Sensitivity Analysis of Water Scrubbing Process for Biogas Purification

Abstract

For vehicle fuelapplication,biogas need to have high energy content. So, the gas has to be upgraded. The value of energy in the biogas is in direct proportion to the methane concentration. Raw biogas produced by anaerobic digester has methane content about 50-60% and carbon dioxide as main contaminant at 40-50% of volume. The methane content in biogas can be upgraded by carbon dioxide removal process. In contrary, carbon dioxide removal process need cost addition of biogas production. It is important to have an optimized biogas upgrading process in term of low energy consumption and high efficiency giving high methane content in biogas. On the other hand, it is very important to minimize emission of methane from upgrading process because methane have a greenhouse gas effect 23 times greater than carbon dioxide.Water scrubbing is simplest and cheapest technology to produce bio methane using biogas upgrading process.The best control process scenario need to keep the process work in optimal condition. But fluctuation of flow and concentration in biogas produced by anaerobic digester make difficultupgrading process control. By sensitivity analysis study, control scenario for this process can decided in the best way.