RU2788704C1 - Biogas plant automated control system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: biogas plants.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to biogas plants and is intended to operate as an automated control system for analytical processing, storage and presentation of information to the user. The automated control system of the biogas plant contains devices for supplying consumables to the biogas reactor, associated modules for controlling and processing readings from sensors, as well as sensors installed inside the reactor for monitoring temperature, acidity, and gas output. At the same time, the system comprises a module for obtaining readings fixed inside the reactor, containing the mentioned sensors and a humidity sensor, a module for supplying consumables, made with the possibility of supplying raw materials from the tanks with consumables to the biogas reactor by means of a feeder. Wherein the module for controlling and processing readings from sensors is fixed on the reactor from its outer side, is electrically connected to each sensor of the module for obtaining readings and to the module for supplying consumables.

EFFECT: invention provides an increase in the manufacturability of the biogas production process, aimed at simplifying the system, increasing the efficiency of the biogas plant, as well as increasing the versatility, compactness and mobility of the system used.

1 cl, 5 dwg

Description

The invention relates to biogas plants and is intended to operate as an automated control system for analytical processing, storage and presentation of information to the user.

The prior art patent SU 1695278 A1 "Automatic control system for anaerobic digestion of organic waste in the installation", in which the device is used to automate the anaerobic digestion of organic waste. This device provides and automates the production of biogas through the preparation of raw materials, temperature control during the process of obtaining biogas, as well as mechanical processing by mixing, pumping, loading raw materials.

The disadvantage of this device is that it is large and not suitable for all variations of biogas plants. Also, the device does not monitor the biochemical balance during the biogas production process.

Known patent RU 2667451 C1 "Rotor-pulsation device", in which the device is used to increase the reliability of the device by reducing the number/intensity of stops for manual cleaning and reducing the failure rate due to breakage, increasing the sealing life, increasing the processing efficiency.

The disadvantage of this device is that it serves to prepare the biomass. The device is installed on existing biogas plants, accelerating the digestion process in the reactor and increasing the biogas yield. It is large and serves only for the preparation of raw materials, that is, it is not responsible for the complete automation of the installation.

Known patent RU 2577575 C2 "Automated membrane absorption gas separation system that improves the consumer properties of biogas", the result of which is the automation of the process of cleaning and drying biogas, achievable by cleaning biogas from carbon dioxide impurities and drying biogas from water vapor using a gas humidity sensor mixture and a carbon dioxide content sensor in the gas mixture.

The disadvantage of this device is that it is large and is aimed at improving the properties of already produced biogas, but does not automate the process of its production and control over the performance of raw materials.

The closest analogue (prototype) is patent CN202226862U "Automatic tank system for methane fermentation". This device is designed to automatically control the PH value and temperature of the fermentation of raw materials, the speed and time of mixing, as well as the amount and time of feeding and discharging, thereby automatically controlling the biogas production process. The prototype includes: a fermentation tank; thermal switch; temperature control module; mixing control module; pH control module; module for controlling the material turnover time at the input and output; gas flow/composition determination module; computer communication module.

The disadvantage of the prototype is that its components, namely a tank with a mixing device, pumps for supplying fresh raw materials, a heater, an air outlet for biogas outlet, an outlet for fermentation materials, together are a biogas reactor and is already used in biogas plants. The electrical modules of the prototype have a rigid connection with the biogas plant, as a result of which they cannot be applied separately to any other biogas plants, so the analogue in question is not a mobile and universal solution. Also, this device does not provide control over the moisture content of the raw material, which is an important indicator for increasing the efficiency of biogas plants, since the raw material must always remain wet. In addition, this prototype has large dimensions: from one hundred to ten thousand cubic meters, and as a result, it is not a compact device.

For the claimed invention, the following essential features common with the prototype have been identified: an automated control system for a biogas plant containing devices for supplying consumables to a biogas reactor associated with it: a control module and processing readings from sensors installed inside the reactor sensors for monitoring temperature, acidity, gas output.

The technical problem of the claimed invention is to improve the manufacturability of the biogas production process, aimed at simplifying the system, increasing the efficiency of the biogas plant, as well as increasing the versatility, compactness and mobility of the system used.

The technical problem is solved, and the technical result is achieved due to the fact that the automated control system of the biogas plant contains a module for obtaining readings fixed inside the biogas reactor, containing sensors for controlling temperature, acidity, gas output and humidity, a module for supplying consumables containing a solenoid valve, tanks with consumables materials and a device for supplying consumables, made in the form of a pump for supplying raw materials to the reactor. The module for controlling and processing readings from sensors, operating on the basis of a microcontroller on a printed circuit board and having a display, is fixed to the reactor from its outer side, electrically connected to each sensor of the readings receiving module and to the module for supplying consumables.

Device entity

The technical essence and principle of operation of the proposed invention are illustrated by the following drawings: in Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a system of modules for automated control of a biogas plant with a reflection of the modules themselves and their relationship; in fig. 2 shows the attachment of modules to a biogas reactor; in fig. 3 shows a module for controlling and processing readings from sensors, in Fig. 4 shows a module for obtaining readings from sensors; in fig. Figure 5 shows the consumable supply module.

As a rule, a typical biogas plant contains a biogas reactor (a container in which the biofuel formation process takes place) with a stirrer (mixer), containers for raw materials and biogas collection, reactor heating systems and automation. In our case, the biogas plant equipment complex consists of a biogas reactor of any type known in the art and the biogas plant automated control system itself, consisting of three compact electrical modules electrically connected to each other and installed on the biogas reactor.

The automated control system of a biogas plant (figure 1) consists of: a control module and processing of readings from sensors pos.1, containing a programmable microcontroller pos.6, solid-state eight-channel relay pos.7, display pos.4, encoder pos.5; a consumables supply module for adjusting readings from sensors pos.2, containing a solenoid valve pos.8, a consumables supply device (hereinafter, an electric pump pos.9); a module for obtaining readings pos.3, containing a waterproof temperature sensor pos.10, a gas sensor pos.11, an acidity sensor pos.12, a humidity sensor pos.13. All modules (pos.1, 2, 3) are enclosed in metal cases, electrically interconnected by wires, insulated with corrugated tubes. Said modules are attached to the biogas reactor pos. 14 as shown in FIG. 2. The module for control and processing of readings from sensors pos.1 is mounted on the biogas reactor pos.14 from the outside of the housing. Using wires with insulation, the module pos.1 is electrically connected to the module for supplying consumables pos.2 and the module for obtaining readings from sensors pos.3 located directly inside the biogas reactor pos.14.

The control module and processing of readings from the sensors pos.1 is shown in Fig. 3. The module has a metal case pos.15, which is attached to the reactor pos.14 using fastening elements pos.16. Inside the housing pos.15 there is a printed circuit board on which the display pos.4 is attached to display graphs of indicators from sensors (pos.10, 11, 12, 13) and control the installation, encoder pos.5, microcontroller pos.6, relay pos.7 with wired valve pos.8 and pump pos.9 of module pos.2, and four analog sensors (temperature pos.10, gas pos.11, acidity pos.12, humidity pos.13) module pos. 3. Display pos.4 and encoder pos.5 are located with the possibility of quick user access to them to control and monitor the operation of the module pos.1 (in the case pos.15 there is a hole in the front for the display pos.4 and encoder pos.5). Corrugated pipes are used to insulate wires, pos.17, to connect to the consumable supply modules pos.2 and the module for obtaining readings from sensors pos.3. The entire system is powered by module pos.1, which has a power supply interface (not shown in the figure) from 220 V and 12 V for connecting batteries.

The module for obtaining readings from sensors pos.3 is shown in Fig. 4. The module has a metal case pos.15, which is attached to the inner side of the reactor vessel pos.14 using fastening elements pos.16. Module pos. 3 is located directly inside the biogas reactor pos. 14 and contains a temperature sensor pos. 10, a gas sensor pos. 11, an acidity sensor pos. 12, a humidity sensor pos. 13, and a power interface (not shown in the figure).

The module for supplying consumables, item 2, is shown in FIG. 5. The module has a metal case pos.15, which is attached to the inner side of the reactor vessel pos.14 using fastening elements pos.16. The module pos.2 is located directly in the biogas reactor pos.14 and contains a valve pos.8 with an opening pos.18, tanks with consumables (with water, alkaline and acid solutions) pos.19 and a pump pos.9.

All modules have eyelets. In the event of a breakdown or failure of one of the modules, it can be easily detached due to non-rigid fastening and replaced with a new one.

The biogas plant automated control system described above works as follows: control is carried out by means of the display pos.4 and encoder pos.5, by turning the encoder and pressing it. The display pos.4 displays readings from the sensors (pos.10, 11, 12, 13). The display shows an interface for configuring the activation of the relay according to the readings from the sensors, as well as graphs of changes in temperature, humidity, acidity and gas. Sensors (pos.10, 11, 12, 13) are located in the module for obtaining readings pos.3. If the humidity level drops below 60%, then the humidity sensor pos.13 sends a signal to the microcontroller pos.6 located in the control and processing module pos.1, which in turn sends a signal to the relay pos.7 to activate the pump pos.9 and the valve pos.8, located in the module for supplying consumables pos.2 and adding water to the reactor tank pos.14 until the required humidity level is reached. The acidity sensor pos.12 monitors the level of raw material acidity. The optimal pH values of the raw materials are parameters in the range from 6 to 8. When the values leave this range, the acidity sensor pos.12 sends a signal to the microcontroller pos.6, located in the control and processing module pos.1, which in turn sends a signal relay pos.7 for activating the pump pos.9 and valve pos.8, located in the consumables supply module pos.2 and adding an acid or alkaline solution to the reactor tank pos.14 until the required level of acidity is reached. The temperature mode is controlled by the temperature sensor pos.10. In the system setting interface, the operation mode of the biogas plant is selected. Temperature limits are set depending on the selected mode. The optimal temperature range for mesophilic fermentation is 34 - 37°C, for thermophilic 52 - 54°C, for psychophilic mode 23°C. When the values out of this range, the temperature sensor pos.10 sends a signal to the microcontroller pos.6, located in the control and processing module pos.1, which in turn sends a signal to the heating element (not shown in Fig.) available in the biogas reactor pos. .fourteen. The gas sensor poz.11 is responsible for monitoring the gas output indicator. With a decrease in biogas production, the gas sensor pos.11 sends a signal to the microcontroller pos.6 located in the control and processing module pos.1, which in turn interrogates and checks the readings from the humidity sensors pos.13, acidity pos.12 and temperature pos. .10. If the obtained indicators are normal, then the microcontroller pos.6 sends a signal to the heating element present in the biogas reactor pos.14 to lower the temperature, since the raw materials may contain antibiotics or other substances. Consumables are fed into the reactor tank pos.14 using the mechanism of interaction of the relay pos.7, pump pos.9 and valve pos.8. Activation of the relay pos.7 occurs by applying a control signal from the microcontroller pos.6. The valve pos. 7 is used to control the supply of consumables, it opens when it receives operating voltage when the relay pos. 7 is activated, and closes when the voltage is turned off. The pump pos.9 is used to supply consumables to the reactor tank pos.14, it starts working when the operating voltage is applied to it when the relay pos.7 is activated.

The use of the claimed system allows to achieve the following technical results:

1. The claimed invention is a universal, self-sufficient and independent system, as a result of which it can be used for any kind of biogas plants;

2. The use of the system solves the problem of automation, which provides control over the indicators of humidity, acidity, temperature and gas output, processed in the process of obtaining biogas, and simplifies it without requiring the purchase of already automated biogas plants or its individual components;

3. The claimed system is characterized by mobility and compactness with the possibility of easy dismantling from the biogas reactor due to non-rigid fastening. The total dimensions of the complex are within one cubic meter. In addition, the claimed solution does not require the allocation of additional space for bulky equipment of similar solutions;

4. The system provides an increase in the efficiency of the biogas plant by monitoring the indicators of acidity, temperature, gas output, and, unlike the prototype for the humidity indicator, due to the humidity sensor associated with the control and processing module, which is an important indicator for improving efficiency, since the raw material must always remain moist at a level of 60 to 70%.

Claims (1)

Automated control system of a biogas plant, containing devices for supplying consumables to a biogas reactor, associated modules for controlling and processing readings from sensors, sensors installed inside the reactor for monitoring temperature, acidity, gas output, characterized in that it contains a module for obtaining readings fixed inside the reactor, containing the mentioned sensors and a humidity sensor, a module for supplying consumables, made with the possibility of supplying raw materials from the tanks with consumables to the biogas reactor by means of a feeder, moreover, the module for controlling and processing readings from the sensors is fixed on the reactor from its outside, electrically connected to each sensor module for obtaining readings and with a module for supplying consumables.

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