A biogas digester and an agitator system for the same

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a biogas digester (100) and an agitator system (200) for the same. The biogas digester (100) includes a slurry chamber (115). A gasholder (135) is adapted to float on slurry (S) within the slurry chamber (115). An agitator system (200) is adapted to stir the slurry (S) and includes an agitator (110) which extends through the gasholder (135) into the slurry chamber (115). A guiding rod (105) is fixed to a bottom of the slurry chamber (115). The agitator (110) is rotatably coupled to the guiding rod (105). The biogas digestor (200) and the agitator system (200) disclosed herein ensure that the slurry (S) is stirred easily through manual means. Therefore, clogging of the slurry (S) and formation of scum in the slurry chamber (115) can be avoided. <>

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates to biogas digesters. More particularly, thepresent disclosure relates to a biogas digester and an agitator system for the same.BACKGROUNDA biogas digester is an equipment which is used for producing biofuels in aform of a biofuel gas, such as methane. The biofuels are produced by decomposingorganic wastes such as wet waste, animal dung and carcass, etc. in the biogasdigester.Most of the biogas digesters known in the existing art are vertical biogasdigesters. The organic wastes are introduced in a slurry chamber. A solvent such aswater is introduced in the slurry chamber to form a slurry of the organic wastes. Thebiofuel gas formed during a decomposition process inside the slurry chamber, istrapped by a gasholder. The gasholder has a hollow space and floats on the slurrypresent inside the slurry chamber.For efficient formation of the biofuel gas, the slurry is stirred and agitatedregularly, for avoiding clogging of the slurry and formation of scum in the slurrychamber. However, presently known biogas digesters have agitator systems whichare complex, as such agitators consist of numerous mechanical parts. Some of theagitator systems have motors which help in rotating the agitator. However, specialprovision to accommodate the motor in the biogas digester is required. Additionally,the motor consumes power which adds to a cost for operating the motor. Also, themotor is susceptible to breakdowns and further adds to the cost for maintaining themotor.In view of the above-mentioned problems, it is desirable to provide a biogasdigester and an agitator system for the same, which can eliminate one or more ofthe above-mentioned problems associated with the existing art.SUMMARYThis summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in asimplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of theinvention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventiveconcepts of the invention nor is it intended for determining the scope of theinvention.The present disclosure relates to a biogas digester. The biogas digester, as peran embodiment, includes a slurry chamber. A gasholder is adapted to float on slurrywithin the slurry chamber. An agitator system is adapted to stir the slurry within theslurry chamber. The agitator system includes an agitator which extends through thegasholder into the slurry chamber. Also, a guiding rod is fixed to a bottom of theslurry chamber. Herein, the agitator is rotatably coupled to the guiding rod.The present disclosure also relates to an agitator system for the biogasdigester. The agitator system includes an agitator which extends through thegasholder of the biogas digester into a slurry chamber. A guiding rod is fixed to thebottom of the slurry chamber. Herein, the agitator is rotatably coupled to the guidingrod.The biogas digestor and the agitator system disclosed herein ensure that theslurry is stirred and agitated easily by manual means with the help of a detachablehandle. Therefore, clogging of the slurry and formation of scum in the slurrychamber can be avoided.Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings areillustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Forexample, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent stepsinvolved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the disclosure.Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components ofthe device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols,and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent tounderstanding the embodiments of the disclosure so as not to obscure the drawingswith details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art havingthe benefit of the description herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThese and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention willbecome better understood when the following detailed description is read withreference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent likeparts throughout the drawings, wherein:Figures 1 illustrates a perspective view of a biogas digester, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;Figure 1a illustrates a perspective view of a slurry chamber, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure;Figure 1b illustrates a perspective view of a gas holder, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;Figure 1c illustrates another perspective view of the gas holder depicted inFigure 1b, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;Figure 2a illustrates a perspective view of a vertical tube of the agitatorsystem along with components disposed thereon, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;Figure 2b illustrates a partial perspective view of an upper portion of thevertical tube depicted in the Figure 2a, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure; andFigure 2c illustrates a perspective view of the detachable handle, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings areillustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Forexample, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent stepsinvolved to help improve understanding of aspects of the present invention.Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components ofthe device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols,and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent tounderstanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure thedrawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart having benefit of the description herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONFor the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawingsand specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless beunderstood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, suchalterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such furtherapplications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein beingcontemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which theinvention relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms usedherein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilledin the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examplesprovided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.For example, the term "some" as used herein may be understood as "none"or "one" or "more than one" or "all." Therefore, the terms "none," "one," "morethan one," "more than one, but not all" or "all" would fall under the definition of"some." It should be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the terminologyand structure employed herein is for describing, teaching, and illuminating someembodiments and their specific features and elements and therefore, should not beconstrued to limit, restrict or reduce the spirit and scope of the present disclosure inany way.For example, any terms used herein such as, "includes," "comprises," "has,""consists," and similar grammatical variants do not specify an exact limitation orrestriction and certainly do not exclude the possible addition of one or more featuresor elements, unless otherwise stated. Further, such terms must not be taken toexclude the possible removal of one or more of the listed features and elements,unless otherwise stated, for example, by using the limiting language including, butnot limited to, "must comprise" or "needs to include."Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used onlyonce, it may still be referred to as "one or more features" or "one or more elements"or "at least one feature" or "at least one element." Furthermore, the use of the terms"one or more" or "at least one" feature or element do not preclude there being noneof that feature or element, unless otherwise specified by limiting languageincluding, but not limited to, "there needs to be one or more..." or "one or moreelement is required."Unless otherwise defined, all terms and especially any technical and / orscientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonlyunderstood by a person ordinarily skilled in the art.Reference is made herein to some "embodiments." It should be understoodthat an embodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any featuresand / or elements of the present disclosure. Some embodiments have been describedfor the purpose of explaining one or more of the potential ways in which the specificfeatures and / or elements of the proposed disclosure fulfil the requirements ofuniqueness, utility, and non-obviousness.Use of the phrases and / or terms including, but not limited to, "a firstembodiment," "a further embodiment," "an alternate embodiment," "oneembodiment," "an embodiment," "multiple embodiments," "some embodiments,""other embodiments," "further embodiment", "furthermore embodiment","additional embodiment" or other variants thereof do not necessarily refer to thesame embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, one or more particular featuresand / or elements described in connection with one or more embodiments may befound in one embodiment, or may be found in more than one embodiment, or maybe found in all embodiments, or may be found in no embodiments. Although one ormore features and / or elements may be described herein in the context of only asingle embodiment, or in the context of more than one embodiment, or in thecontext of all embodiments, the features and / or elements may instead be providedseparately or in any appropriate combination or not at all. Conversely, any featuresand / or elements described in the context of separate embodiments may alternativelybe realized as existing together in the context of a single embodiment.Any particular and all details set forth herein are used in the context of someembodiments and therefore should not necessarily be taken as limiting factors tothe proposed disclosure.Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings. The details regarding construction andworking of the invention disclosed herein, shall now be explained with the help ofthe accompanying Figures 1 through 2c, as follows:The biogas digester 100 disclosed herein is a vertical biogas digester 100.The biogas digester 100 may include a slurry chamber 115. The biogas digester 100may include a gasholder 135 that may be adapted to float on the slurry S which iscontained within the slurry chamber 115. Further, the biogas digester 100 mayinclude the agitator system 200 that may be adapted to stir the slurry S containedwithin the slurry chamber 115.Referring to Figures 1, a perspective view of the biogas digester 100 hasbeen illustrated. Referring to Figure 1a, a perspective view of the slurry chamber115 has been illustrated. Referring to Figure 1b, a perspective view of the gasholder 135 has been illustrated. Referring to Figure 1c, another perspective viewof the gas holder 135 which is seen in Figure 1b has been illustrated.Referring to Figure 1, in an embodiment, the biogas digester 100 mayinclude a slurry chamber 115. The gasholder 135 may be adapted to float on slurryS which is contained within the slurry chamber 115. The gas holder 135 may beadapted to collect the biogas generated in the biogas digester 100. As a volume ofthe biogas which is generated in the biogas digester 100 increases, the gasholder135 which is floating on the slurry S present inside the slurry chamber 115, alsorises. The agitator system 200 may be adapted to stir the slurry S which is containedwithin the slurry chamber 115. The agitator system 200 may include the agitator110 which extends through the gasholder 135 into the slurry chamber 115. Theguiding rod 105 may be fixed to a bottom of the slurry chamber 115. Herein, theagitator 110 may be rotatably coupled to the guiding rod 105.Referring again to Figure 1, in an embodiment, the agitator 110 may includea vertical tube 120 which extends through the gasholder 135. A plurality of fins 150is attached to a lower portion of the vertical tube 120. Each of the fin 150 may becoupled with the vertical tube 120 through a connecting member 155. Herein, thevertical tube 120 may be rotatably coupled to the guiding rod 105.Referring to Figure 1a, read along with Figure 1, an inlet pipe 160 may bevertically positioned on a first side I of the slurry chamber 115. Likewise, an outletpipe 165 may be vertically positioned on a second side II of the slurry chamber 115and opposite the first side I. Herein, the gasholder 135 may be configured to floaton the slurry S within the slurry chamber 115 between the inlet pipe 160 and theoutlet pipe 165. The inlet pipe 160 may be adapted to be in fluid communicationwith the slurry chamber 115 through an entry orifice 160-1. The inlet pipe 160 mayinclude an inlet port 160-2 which is adapted thereon. The organic waste, slurry S orsolvents such as water, may be fed to the slurry chamber 115 through the inlet port160-1 of the inlet pipe 160. The outlet pipe 165 may be adapted in fluidcommunication with the slurry chamber 115 through an exit orifice 165-1. Theoutlet pipe 165 may include an outlet port 165-2 which is adapted thereon. Theslurry S is removed from the slurry chamber 115 through the outlet port 165-2 ofthe outlet pipe 165.Referring to Figures 1b and 1c, read along with Figures 1 and 1a, thegasholder 135 may include a central vertical pipe 125. The central vertical pipe 125may be adapted to guide a vertical movement of the agitator 110. Herein, a verticaltube access aperture 125-1 is defined on a top flat surface 135-1 of the gasholder135. The central vertical pipe 125 may be welded to a bottom flat surface 135-2 ofthe gasholder 135. Herein, the central vertical pipe 125 corresponds with thevertical tube access aperture 125-1 on the bottom flat surface 135-2 of the gasholder135. Therefore, the vertical tube 120 may be adapted to be inserted telescopicallyinside the central vertical pipe 125 through the vertical tube access aperture 125-1(as depicted in Figure 1). Also, a gas outlet aperture 135-3 is defined on thegasholder 135 for collection of the biogas produced inside the biogas digester 100.The biogas generated in the biogas digester 100 is accumulated in an interior space135-4 defined within the bottom flat surface 135-2 and a periphery 135-5 of thegasholder 135. The biogas thus generated may exert pressure on the bottom flatsurface 135-2 and the periphery 135-5 to lift the gasholder 135 in an upwarddirection, for accumulating the biogas in the interior space 135-4.Referring to Figure 2a, a perspective view of the vertical tube 120 of theagitator system 200 along with components disposed thereon, has been illustrated.Referring to Figure 2b, a partial perspective view of an upper portion 120-1 of thevertical tube 120 which is depicted in the Figure 2a, has been illustrated. Referringto Figure 2c, a perspective view of the detachable handle 145, has been illustrated.Referring to Figures 2a, 2b and 2c, in an embodiment, the detachablehandle 145 may be configured to engage with an upper portion 120-1 of the verticaltube 120. Such arrangement of the detachable handle 145 engaging with the upperportion 120-1 of the vertical tube 120, helps to rotate the agitator 110. The pluralityof fins 150 is attached to a lower portion 120-3 of the vertical tube 120. Herein,each of the fin 150 may be coupled with the vertical tube 120 through a connectingmember 155. Therefore, during working of the agitator system 200, the plurality offins 150 help in stirring of the slurry S contained in the slurry chamber 115. Theupper portion 120-1 of the vertical tube 120 may include a slot 120-2. Thedetachable handle 145 may include a plate 145-1 which is adapted or configured tobe inserted into the slot 120-2. A holding portion 145-2 is adapted to be attachedwith the plate 145-1. Therefore, a user may hold the holding portion 145-2 by hand.The user may manually swivel the holding portion 145-2 for rotating the agitator110 inside the slurry chamber 115 for stirring and agitating the slurry S containedtherein.The agitator system 200 for the biogas digester 100, shall now be explained.Referring again to Figures 1 through 3c, the agitator system 200 for the biogasdigester 100 may include the agitator 110. The agitator 110 may extend through thegasholder 135 of the biogas digester 100 into the slurry chamber 115. The guidingrod 105 may be fixed to the bottom of the slurry chamber 115. Herein, the agitator110 may be rotatably coupled to the guiding rod 105.The biogas digester 100 and the agitator system 200 disclosed herein helpin stirring the slurry S contained inside the slurry chamber 115, with ease. The slurryS contained inside the slurry chamber 115 may be stirred by manual means, withthe help of the detachable handle 145. Therefore, clogging of the slurry andformation of scum in the slurry chamber can be avoided. Additionally, fewmechanical parts are required for assembling the agitator system 200 of the biogasdigester 100 disclosed herein. Also, mechanical components such as motors asdeployed in the existing art, are not required in the biogas digester 100 and theagitator system 200 disclosed herein. Since the agitator 120 is operated manuallyby the user, therefore it leads to saving of power and space.While specific language has been used to describe the present subjectmatter, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would beapparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to themethod in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawingsand the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combinedinto a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split intomultiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added toanother embodiment.

Claims

1. A biogas digester (100) comprising: a slurry chamber (115); a gasholder (135) adapted to float on slurry (S) within the slurry chamber (115); and an agitator system (200) adapted to stir the slurry (S) within the slurry chamber (115), the agitator system (200) comprising: an agitator (110) extending through the gasholder (135) into the slurry chamber (115); and a guiding rod (105) fixed to a bottom of the slurry chamber (115), wherein the agitator (110) is rotatably coupled to the guiding rod (105).

2. The biogas digester (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the agitator (110) comprises: a vertical tube (120) extending through the gasholder; and a plurality of fins (150) attached to a lower portion of the vertical tube (120), wherein each fin (150) is coupled with the vertical tube (120) through a connecting member (155).

3. The biogas digester (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the vertical tube (120) is rotatably coupled to the guiding rod (105).

4. The biogas digester (100) as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a detachable handle (145) configured to engage with an upper portion (120-1) of the vertical tube (120) to rotate the agitator (110).

5. The biogas digester (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper portion (120-1) of the vertical tube (120) comprises a slot (120-2), and the detachable handle (145) comprises a plate (145-1) configured to insert into the slot (120- 2), further wherein a holding portion (145-2) is adapted to attach with the plate (145-1).

6. The biogas digester (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the gasholder (135) comprises a central vertical pipe (125) adapted to guide vertical movement of the agitator (110), wherein the vertical tube (120) is adapted to be inserted telescopically inside the central vertical pipe (125).

7. The biogas digester (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: an inlet pipe (160) vertically positioned on a first side (I) of the slurry chamber (115); and an outlet pipe (165) vertically positioned on a second side (II) of the slurry chamber (115) opposite the first side (I).

8. The biogas digester (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the gasholder (135) is configured to float on slurry (S) within the slurry chamber (115) between the inlet pipe (160) and the outlet pipe (165).

9. The biogas digester (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the inlet pipe (160) is adapted in fluid communication with the slurry chamber (115), wherein the slurry (S) is fed to the slurry chamber (115) through the inlet pipe (160).

10. The biogas digester (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the outlet pipe (165) is adapted in fluid communication with the slurry chamber (115), wherein the slurry (S) is removed from the slurry chamber (115) through the outlet pipe (165).

11. An agitator system (200) for a biogas digester (100), the agitator system (200) comprising: an agitator (110) extending through a gasholder (135) of the biogas digester (100) into a slurry chamber (115); and a guiding rod (105) fixed to a bottom of the slurry chamber (115), wherein the agitator (110) is rotatably coupled to the guiding rod (105).