Elsevier

Filtration + Separation

Volume 56, Issue 6, November–December 2019, Pages 24, 26
Filtration + Separation

Feature
Power generation
Reducing the risk of biogas leakage

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0015-1882(20)30180-4Get rights and content

The UK's anaerobic digestion (AD) industry has grown by 350% in a decade but biogas leakage is still a problem, leading to environmental pollution and health and safety risks. This article examines how to protect plants from biogas leakage.

Section snippets

Catastrophic risks

The implications of this volume of methane being released are significant. According to the latest IPCC Assessment Report, methane is 34 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas over a 100-year period. For any industry to be emitting this volume of methane would be a concern; but for a renewable sector, whose entire premise is based on being green, this is catastrophic.

Aside from the considerable environmental impact, biogas leaks bring other risks. In the worst-case scenario, biogas in

Financial risks

Gas leaks in AD plants also have a financial impact. Any volume of biogas leaking into the atmosphere will subsequently reduce a plant's gas yield and therefore, the owner's profit margin. In fact, losing just 1m3 of methane per hour will result in a financial loss in the region of £5,000 per year.

There is also the issue of sustainability criteria to consider. In order to receive payments through either the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) or Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) schemes, AD operators must

Leakage hotspots

While an AD operator may believe that their plant is operating at a high standard, all anaerobic digesters have inherent weak points which make them susceptible to biogas leakage. Potential hotspots include:

  • Gas membrane connections;

  • Cable grommets (where a submersible stirrer cable passes through the digester wall);

  • Flange connections;

  • Viewing windows;

  • Carbon filters;

  • Any areas where maintenance is carried out.

Reducing risks

The risks of gas leakage are clearly significant and often expensive. However, identifying a leak is a simple and affordable process which can help prevent a serious incident from occurring. A gas leakage detection service should therefore form part of any responsible plan operator's ongoing maintenance programme.

A detection survey using a methane-sensitive monitor and laser, as well as infra-red devices, can spot biogas leaks invisible to the naked eye.

The FM BioEnergy service covers a full AD

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