DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

I. Designing of Fixed dome type Biogas Plant

a.

The fixed dome plant, having gas storage chamber as integral part of the digester. It
has four important components viz i. Digester (fermentation chamber) ii. Gas storage
chamber; iii. Plant dome; and iv. Displacement chambers (Inlet & outlet).
b.
See working principle of Janata Plants (attached sheets).
c.
The theoretical equations for designing of these four important components of Janata
plant using fresh animal manure (in slurry form) as feed stock are described below:
Assumptions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

9.

10.

D : H : : 1.75 : 1
D /H = 1.75
D = 1.75 Hd
D for the smallest size plant should not be less than 2 mt.
Pmax = 90 cm of water column (approx. 900 Kg/m2)
Vg = 33% of the daily gas production (corresponds to 8 hours gas production)
Vi = Vo
Hm is fixed at 60 cm (600 mm) of waste column (assuming density of slurry
equal to the density of water for Janata plant design) for Janata plant of 2 to 6 cum
capacity.
Average gas production per day for 50-60 HRT= 0.04 cum/Kg of fresh cattle
dung.
The minimum Hp should be 7cm (7,0 mm) for the smaller size Janata plant.
Where
Pmax
= Maximum allowable gas pressure inside the plant
C
= Rated gas production in m3 of the plant
Yg
= Daily gas yield / unit from-manure for a given H
D
= Diameter of the digester = Diameter of the gas storage chamber
H
= Total height of the digester including gas storage chamber
Hd
= Height of the effective digester (fermentation chamber)
Vd
= Volume of digester (fermentation' chamber)
Hg
= Height of the "gas storage chamber"
Vg
= Volume of gas storage chamber
Hf
= Height of the plant dome
Fd
= Daily feed (slurry) to the plant in lts
HRT
= Hydraulic Retention Time
Vi
= Volume of inlet displacement chamber
Vo
= Volume of outlet displacement chamber
Hm
= Height of the displacement chamber
l
=Length of the displacement chamber (inlet or outlet)
b
= Breadth of the displacement chamber (inlet or outlet)
Hp
= Vertical distance (gap) between the ceiling of the Janata plant dome where the
gas outlet pipe is fixed and the lower end of the discharge opening

Digester Design
The D and H of the Janata plant has to be designed by trial and error in accordance
with the assumption 3 & 4. The total digester of the fixed dome plant consists of

a.
b.

Fermentation chamber or the effective digester of the plant and

Gas storage chamber.
Both (a) and (b) above are integrated part of each other as explained in the section of
special plant components of a fixed dome plant.
a. Design of the fermentation chamber
Vd = Fd X HRT__________________i
O2
Vd = ---- X Hd ___________________ii
4
4Vd
Hd = ----___________________iii
D2
b. Design of the gas storage chamber
Vg = 33% of C
Vg = 0.33 C __________________iv
D2Hg
Vg = -------- __________________v
4
4 Vg
Hg = ------- __________________vi
D2
Total Height of the digester
H
=
Hd + Hg _______________________vii
Note : If the D/H is not correct as per assumption, take a new value of D (not less than 2
mts.) for fresh calculation. This procedure for calculation should be followed till the
D/H is close to 1.75 (or D = 1.75H)
Displacement chamber design
There are two displacement chambers in the fixed dome plant inlet displacement
chamber (IDC) and outlet displacement chamber (ODC) The IDC is the integral part of the
inlet tank and the ODC is the integral part of the Outlet tank. The combined volume of both
the displacement chambers (IDC & ODC) are equal to the total volume of the "gas storage
chamber" (GSC) so that the slurry displacement due to biogas accumulation in the latter is
GSC may be accommodated equally in the former i.e. IDC and ODC.
Therefore

Mg = Vi + Vo ______________________ viii
Vg = 2 Vi = 2 Va ___________________ ix
HM = 90 Hg _____________________ x

Note : For family size Janata plants of 2,3,4 & 6 cum capacity, the value of Hm is fixed as
61 cm (610 cm) for the sake of standardization in the design; therefore the equation (X) does
not hold good for these four sizes of Janata plants
Vi = Vo = Hm x l x b ____________________ xi
By fixing appropriate value of either L or b, the value of other parameter or the
displacement chambers can be calculated from equation (xi)

Plant Dome Design

Hp = 70 mm (minimum as per assumption) __________ xii
Ht = D/45 _______________ xiii
Ht = (Hp + Hm) __________ xiv
Select value of Ht as the greater of the two calculated from equations (xiii) and (xiv).
Note:
a.
From the structural point of view, the minimum height of the dome (without
reinforcement) should be kept as D/4. 5.
b.
Ht should always be kept more than Hm to avoid any dogging of gas outlet pipe due
to slurry getting in to it, when there is no gas stored in the Gas storage chamber,".
c.
For the smallest family size Janata plant, the minimum practical value of Hp would
be 70 mm (or 7 cm)
II. Designing of movable drum type Biogas Plant:
a)
b)

Digester Volume
Gas holder volume

=
=

Daily Loading X Retention time

50 % size of the plant