How Biogas Treatment Systems Use KNF Pumps
Biogas is an important pillar on the energy industry's path to a sustainable future. Produced from a variety of organic materials such as corn stalks or liquid manure, biogas is not based on fossil fuels and is therefore a carbon-neutral fuel. However, the promising energy source also poses technical challenges which require state-of-the-art solutions. This includes several steps in which pumps play a fundamental role and KNF is happy to provide the ideal technology.
Biogas – Special Pumps Needed
Transferring and compressing biogas poses multiple challenges. Coming from the bioreactor, raw biogas is usually fully saturated with water and contains impurities as well as approx. 40% carbon dioxide (CO2). In addition, the gas is flammable and must not be emitted into the atmosphere as it is a potent greenhouse gas. These properties call for a pump that is gas-tight, does not affect the media’s integrity and that handles different chemicals as well as condensate with ease.
Biogas Compressors for Cogenerator Applications
Raw biogas can be used to generate electrical and thermal energy via a cogeneration plant. For this, the biogas needs to be transferred from the biogas reactor respectively the storage unit to the cogenerator. The pump used for this crucial task must be able to increase the pressure from a level of approx. 0 - 100 mbar (rel.) to max. 12 bar (rel.) and needs to handle condensation well. In addition, the pump must provide good leak tightness and handle wet gases well. This makes diaphragm pumps like the KNF N 630, N 680, N 1200 or N 1400 the ideal choice for this important process step.
Biogas Treatment Systems Need Reliable Pumps
For usages other than cogeneration, the raw biogas needs to be refined first. This means that the CO2 is removed, and the remaining methane (CH4) is dried. For this, the raw reactor-produced biogas is transferred though special filters which remove much of the CO2 resulting in a CH4 concentration of about 90%. The transfer from the reactor or tank for temporary storage to the filter unit and the transfer from the filter unit to the next process step is a task that greatly benefits from diaphragm pump technology. Due to their gas tightness, their ability to cope with condensate and their extremely reliable and long-lasting operations, the diaphragm pumps mentioned above are ideal for biogas treatment processes.
Injecting Biogas into Pipelines
When biogas is used as a sustainable alternative to natural gas, often the biogas is injected into already existing natural gas pipeline networks. This way, biogas makes using natural gas greener or can even completely replace natural gas. Biogas which is normally stored at around 0 - 100 mbar (rel.) needs to be compressed to up to a maximum of 2 bar (rel.) depending on the specific network. This is another area in which diaphragm pumps present real advantages compared to other pump technologies.
Customization with KNF
As shown, biogas applications can benefit tremendously from diaphragm pump technology. This is especially the case when the pumps are tailored to the specific applications’ needs. With KNF, this customization is easily possible with the help of the proven modular systems which allows for fast, reliable, and economical customization based on proven components. The required operating point can be precisely achieved without the need for an oversized pump and many other options are available such as explosion-proof versions or pumps that deal well with condensate.
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