Rectangular Biogas Reactor with External Support Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing reactors for biogas production through anaerobic digestion face challenges in scaling up while maintaining cost-effectiveness, as increased reactor size leads to higher hydrostatic pressure, requiring thicker walls that increase material and transportation costs, and are difficult to transport due to size and weight.
Innovation Solution
A reactor design featuring a tubular reaction chamber with a substantially rectangular cross-section supported by an external modular support frame structure, allowing for lightweight construction and easy scalability without increasing wall thickness, using modular elements and a sparse external support frame composed of tubular beams or angle irons for enhanced rigidity and reduced material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the reactor size is increased to improve biogas production capacity, then the productivity increases, but the hydrostatic pressure on the walls increases requiring thicker walls which increases material costs and transportation difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces an external support frame structure that adds a dimensional layer of support outside the reaction chamber. Instead of increasing wall thickness (one-dimensional solution), the support frame provides structural reinforcement in an external dimensional space, allowing the reaction chamber walls to remain thin while supporting larger reactor sizes and higher hydrostatic pressures.
Solution Approach 2:
The external support frame structure acts as an intermediary between the reaction chamber and the external environment. It mediates the hydrostatic pressure forces by providing an external skeletal framework that bears the load, allowing the reaction chamber walls to focus on containing the material rather than supporting the entire structural load.
2Strength
If the wall thickness is increased to resist higher hydrostatic pressure, then the structural strength improves, but the material costs and transportation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The structural support function is segmented from the reaction chamber walls and assigned to a separate external support frame structure. This segmentation allows the reaction chamber to be constructed with thinner, lighter walls while the external frame provides the necessary structural strength to resist hydrostatic pressure, thereby reducing overall material usage and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The reactor system employs a composite structural approach combining the reaction chamber (for containing material) with an external support frame (for bearing loads). This composite structure optimizes the functional requirements of each component, allowing thin-walled construction while maintaining strength through the external framework.
3Productivity
If the reactor height is increased to improve processing capacity, then the productivity increases, but the hydrostatic pressure on the walls increases complicating manufacturing and transport
Solution Approach 1:
The invention shifts the structural support burden from the vertical dimension (wall thickness) to an external dimensional framework. This allows taller reactors to be manufactured with standard thin-wall techniques while the external support frame, assembled after reaction chamber fabrication, provides the necessary height-related structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The reaction chamber is manufactured and assembled in its complete form with standard wall thickness before the external support frame is added. This preliminary action allows the reaction chamber to be fabricated using conventional manufacturing processes, and the external frame is subsequently attached to provide additional structural support for taller configurations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces material and transportation costs, enables larger reactor sizes, and facilitates easier handling and transportation by maintaining a moderate weight and thickness, while maintaining structural integrity and efficiency in biogas production.
Implementation Method 1
the hydrostatic pressure exerted on the walls of the reaction chamber increases
Implementation Method 2
reactor for manufacturing biogas from organic raw material using anaerobic digestion
Data Source
AI summary
The reactor is for manufacturing biogas from organic raw material using anaerobic digestion. The reactor includes a tubular reaction chamber with a substantially rectangular cross-section composed of a bottom, walls and a ceiling for processing raw material into end products. Agitation and transfer equipment are arranged in the reaction chamber and an external support frame structure is arranged on the outer surface included in the reaction chamber for stiffening and supporting the reaction chamber externally against forces generated by the raw material.