MODULE -4

BIOMASS ENERGY
Session 25
Biomass is renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals. Biomass contains
stored chemical energy from the sun that is produced by plants through photosynthesis.
Biomass can be burned directly for heat or converted to liquid and gaseous fuels through
various processes.

9.1 BIOMASS PRODUCTION

Organic substances exist in wide variety from living beings to dead organisms. Organic
matters are composed of Carbon (C), combined with elements such as Hydrogen (H), Oxygen
(O), Nitrogen (N), Sulphur (S) to form variety of organic compounds such as carbohydrates,
proteins & lipids. In nature MOs (microorganisms), through digestion process breaks the
complex carbon into smaller substances.

6H2O+6CO2+Solar Light Energy-----C6H12O6+6CO2

9.1.1 Direct method

Raw materials that can be used to produce biomass energy are available throughout the world
in the following forms:

1. Forest wood and wastes

2. Agricultural crops and residues
3. Residential food wastes
4. Industrial wastes
5. Human and animal wastes
6. Energy crops

Raw biomass has a low energy density based on their physical forms and moisture contents
and their direct use are burning them to produce heat for cooking. The twin problems of
traditional biomass use for cooking and heating are the energy inefficiency and excessive
pollution

9.1.2 Indirect method

1. Thermo electrical conversion: The direct combustion of biomass material in the

boiler produces steam that is used either to drive a turbine coupled with an electrical
generator to produce electricity or to provide heat for residential and industrial system
2. Biomass conversion to fuel: Biomass conversion processes can be
classified under two main types: (a) Thermo-chemical conversion
includes processes such as destructive distillation, pyrolysis, and
gasification. (b) Biological conversion includes processes such as
fermentation and anaerobic digestion
Gasification produces a synthesis gas with usable energy content by heating the biomass with
less oxygen than needed for complete combustion. Pyrolysis yields bio-oil by rapidly heating
the biomass in the absence of oxygen. Anaerobic digestion produces a renewable natural gas
(methane gas) when organic matter is decomposed by bacteria in the absence of oxygen. As a
result, it is often advantageous to convert this waste into more readily usable fuel form like
producer gas. Hence, it is the attractiveness of gasification. The efficiency of a direct
combustion or biomass gasification system is influenced by several factors such as including
biomass moisture content, combustion air distribution and amounts (excess air), operating
temperature and pressure, and flue gas (exhaust) temperature.

9.2 ENERGY PLANTATION

An interesting approach for the large-scale planned use of wood is the ‘energy plantation’
approach. energy plantation means growing select species of trees and shrubs which are
harvestable in a comparably shorter time and are specifically meant for fuel. The fuel wood
may be used either directly in wood burning stoves and boilers or processed into methanol,
ethanol, and producer gas.
It has been suggested that electrical power be produced by the energy
plantation approach, the
wood grown in this manner being used as a fuel for the boilers of a
conventional power plant. The technology of biomass-based electric
power plants is well established in the USA and Europe and there are over
500 such plants use wood, wood waste, and various types of agricultural
waste.

9.3 BIOMASS GASIFICATION

Gasification is conversion of solid Hydrocarboneous fuels (wood/ wood-waste, agricultural

residues, chicken manure, coal, Municipal Waste etc.) into a combustible gas mixture called
Producer Gas/ Syn Gas. The Gasifier is essentially a chemical reactor where various
physical and chemical processes take place and break the solid fuel down into Producer
Gases. Four distinct processes take place in a gasifier:

1. Drying of the fuel: The moisture in the feed comes out in this zone in the form of water
vapor. Drying takes place in the upper most portion of the Gasifier, through heat transferred
from the high temperature combustion zone.

2. Pyrolysis This is chemical decomposition of organic materials by heating in absence of

oxygen at temperatures above 200 degrees C. During pyrolysis, volatiles are released (in the
form of gas) and char is produced.

3. Combustion This is where controlled oxygen is given to the fuel and oxidation/ burning
occurs. Heat and energy are released.

4. Reduction The combustion products mainly CO2 (Carbon-di-Oxide) and H2O (water
vapor) get reduced in the prensence of high temperature carbon to finally give CO (Carbon-
mono-oxide) and H2 (Hydrogen).
GASIFIER AND THEIR CLASSIFICATIONS
Biomass gasifier may be considered as a chemical reactor in which biomass goes through
several complex physical and chemical processes and producer or syngas is produced and
recovered.
There are two distinct types of gasifiers:
1. Fixed bed gasifier: In this gasifier, biomass fuels move either counter current or
concurrent to the flow of gasification medium (steam, air, or oxygen) as the fuel is converted
to fuel gas.
They are relatively simple to operate and have reduced erosion.
Since there is an interaction of air or oxygen and biomass in the gasifier, they are classified
according to the way air or oxygen is introduced in it.

(a) Downdraft gasifiers: In the downdraft gasifier, the air is passed from the layers in the
downdraft direction. Single throat gasifiers are mainly used for stationary applications,
whereas double throat gasifier is used for varying loads as well as automotive purposes.
(b) Updraft gasifiers: Updraft gasifier has air passing through the biomass from bottom and
the combustible gases come out from the top of the gasifier.
(c) Cross draft gasifiers: It is a very simple gasifier and is highly suitable for small outputs.
With slight variation, almost all the gasifiers fall in the abovementioned categories.

2. Fluidized bed gasifier: In fluidized bed gasifier, an inert material (such as sand, ash, or
char)
is utilized to make bed and that acts as a heat transfer medium

CHEMISTRY OF REACTION PROCESS IN GASIFICATION

_ Drying Zone of fuel- the moisture content of biomass is removed off,
200ºC-280ºC carbon dioxide, acetic acid and water,
280ºC-500ºC Large quantity of tar,
500ºC-700ºC gas is produced.
_ Combustion zone :
C+O2-CO2+Heat
_ Reduction Zone
endothermic reaction- C+CO2+heat-2CO
Gas Shift reaction C+H2O+heat – CO+H2
Exothermic reaction- CO+H2O-Heat CO2+H2
Review questions:
1. Define biomass
2. Define biomass gasification
3. Types of gasifiers.

Session 26

9.7 UPDRAFT GASIFIERS

The updraft fixed bed ("counter-current") gasifier consists of a fixed bed of carbonaceous fuel
(e.g. coal or biomass) through which the "gasification agent" (steam, oxygen, and/or air)
flows in counter-current configuration. The ash is either removed dry or as a slag. The
updraft gasifier consists of a top fed fuel bed through which the "gasification agent" (steam,
oxygen, and/or air) flows in from the bottom and exits through the top as gas. Updraft
gasifiers are thermally efficient because the ascending gases pyrolyze and dry the incoming
biomass, transferring heat so that the exiting gases leave very cool.

The updraft gasifier has been the standard of coal gasification for 150 years and it is also
popular in biomass cook stoves.
A downdraft gasifier is a co-current reactor where air enters the gasifier at a certain height
below the top. The product gas flows downward (giving the name downdraft) and leaves
through a bed of hot ash Since it passes through the high-temperature zone of hot ash, the tar
in the product gas finds favourable conditions for cracking. For this reason, a downdraft
gasifier, of all types, has the lowest tar production rate.
Downdraft gasifiers are widely used in the following applications:
1. Continuous baking ovens (bread, biscuits, and paint)
2. Batch type baking oven (rotary oven for bread)
3. Dryers and curing (tea, coffee, mosquito coil, and paper drying)
4. Boilers
5. Thermal fluid heaters
6. Annealing furnaces
7. Direct fired rotary kilns
8. Internal combustion engines

Cross draft gasifiers:

The gasifier is a vertical cylindrical vessel of varying cross section. The
biomass is fed in at the top at regular intervals of time and is converted
through a series of processes into producer gas and ash, as it moves down
slowly through various zones of the gasifier. The crucial difference is that
the air will be entering the gasifier from the side of the reactor, rather
than from the top or the bottom

FLUIDIZED BED GASIFICATION

Fluidized bed gasification has been successfully used to convert prepared wastes (i.e., wood
wastes, bark, agricultural wastes, and RDF (Refused Derived Fuel) into a clean fuel gas that
can be used to fire various types of industrial equipment. The bed made of an inert material
(such as sand, ash, or char) initially and it is heated and the fuel is introduced when the
temperature has reached the appropriate level. plate at a controlled rate. Fluidized bed
gasifiers have no distinct reaction zones (as in the case of fixed bed gasifiers) and drying,
pyrolysis and gasification occur simultaneously. The fuel particles are introduced at the
bottom of the reactor, very quickly mixed with the bed material, and almost instantaneously
heated up to the bed temperature. As a result of this treatment, the fuel is pyrolyzed very fast,
resulting in a component mix with a relatively large number of gaseous materials. Further
gasification and tar-conversion reactions occur in the gas phase. For biomass feeds which
have high ash content and the ash has low melting point, fluidized bed combustion seems to
gasify them.
Advantages and Benefits
Advantages
1. Reduced cost of boiler or dryer operation by using wood and/or bark wastes rather than gas
or oil.
2. Reduced cost for additional steaming capacity when compared to new wood and or
barkfired boilers.
3. Reduced dependency on external fuel sources for propane, natural gas, and oil.
Benefits
1. High overall efficiency: High efficiency in the range of 70%–90% can be achieved.
2. Fuel flexibility: The fluidized bed gasifiers have fuel flexibility and operate satisfactorily
with highly variable feed materials. Ranging from coal, shredded wood and bark to sawdust
fines, or lump wood with particle sizes of less than 4–6 cm.
3. Highly reliable: The fluidized bed gasifier neither have moving grates nor other moving
parts in the high temperature regions of the bed and hence they are highly reliable.
4. Low purchase and installation costs: Air flow used in the gasifiers is comparatively low,
and hence size of gasifier is small and compact. These permit systems to be completely shop
fabricated and assembled on skids, thereby reducing purchase price and installed costs.
5. Flexible operations: Fuel gas product of fluidized bed gasifier is easily applied to a variety
of industrial processes including boilers, dry kilns, veneer dryers, or several pieces of
equipment at once. Thus, they provide flexible operations.
6. Low emissions: They are very low emission gasifiers and do not require exhaust clean up
devices.
USE OF BIOMASS GASIFIER
The output of a biomass gasifier can be used for a variety of direct
thermal applications such as cooking, drying, heating water, and
generating steam. It can also be used as a fuel for internal combustion
engines to obtain mechanical shaft power or electrical power. If used
as a fuel for internal combustion engines, it must be cleaned first for
complete removal of particulate material and tar. A cleaning system
consisting of cyclone, a scrubber, and a filter is used for the
purpose. If the engine is a spark-ignition engine, it can operate with
producer gas alone
Liquid Fuels
When compared to gaseous fuels such as producer gas or biogas, liquid
fuels are somewhat harder to obtain from biomass sources. One of the
methods is the production of methanol from wood or straw. The
process involves the gasification of plant matter followed by chemical
synthesis. Another method is the conversion of certain food grains and
crops such as sugarcane, maize and tapioca by fermentation into
ethanol. When blended with petrol, ethanol is good alternate fuel
for automotive engines. This fact has received considerable
attention as a means of overcoming the oil crisis. However, if one
examines the requirement of land for growing the agricultural products
concerned, it is obvious that the method can be of substantial benefit only
to a country having a large surplus of land. For this reason, Brazil has
adopted this method on a large scale and produces significant amounts of
ethanol for use as an alternate fuel. However, the position in India is quite
different since the availability of land is limited.

GASIFIER BIOMASS FEED CHARACTERISTICS

Following biomass feed characteristics or parameters dictate the quality
and classification of
gasifiers:
1. Energy content of the fuel
The higher the energy content and bulk density of fuel, the similar is the
gasifier volume; as for one biomass fuel charge, power can be obtained
for longer time duration.
2. Bulk density
3. Moisture content
It is desirable to use fuel with low moisture content to minimize heat loss
due to its evaporation. Generally, desirable moisture content for fuel
should be less than 20%.

4. Dust content
The gasifier design should be such that it should not produce dust
beyond specified limits.
5. Tar content
Tar is one of the most unpleasant constituents of the gas as it tends to
deposit in the carburettor
and intake valves causing sticking and troublesome operations. It is a
product of highly irreversible process taking place in the pyrolysis zone.
Thus, the major effort has been devoted to cleaning this tar by filters and
coolers.
6. Ash and slogging characteristic
The mineral content in the fuel that remains in oxidized form after
complete combustion is usually called ash. Ash and tar removal are the
two most important processes in gasification system for its smooth
running.

Biomass Feed (Fuel)

The major biomass sources presently used are as follows:

1. Sugarcane and corn, wheat, sugar beet, sweet sorghum, and cassava to
produce bioethanol.
2. Rapeseed, sunflower seeds, soybean, canola, peanuts, jatropha,
coconut, and palm oil for biodiesel production.
3. Wide range of cellulosic materials (such as grassy crops, woody plants,
by-products from the forestry and agricultural sector including wood
residues, stems, and stalks and municipal wastes constitute the so-called
second generation of feedstock).
4. Wastes and residues constitute a large source of biomass. These
include solid and liquid municipal wastes, manure, lumber, and pulp mill
wastes, and forest and agricultural residues.
Review questions:
1. What is updraft gasifier
2. What is downdraft gasifier
3. What is fluidized bed gasification.

Session 27

APPLICATION OF BIOMASS GASIFIER

1. Motive power
2. Direct heat application
3. Electrical power generation
4. Chemical production

COOLING AND CLEANING OF GASIFIER

For efficient and effective use of gas for numerous applications, it should be cleaned of tar
and dust, free from moisture content and cooled. Therefore, cooling and cleaning of the gas is
one of the most important processes in the whole gasification system. The failure or the
success of producer gas units depends completely on their ability to provide a clean and cool
gas to the engines or for burners. The temperature of gas coming out of generator is normally
between 300°C and 500°C. The energy density of gas can be increased primarily by cooling
it.
Normally, there are three types of filters used for cleaning of gas which is schematically a
downdraft gasification system with cleaning and cooling train.

They are classified as dry, moist, and wet.

1. Cyclone filters: Cyclone dust collectors can be used as pre-separators to reduce the
dust load reaching a final, more efficient filter. They can act as protective devices to
remove large hot particles from the gas or air stream to prevent damage to the filter
media/material.
2. Wet scrubber: Even after cyclone filtering, the gas still contains fine dust, particles, and
tar. It is further cleaned by passing through a wet scrubber where gas is washed by water in
Counter current mode. The scrubber also acts like a cooler, from where the gas goes to cloth
filter for final cleaning.

3. Cloth filters: It is a fine filter in quite a few gasification systems, the hot gases are
passed through the cloth filter, and then only do they go to the cooler.

Schematic diagram of producer gas plant

Biogas Energy
Biogas a renewable fuel that is produced when organic matter, such as food or animal
waste, is broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. This process is called
anaerobic digestion. For this to take place, the waste material needs to be enclosed in an
environment where there is no oxygen
10.1 INTRODUCTION
Anaerobic digestion is a process that breaks down organic matter into simpler chemical
components in the absence of oxygen. This process has proved to be very effective to treat
organic wastes for minimizing environmental pollution. The common organic wastes are
listed as follows:
1. Sewage sludge
2. Organic farm wastes
3. Municipal solid wastes
4. Organic industrial and commercial wastes
5. Forests and agricultural wastes
The digestion process itself takes place in digester, which is classified in terms of
temperature, water content of feedstock and the number of stages (single or multi-stage). The
by-products of anaerobic digestion, namely biogas and digestate, can be used to create a
source of income.

10.2 BIOGAS AND ITS COMPOSITION

The main component of biogas is methane (CH4) which is popularly known as biogas, gobar
gas, clear gas, etc. it is clean non-polluting and low-cost gas.

Review questions:
1. List application of biomass gasifier.
2. Define biogas
3. List the composition of biogas

Session 28
10.3 ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
It is a biological process that produces a gas (commonly known as biogas) in the absence
of oxygen and has major components of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
Anaerobic digestion of methane gas production is a series of processes in which
microorganism break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen which
completes through following steps:
1. In the first step, the organic matter (e.g. plants residues, human and animal wastes and
residues) is decomposed (hydrolysis) to break down the organic material into usable-sized
molecules such as sugar.
2. Conversion of decomposed matter into organic acids is the second step.
3. Finally, organic acids are converted to biogas (methane gas).
10.3.1 Process Stages of Anaerobic Digestion
The biological and chemical stages of anaerobic digestion are shown in Figure 10.1. These
are divided into the following four main stages:
1. Hydrolysis
2. Acedogenesis
3. Acetogenesis
4. Methanogenesis

The four main stages are explained as follows.

10.3.1.1 Hydrolysis

The process of breaking large biomass organic chains into their smaller constituent parts such
as sugar, fatty acids, and amino acids and dissolving the smaller molecules into solution is
called hydrolysis. This process assists bacteria in anaerobic digesters to access the energy
potential of the material.
.
10.3.1.2 Acidogenesis

Acidogenesis is the biological process in which the remaining components are broken down
by acidogenetic (fermentative) bacteria. It creates voltaic fatty acids together with ammonia,
carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulphide, and other by-products.
10.3.1.3 Acetogenesis

In this stage of anaerobic digestion, simple molecules created through the acidogenesis phase
are further digested to produce more acetic acid, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen.

10.3.1.4 Methanogenesis

Finally, the process of biogas production is completed by methanogenesis. In this stage of

anaerobic digestion, the methanogens use intermediate products of the preceding stages and
convert them into methane, carbon dioxide, and water which makes most of the biogas
emitted from the system. Methanogenesis is sensitive to both high and low pH values.
A simplified generic chemical equation for the overall processes outlined earlier is as
follows:
C6H12O6 → 3CO2 + 3CH4
The remaining indigestible material cannot be used by microbes and any dead bacterial
remains
constitute the digestate.

10.4 BIOGAS PRODUCTION

Anaerobic processes either occur naturally or created in a controlled environment, namely a
biogas plant in which organic wastes are put in an airtight container called digester to
perform
anaerobic digestion process.

10.4.1 Construction Parts of Biogas Plants

Figure 10.2 shows various parts of typical biogas plant. It is a brick and cement structure
having
the following five sections:
1. Mixing tank
2. Digester tank
3. Dome or gas holder
4. Inlet chamber
5. Outlet chamber

10.4.1.1 Mixing Tank

It is the first part of biogas plants located above the ground level in which the water and cow
dung are mixed in equal proportions (the ratio of 1:1) to form the slurry that is fed into the
inlet chamber.
10.4.1.2 Digester Tank
It is a deep underground well-like structure and is divided into two chambers by a partition
wall in between. It is the most important part of the cow dung biogas plants where all the
important chemical processes or fermentation of cow dung and production of biogas takes
place. The digester is also called as fermentation tank. It is cylindrical in shape and made up
of bricks, sand, and cement built underground over the solid foundation. Two openings are
provided on the opposite sides and at the specified height of digester for inflow of fresh cow
dung slurry and outflow of used slurry as manure.
The two long cement pipes are used as follows:
1. Inlet pipe opening into the inlet chamber for inputting the slurry in digester tank.
2. Outlet pipe opening into the overflow tank (outlet chamber) for the removal of spent slurry
from the digester tank. A separator is also placed in the middle of digester tank to improve
effective fermentations of feedstock.
10.4.1.3 Dome or Gas Holder
The hemispherical top portion of the digester is called dome. It has fixed height in which all
the gas generated within the digester is collected. The gas collected in the dome exerts
pressure on the slurry in the digester. The dome or gas holder is made either fixed dome or
floating dome type. Cement and bricks are used in the construction of fixed dome, and it is
constructed using approximately at the ground surface.
Floating dome type is an inverted steel drum resting on the digester above the ground surface.
The drum floats over the digester and moves up and down with biogas pressure.
10.4.1.4 Inlet Chamber
The cow dung slurry is supplied to the digester of the biogas plant via inlet chamber, which is
made at the ground level so that the slurry can be poured easily. It has bell mouth sort of
shape and is made up of bricks, cement, and sand.
10.4.1.5 Outlet Chamber
The digested slurry from the biogas plants is removed through the outlet chamber. The
opening of the outlet chamber is also at the ground level. The slurry from the outlet chamber
flows to the pit made especially for this purpose.
10.4.1.6 Gas Outlet Pipe and Valve
The gas holder has an outlet at the top which could be connected to gas stoves for cooking or
gas-lighting equipment or any other purpose. Flow of the gas from the dome via gas pipe can
be controlled by valve. The gas taken from the pipe can be transferred to the point of use.
10.4.1.7 Foundation
The foundation forms the base of the digester where the most important processes of biogas
plant occur. It is made up of cement, concrete, and bricks strong enough so that it should be
able to provide stable foundation for the digester walls and be able to sustain the full load of
slurry filled in it. The foundation should be waterproof so that there is no percolation and
leakage of water.

10.4.2 Working of Biogas Plant

1. Cattle dung and water mixed in equal proportion and poured into inlet chamber.
2. Through inlet pipe slurry enters the fermentation tank, digestion takes place biogas is
formed. Around 60days anaerobic bacteria will ferment the slurry.
3. This gas is accumulated in gas holder. Outlet pipe will be closed due to pressure
in holder it pushes slurry to outlet chamber.
4. The biogas creates a bubble in inlet and outlet chamber during escape by understanding
this gas valve to be opened for various application.
5. As the slurry is removed fresh slurry to be added. Size of plant decides the
capacity of plant.
10.4.3 Types of Biogas Plants
Fixed dome and floating dome construction are the two types of biogas plants. Based on these
types, several biogas plant models are developed.
10.4.3.1 Fixed Dome Type
Schematic of a fixed dome biogas plant is given in Figure 10.3. It consists of following parts

1. Mixing tank: In mixing tank, the water and cattle dung are mixed together thoroughly in
the ratio of 1:1 to form the slurry.
2. Inlet chamber: The mixing tank opens underground into a sloping inlet chamber.
3. Digester: Digester is a huge tank with a dome type ceiling. The ceiling of the digester has
an outlet with a valve for the supply of biogas. The inlet chamber opens from below into the
digester tank. The digester opens from below into an outlet chamber which is opened from
the top into a small overflow tank.

10.4.3.1.1 Working Principle

The various forms of organic biodegradable biomass are collected and mixed with equal
amount of water properly in the mixing tank to form slurry. The slurry is fed into the
digester tank through inlet chamber and pipe, and the digester is partially filled by about half
of its height. The feeding of slurry is then discontinued for about 60 days when anaerobic
bacteria present in the slurry decomposes or ferments the biomass in the presence of water.
Biogas is then formed and starts accumulating in the upper dome area of the biogas plants,
and the pressure is exerted on the spent slurry to force it flow into the outlet chamber. Finally,
the spent slurry overflows into the overflow tank from where it is manually removed and
used as manure for agricultural crops and plants. Gas control valve at the top of dome is
opened partially or fully to supply required gas for applications. A functioning plant is fed
continuously with the prepared slurry to obtain a continuous supply of biogas
10.4.3.1.2 Advantages of fixed dome-type biogas plant are as follows:
1. The costs of a fixed dome biogas plant are relatively low as compared to floating dome
type. 2. It is simple in construction as no movable dome exists.
3. It is made up of concrete, bricks, and cements and long life of the plant (20 years or more)
can be expected.
4. Underground and almost ground surface dome construction saves space and protect from
physical damage to the plant.
5. The anaerobic digestion processes in the digester are little influenced by temperature
fluctuation in day and night.
10.4.3.1.3 Disadvantages of biogas plant are as follows:
1. Porosity and cracks in plant walls is the major drawbacks.
2. Maintenance is rather difficult.
10.4.3.2 Floating Type
The floating gas holder type of biogas plant is shown in Figure 10.4. The construction and
working principle of this biogas plants is similar to fixed dome type except that gas holder
tank is made up of steel and placed on the top of digester circular tank and is movable
up and down also shown in Figure
10.4.3.2.1 Advantages Floating dome-type biogas plant has the following advantages:
1. Very efficient
2. Simple maintenance scheduling possible
10.4.3.2.2 Disadvantages Floating dome-type biogas plant has the following disadvantages:
1. Expensive
2. Steel drum may rust
3. Requires regular maintenance

BENEFITS OF BIOGAS
1. Production of energy- the calorific value of biogas is 6KWh/m3. small and medium units
are used for the purpose of cooking and lighting purpose. Large unit is used for power
generation.
2. Transformation of organic waste into high quality organic fertilizer- also called as
fertilizer producer, the fertilizer comes out has 3 times more nitrogen compared to open air
digestion. Since it is closed type nitrogen is preserved in it no chance of escaping.
3. Health benefits of biogas plant and improvement of hygienic condition- respiratory
diseases, illness, eye infection, asthma are avoided where the plant is been established.
hygienic cooking is possible and many harmful organic organisms are killed inside the plant.
4. Reduction of workload: work load for women is reduced in collecting wood from
distance places, cleaning and firing it. Home remains free from smoke and dust.
5. Environmental advantages: protection of soil, air, forest, and water i.e helps in
deforestation.
6. Global environmental benefits of biogas technology- capturing CH4 will reduce global
warming. CO2emmision is also reduced

FACTORS AFFECTING THE SELECTION OF A MODEL OF A BIOGAS PLANT

1. Cost: the initials and maintenance cost to be low as possible
2. Simplicity in design: The design should be simple for ease of operation. As rate of skilled
person using the plant is less.
3. Durability: longer lifespan of plant is required where in people will adopt the technology
and use.
4. Suitability for use with available raw materials: based on raw material used it should be
designed.
5. Input and output use frequency: input and output design must be in particular size and
potential as it frequently used.

Review questions:
1. Define anaerobic digest
2. Benefits of biogas
3. Types of biogas plant

Session 29
BIOGAS PLANT FEEDS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS
Any type of biodegradable material can be used as a source but for economical reason few
are preferred. Cattle dung is mostly used as input. Based on input gas production will vary.
Carbon nitrogen ratio (C\N) ratio-ratio of carbon and nitrogen present is a organic matter. If
ration is ranging from 20-30 then it is considered as optimum for anaerobic digestion. A
pH value should not exceed 8.5 if it increases it shows toxic effect. C/N ratio of cattle dung is
24 and human is 8. These may be mixed to bring it into optimum condition.
Advantage:
1. clean fuel
2. No residue, smoke, dust are produced
3. · Non polluting
4. Health and Economical benefits.
5. Provide nutrient rich manure

Limitations:
1. high initial cost
2. availability of raw material continuously
3. social acceptability.
4. Maintenance and repair cost is high

Uses:
1. Used as domestic fuel
2. Fuel for motive power
3. Used for electricity generation

Tidal Energy
Tides are periodic rises and falls of large bodies of water. Gravity is one
major force that creates tides. In 1687, Sir Isaac Newton explained that
ocean tides result from the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon
on the oceans of the earth. Spring tides are especially strong tides that
occur when the earth, the sun, and the moon are in a line. The
gravitational forces of the moon and the sun both contribute to the tides.
Spring tides occur during the full moon and the new moon. Neap tides are
especially weak tides. They occur when the gravitational forces of the
moon and the sun are perpendicular to one another with respect to the
earth. Neap tides occur during quarter moons.

TIDAL ENERGY RESOURCE

Tides are the waves caused due to the gravitational pull of the moon
and the sun (although its pull is very low). The rise of seawater is called
high tide and fall in seawater is called low tide and this process of rising
and receding of water waves happen twice a day and cause enormous
movement of water. Thus, enormous rising and falling movement of water
is called tidal energy, which is a large source of energy and can be
harnessed in many coastal areas of the world. Tidal dams are built near
shores for this purpose in which water flows during high tide and water
flows out of dam during low tides. Thus, the head created results in
turning the turbine coupled to electrical generator.
Tidal energy has been developed on a commercial scale among the
various forms of energy contained in the oceans. When the moon, the
earth, and the sun are positioned close to a straight line, the
highest tides called spring tides occur. When the earth, moon, and
sun are at right angles to each other (moon quadrature), the lowest tides
called neap tides occur. The water mass moved by the moon’s
gravitational pull when moon is very close to ocean and results in
dramatic rises of the water level (tide cycle). The tide starts receding as
the moon
continues its travel further over the land, away from the ocean, reducing
its gravitational influence on the ocean waters (ebb cycle).
TIDAL ENERGY AVAILABILITY
Gravitational forces between the moon, the sun, and the earth cause the
rhythmic rise and fall of ocean waters throughout the world. Those result
in tide waves. The moon exerts more than twice as great a force on the
tides as the sun due to its much closer position to the earth. As a result,
the tide closely follows the moon during its rotation around the earth,
creating diurnal tide and ebb cycles at any ocean surface. The amplitude
or height of the tide wave is very small in the open ocean where it
measures several centimetres in the centre of the wave distributed over
hundreds of kilometres. However, the tide can increase dramatically when
it reaches continental shelves, bringing huge masses of water into narrow
bays, and river estuaries along a coastline. For instance, the tides in the
Bay of Fundy in Canada are the greatest in the world, with amplitude
between 16 and 17 m near shore. Table 11.1 gives ranges of amplitude for
some locations with large tides.
Table 11.2 provides glimpses of few potential sites for tidal power
generation.

Review questions:
1. Advantages and dis advantages of biogas
2. Define tidal energy.
 3. Tidal energy resources.

Session 30

TIDAL POWER GENERATION IN INDIA

Important site location and estimated power potential of a few Indian tidal
energy plant is given in Table 11.3.

Nevertheless, the possibility of developing tidal power scheme in India

may be examined in
the following all aspects:
1. Economic aspects of tidal power schemes when compared to the
conventional schemes.
2. Problems associated with the construction and operation of plant.
3. Problems related to the hydraulic balance of the system to minimize the
fluctuation
in the power output.
4. Environmental effects of the schemes

ENERGY AVAILABILITY IN TIDES

Tidal Stream Generator

Review questions:
1. Formula for tidal energy
2. Formula for tidal power
3. Tidal energy availability

Session 31
TIDAL POWER BASIN
The basin system is the most practical method of harnessing tidal energy.
It is created by enclosing a portion of sea behind erected dams. The dam
includes a sluice that is opened to allow the tide to flow into the basin
during tide rise periods and the sluice is then closed. When the sea level
drops, traditional hydropower technologies (water is allowed to run
through hydro turbines) are used to generate electricity from the elevated
water in the basin.

Single-basin System

Single water reservoir is closed off by constructing dam or barrage. Sluice

(gate), large enough to admit the water during tide so that the loss of
head is small, is provided in the dam.
The single-basin system has two configurations, namely:
1. One-way single-basin system: The basin is filled by seawater passing through the sluice
gate
during the high tide period. When the water level in the basin is higher than the sea level at
low tide period, then power is generated by emptying the basin water through turbine
generators.
This type of systems can allow power generation only for about 5 h and is followed by the
refilling of the basin. Power is generated till the level of falling tides coincides with the level
of the next rising tide.
2. Two-way single basin: This system allows power generation from the water moving from
the sea to the basin, and then, at low tide, moving back to the sea. This process requires
bigger
and more expensive turbine.
Single-basin system has the drawbacks of intermittent power supply and harnessing of only
about 50% of available tidal energy

Two-basin Systems

The two basins close to each other, operate alternatively. One

basin generates power when the tide is rising (basin getting filled
up) and the other basin generates power while the tide is falling
(basin getting emptied). The two basins may have a common power
house or may have separate power house for each basin. In both the
cases, the power can be generated continuously. The system could be
thought of as a combination of two single-basin systems, in which one is
generating power during tiding cycle, and the other is generating power
during emptying.
Co-operating Two-basin Systems
This scheme consists of two basins at different elevation connected
through the turbine. The sluices in the high- and low-level basin
communicate with seawater directly, as shown in Figure 11.3. The high-
level basin sluices are called the inlet sluices and the low level as outlet
sluices.
The basic operation of the scheme is as follows:
1. The rising tide fills the high-level basin through the sluiceways.
2. When the falling seawater level is equal to the water level in the high-
level basin, the sluiceways are closed to prevent the outflowing high-level
basin water back to the sea.
3. The water from high-level basin is then allowed to flow through the
turbine generators to the low-level basin.
4. When the falling seawater level becomes lower than the rising water
level in the low-level basin, the sluiceways are opened to allow water to
flow into the sea from the low-level basin. This process continues until the
water level in the low-level basin equals to the rising sea level. Then, the
sluiceways are closed to prevent the filling of low-level basin from the
seawater.
Figure 11.4 gives another schematic diagram of co-coordinating two-basin
tidal power stations.
With two basins, one is filled at high tide and the other is emptied at low
tide. Turbines are placed between the basins and between the basin and
the sea. These two basin systems allow continuous power generation.
However, they are very expensive to construct due to the cost of the extra
length.

TURBINES FOR TIDAL POWER

The bulb-type turbine shown in Figure 11.5 consists of a steel shell
completely enclosing the generator that is coupled to the turbine runner.

The turbine is mounted in a tube within the structure of the barrage, and
the whole machine being always submerged. When the power demand on
the system is low during the rising tides, the unit operates as a pump to
transfer water from sea to the basin. When the load on this system is
high, the unit will work as a generator, and deliver the stored energy that
is a valuable additional input to the system.
Review questions:
1. Types of tidal powder basin
2. How two basin s work
3. How bulb type turbine work.

Session 32
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF TIDAL POWER

The following are the advantages of tidal power:

1. About two-third of earth’s surface is covered by water, there is scope to generate tidal
energy
on large scale
2. Techniques to predict the rise and fall of tides as they follow cyclic fashion and prediction
of energy availability is well established.
3. The energy density of tidal energy is relatively higher than other renewable energy sources.
4. Tidal energy is a clean source of energy and does not require much land or other resources
as in harnessing energy from other sources.
5. It is an inexhaustible source of energy.
6. It is an environment friendly energy and does not produce greenhouse effects.
7. Efficiency of tidal power generation is far greater when compared to coal, solar, or wind
energy. Its efficiency is around 80%.
8. Even though capital investment of construction of tidal power is high, running and
maintenance costs are relatively low.
9. The life of tidal energy power plant is very long.
The following are the disadvantages of tidal power:
1. Capital investment for construction of tidal power plant is high.
2. Only a very few ideal locations for construction of plant are available and they too are
localized to coastal regions.
3. Unpredictable intensity of sea waves can cause damage to power generating units.
4. Aquatic life is influenced adversely and can disrupt the migration of fish.
5. The energy generated is not much as high and low tides occur only twice a day and
continuous energy production is not possible.
6. The actual generation is for a short period of time. The tides only happen twice a day so
electricity can be produced only for that time, approximately for 12 h and 25 min.
7. This technology is still not cost effective and more technological advancements are
required
to make it commercially viable
Review questions:
1. Advantages of tidal energy
2. Dis advantages of tidal energy.