Portable Biogas Monitoring for Process Control and Analysis

Regular, reliable and accurate monitoring of biogas yield is essential for optimising process performance, treatment and control. There are many solutions and products available using the latest gas measurement techniques however not all are reliable, maintain the required accuracy or assist with minimising potential downtime.

Biogas is produced by anaerobic digestion of biodegradable materials, such as food waste, agricultural waste and sewage waste. It consists primarily of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) but may contain amounts of hydrogen sulphide (H2S), moisture and siloxanes. This biogas can be treated or concentrated in a number of ways and used as a renewable energy source within applications such as electricity production, combined heat and power, gas to grid injection and transport.

Analysis of biogas can assist with anaerobic digester operation and aid CH4 production. Analysis will help optimise the biogas process ensure the efficient production of CH4 and, ultimately, the generation of revenue.

Geotech (UK) currently supplies both fixed and portable gas monitoring equipment for nearly 50% of UK anaerobic digestion, and are market leaders in UK landfill gas monitoring and biogas analysis. With top reliability and support, our fixed and portable biogas analysers are in use worldwide, helping to optimise the AD process and minimise combined heat and power (CHP) engine downtime.

The BIOGAS 5000 is a portable biogas analyser from Geotech designed specifically for anaerobic digestion. It has a wealth of features which can benefit the process. These include a unique hydrogen (H2) gas channel option, which is incredibly useful for monitoring the biological process, as well as a large range of H2S options, from 0-50ppm to 0-10,000ppm. This extremely flexible and modular H2S range is essential for maintaining required accuracies for varied feedstocks.

The internal analyser pump can be turned off at any point in the monitoring sequence, this ensures protection from over pressurisation and potential for water ingress if the sample is particularly moist.

A greater inlet pressure range of 500 mBar, compared to 100 mBar on competitor units, means potential for additional pressure regulation in the process line. The BIOGAS 5000 also has an inbuilt data logging feature, which is useful for trend analysis. It can also show you previous readings in real-time whilst you are taking a new gas sample, for ease of comparison.

Users can also vent the sample safely to atmosphere via the exhaust outlet or alternatively return any gas analysed back into the biogas process.

Furthermore, ATEX certification and an IP65 rating make the BIOGAS 5000 robust and fit for purpose in a variety of environmental conditions.

With over 30 years' experience of monitoring gases and liquids on landfill and biogas sites, Geotech has worked closely with users across the world to offer reliable and sophisticated gas analysers.

Geotech has a web of established international distributors and support agents who it works closely with to supply and support users of equipment throughout the world, with many agents able to offer local servicing, maintenance and technical support.