate or a tube (48) terminated by a semi-cylindrical dome (49).

 FIG. 16 shows the cross section of a vertical digester (50 which can also be made with a pipe provided with a conical bottom (51) forming a heat exchanger (52).

 The vertical digester (50) is equipped at its top with a cone (53) putting the assembly under anaerobic conditions and equipped with a siphoSde buffer (54) recovering the biogas produced.

 FIG. 17 represents a variant of the principle of FIG. 16.

 A pipe (55) welded inside the vertical digester (50) can form with the walls thereof, a hydraulic seal (56) filled with water in which slides a pipe with bottom (57) forming a gas bell. The whole forms a digestogazometer.

 A manhole (58) connected to a tube (59) forming a hydrostatic spillway accessing the bottom of the digester (50) makes it possible to pump out the substrate arriving at this level by the principle of communicating vessels. This digester is particularly suitable for waste composting little water (in the case of horse droppings and household waste), the siphon walls of the bell (57) sliding in a water seal independent of the substrate, the latter can Be dry. In this case, we will not put a tube (59) or manhole (58) and we will use the digester (50) discontinuously.

 FIG. 18 shows that the preceding digesto-gasometers (55) can be mounted in series on a discharge hose (58) provided with an endless screw (59) actuated by a motor (60) and the closure of which is ensured by a counterweight valve (61).

FIG. 19 represents a vertical digester (50) of the type of FIG. 15 which is equipped in its upper part with a bacterial bed (62) filled with pozzolan or small ends of annular plastic pipe of the drain type ensuring aerobic finishing treatment of the '' effluent taken up by a pump (63) and distributed by a watering ramp (64) type rotary distributor in its upper part
Such a digester constitutes a true water purification station
residential valves which provide different treatments on several floors.

 In the low level, anaerobic digestion settling is ensured with the production of arthune, denj a? upper part, it performs aerobic purification on a bacterial bed.

 This station can: be used for one or more dwellings.

 FIG. 2G represents a longitudinal section of the horizon tal digester v24) whose peripheral walls can be equipped with a double partition (65) and (66). The internal partition (65) is a membrane forming micro-screening.

This microfilter (65) has the effect of concentrating in the digester (24) the dry matter of the substrate necessary for the fermentation and of evacuating the unnecessary unnecessary water by the overflow. We can, thanks to this process by increasing the dry matter of a substrate, significantly reduce the volume of digesters whose cost will be lower. With a smaller digester volume, more biogas can be produced.

 FIG. 21 shows the cross section of a collection channel (41) which can be equipped with a filter membrane (65) separating the liquids (67) from the solids (68) alone directed into the digester.

 FIG. 22 represents the longitudinal section of the channel (41) equipped with a filtering membrane (65) which separates the liquids (67) from the solids (68). The sheath (69) for feeding these materials is equipped with a bottom plug (70) which can be dismantled.

 Figure 23 shows a perspective view of cover bioelement (A). The double shell walls forming heat exchanger consist of two plates welded (71) by points between which circulates hot water.

 FIG. 24 represents a variant of the solution of FIG. 23.

 The two plates (71) are welded to flat irons (72) forming baffles for the passage of the heat transfer liquid.

 FIG. 25 shows a second variant in FIG. 23. The exchanger is produced by two stamped blades (71) with parallel trapezoidal channels (73) connected to two parallel collectors (74) above and below.

 FIG. 26 represents a sectional view of the exchanger produced by two stamped sheets (71) with parallel channels of trapezoidal # section (73) connected to two parallel collectors (74) top and bottom.

 FIG. 27 represents a transverse view of a bell (75) made up of covering elements (A) and which can serve as organic matter digester (76) during a dry fermentation.

 This bell is fitted by a tenon-mortise system (77) similar to the embedding (4) of the cover and bottom plates described above.

 Figure 28 is a cross section of a digester (78). The fitting between the cover pad (79) and the digester tubing (80) is also achieved by a dry tenon-mortise system of the type (77) similar to the fitting of the cover plates and background.

Claims (1)

CLAIMS 1 - Device according to claim 4 of the main patent intended for the anaerobic fermentation of organic waste with a view to producing methane, characterized in that it is in the form of cover and bottom elements which can be fitted to tanks and existing gutters and transform them into a digester and individual belt for recovering manure and gas 20 Device according to claim 1 characterized in that profiles in the shape of an inverted "U '*, with double-shell walls with interstitial alveolar internal partitioning with baffles containing respectively a thermal insulator and a heat transfer liquid make it possible to cover, thermally insulate, heat and anaerobically put an existing tank in the presence of the substrate 30 Device according to claim 1 characterized in that shaped sections of "U" with triple hull walls with internal honeycomb partitioning with baffles containing respec A thermal insulator and a heat transfer liquid are used to place it at the bottom of an existing tank, to isolate it externally, and to heat it internally. 4 - Device according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that each cover element is kept fixed to the gratings or grid by a "U" profile with clip fixing system screw nut. 50- Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterized in that each bottom element and cover of limited length has in its thickness, a tenon and a mortise formed with the fold of the double shell and which allow them to be assembled hermetically end to end by embedding, a rot-proof seal toriquelogée in the female part with notch on the male part ensures the sealing with liquids and gases.  60 Device according to claim 1 characterized in that each animal can be equipped with a flexible belt, double impermeable wall, forming at the bottom storage tank for droppings, and at the top, storage of recovery gases during defecation, all being fastened with a buckle and a belt.  70 Device according to claims 1 and 6 characterized in that the urine and faeces are collected by an impermeable conical hopper enclosing the tail of the animals, then evacuated by gravity by two flexible sheaths to the pocket of the belt. recovery; another pipe fitted with a siphon formed by a tube filled with oil into which this pipe ends, collects the gases produced by the animal during defecation.  80 Device according to claim 1 characterized in that any channel there  gas metering can be transformed into a horizontal or vertical methanization tank and 90- Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the effluent receiving chutes are formed of half-pipes, equipped with gratings and connected to the digester by pipes admission.  100- Device according to claim 1 characterized in that permeable membranes forming micro-screens can # equip the walls of a digester or the bottom of the reception troughs under gratings allowing microfiltration of effluents and increasing the rate of materials dry of a digester in case we have very liquid substrates.