Author Topic: basic methane digestion?  (Read 3542 times)

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adamkat22

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basic methane digestion?
« on: August 05, 2013, 02:37:56 PM »
hey everyone. really excited to have found this forum. i'm interested in a variety of homebrew energies and will try and chime in some of the ones i'm more familiar with (solar, wvo, etc).

anyways, right now i'm interested in learning a little more about methane digestion. i'm wondering if there is a basic set-up that i can do to power a propane stove and/or fridge that i'm pulling out of an old RV. i've located some of the basic methane digestion posts on here (using two drums and filling truck tires to store the gas) but wasn't sure if anyone knew about methods for storing it in propane tanks and what conversions i may have to do to my propane appliances to use methane on them (or if that is even possible). thanks for any links or advice!

adam

mab

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Re: basic methane digestion?
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2013, 02:56:14 PM »
hello and welcome,

I can't offer any help on methane production/storing.

You can get different jets for methane or propane to convert most cookers, but if you have to buy them it may be cheaper / easier to pick up an old house cooker on freecycle from someone in town who's on mains gas (if i'm not mistaken mains gas is methane, so cookers set up to run off the mains should work directly).

Only other observation I can make is that the old gas fridges used a fair bit of gas so I'm not sure how big your digester would have to be to run one 24/7.


adamkat22

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Re: basic methane digestion?
« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2013, 09:54:37 AM »
yeah. i assumed the fridge would take quite a bit of methane to power it. i'm not as concerned about making that work all the time, but maybe once and a while i would use it. when you say 'mains gas' are you just refering to a municipal service? thanks for the tips!

Bruce S

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Re: basic methane digestion?
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2013, 10:44:31 AM »
Mab  is correct,you will need jets for standard natural gas, which ironically methane is  :D.
As to storing in a pressure vessal like propane tanks means you will need a way to pump it in.
I would suggest you Google chicken poop powered car and read on how he did it decades ago. The truck tire storage method will be your best storage solution for now while you get experience with making and using.
Welcome to the forum!
Bruce S
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XeonPony

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Re: basic methane digestion?
« Reply #4 on: August 06, 2013, 02:06:13 PM »
really depends on how complicated you want to go, but to store it under pressure, my design used a gas scrubber system, using sylica gell to dry it, then that was run through an open shaft drive refrigeration compressor to the propane cylinders and stored at 300psi.

the sylica gan be regenerated by heating it up and passing hot air over it, use the color changing type to assist in the opperation, the way to purge the co2 was a simple system of a small bleeder placed at the bottom of the tanks, I'd hold a lighter over the port till it burned then shut the valve off.

2psi compressor off, 10psi compressor on.

Digester > methane co2 seperator via gravity (Old 100 pound propane tank upside down so I could purg the co2 manualy, gass whent in the middle)+ pressure switch 2off 10 on > water bubbler w baking soda mixed in > Coelesent water seperator > Silica dryier (Old flourescent tube filled with it) Compressor inlet > Out let to my tanks + Pressure reliefe & kill switch set to 325psi (Manual reset)

CO2 will settle on the bottom, the methane was taken from the top, gas let in in the center, I used a wide diameter pipe to reduce gas voloucity befor going into the tank. The crude seperator befor the compressor did get rid of the bulk of it but the main tanks still needed manual purging as well.  I used all 3/8 stainles pipe as I had the 3/8 fittings on hand and I wanted it able to be switched over to hydrogen easily. the low pressure side was just black poly pipe till it got to the compressor

for the compressor switch I used a ranco low side pressure switch, for the high side a standered HP safety switch, the open drive is the hard part, but I'd be willing to bet with some oil seperators and such you could use a standered hermetic compressor, as they will do 500psi with out flinching. due to the pressure difference you will need a high starting torque type

most importent thing is to clean the gas and dry it befor it ever see's the compressor!
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electrondady1

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Re: basic methane digestion?
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2013, 07:30:02 AM »
have you studied the methods used in India to cook with the  methane gas from composting ?
it's a common practice over there from what i gather.

adamkat22

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Re: basic methane digestion?
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2013, 11:03:16 AM »
wow thanks everyone! may be a few days/week before i get everything together. might holler back then with some more questions but looks like i got a good jump start!
adam