Page last updated 30/08/2018
Floating steel drum biogas plant (KVIC) design
KVIC developed this design for India. A standard plant has an internal volume of 7.1 m 3  and is supposed to generate 100 ft 3  (2.8 m 3 ) of biogas per day from cattle dung. The floating drum plant uses a brick cylinder as the main digester, build in a hole underground. The slurry is fed through a pipe in one side and overflows over a gap in the wall at the top. The biogas is collected in a steeel drum that floats on the top of the slurry. A central guide pipe holds the drum at the centre, so it can move up and down as gas is collected and used. In Nepal, a tapered design was used, to allow a wider, shallower hole to be used.
Diagram of straight floating drum design
Drawing of floating drum design
Standard KVIC drum plant
Parameter
Value (m)
H p
1.60
D p
3.62
H d
D d
1.50
1.00
The dimensions for a standard plant are shown in the table:
There are a range of different sizes for floating drum plants, including much larger ones. More details of biogas plant designs are given in the book.
The equations for the volume of a cylinder can be used to calculate the volumes of both the digester pit and the drum.
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Page last updated 30/08/2018
Diagram of Cross section of dum plant Drawing of drum plant
KVIC developed this design for India. A standard plant has an internal volume of 7.1 m 3  and is supposed to generate 100 ft 3   (2.8 m 3 ) of biogas per day from cattle dung. The floating drum plant uses a brick cylinder as the main digester, build in a hole underground. The slurry is fed through a pipe in one side and overflows over a gap in the wall at the top. The biogas is collected in a steeel drum that floats on the top of the slurry. A central guide pipe holds the drum at the centre, so it can move up and down as gas is collected and used. In Nepal, a tapered design was used, to allow a wider, shallower hole to be used.
Floating steel drum biogas plant (KVIC) design
The dimensions for a standard plant are shown in the table:
Parameter
Value (m)
H
1.60
d
3.62
H (drum)
d (drum)
1.50
1.00
There are a range of different sizes for floating drum plants, including much larger ones. More details of biogas plant designs are given in the book.