Heating System of the Digester

Temperature is one of the crucial parameters on anaerobic digestion, not only it affects the
growth rate of microbial populations, but also has a large effect on gas transfer rates and settling
characteristics of bio-solids (Tchobanoglous et al., 2003). It is important to maintain a consistent
operating temperature; as microbial populations are very sensitive to environmental changes.
Changes in temperature of 1oC have been evidenced to adversely affect process performance of
anaerobic digesters (Tchobanoglous et al., 2003).

Temperatures in Tuguegarao City ranges from 19oC to 44oC (PNA, 2017). On the other hand,
mesophilic operating temperature of an anaerobic digester ranges from 35-40oC (Farrow, 2016).
Hence a heating system is needed in case sudden temperature drop happens due to environmental
climate change.

Heat transfer in agitated vessels can be carried out either through an external jacket on the
vessel or by internal coils. The choice between a jacket and coils is based on a number of
considerations. For highly corrosive or highly reactive materials, a jacket has the advantage that
there are no extra materials of construction and no extra metal surface in contact with the process
other than the normal vessel wall (Carpenter, 2011). Also, for floating drum digesters, a water
jacket is used as a seal to outside and guides the drum moving up and down (Sasse). Thus, the
jacket was integrated in the design. Also, jacketing a process vessel provides excellent heat transfer
in terms of efficiency, control, and product quality (Ketta, 1991).

A jacket may be either a full conventional jacket or simple jacket, a dimpled jacket, or a half-
pipe jacket, often called a limpet coil. A conventional jacket has the advantage that it covers the
full wall and base surface and is very simple to construct. A dimpled jacket allows construction
from light gauge metals while maintaining strength. A half-pipe jacket may be cheaper for a high
pressure on the service side and has the advantage that more than one service can be supplied to
different sections of the wall. However, a limited amount of the surface will be covered by a half-
pipe jacket, the large amount of weld can cause mechanical concerns where thermal cycling occurs
and the jacket welding must be spaced from the dished end main welds to maintain mechanical
integrity of the vessel wall (Sasse). According to (Ketta, 1991), if the heating or cooling demand
is low, and water or steam can be used, a simple jacket may be adequate. In general, with services
involving large volumes of water (used to maintain a high temperature difference)
the conventional jacket usually offers the best solution.

"Conventional jackets" can be divided into two (2) main categories: baffled and non-baffled.
Conventional baffled jackets are usually applied with small vessels using high temperatures where
the internal pressure is more than twice the jacket pressure. Baffled jackets often utilize what is
known as a spirally wound baffle. The baffle consists of a metal strip wound around the inner
vessel wall from the jacket utility inlet to the utility outlet. The baffle directs the flow in a spiral
path with a fluid velocity of 1-4 ft/s. The fabrication methods do allow for small internal leakage
or bypass around the baffle. Generally, bypass flows can exceed 1/3 to 1/2 of the total circulating
flow (Tan, 2014).

References
Carpenter, K. (2011, February 2). Thermopedia. Retrieved from Agitated Vessel Heat transfer:
http://www.thermopedia.com/content/547/

Farrow, C. (2016). Anaerobic Digestion of Poultry Manure: Implementation of Ammonia Control to

Optimize Biogas Yield . The University of Guelph, 18-20.

Ketta, J. M. (1991). Heat Transfer Design Methods. In J. M. Ketta, Jacketed Vessel (pp. 409-422).
Austin,Texas: CRC Press.

PNA. (2017, December 13). Manilla Bulletin The Nation's Leading News Paper. Retrieved from Manilla
Bulletin Web Site: https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/12/13/from-hottest-in-ph-temperatures-
drastically-drop-in-tuguegarao/

Sasse, L. (n.d.). Renewable Energy Concepts. Retrieved from Fixed-dome - floating-drum small scale
digesters: http://www.renewable-energy-concepts.com/biomass-bioenergy/anaerobic-
methane-digester/digester-designs/fixed-dome-floating-drum.html

Tan, T. (2014, May 5). Scribd. Retrieved from Conventional Jackets:

https://www.scribd.com/document/222072068/Conventional-Jackets