Computational Methods for Anaerobic Digestion Optimization (CoMAnDO)

可再生能源是英国政府环境战略的关键。废水处理的副产品--污泥，通常是通过中温厌氧消化(AD)来处理的，在AD中，污泥与厌氧细菌混合，以降解可生物降解的物质，并产生富含甲烷的沼气。然后，可以通过热电联合技术利用沼气进行能源回收。虽然水务公司最初实施了污泥稳定化工艺，但目前对可再生能源在确保我们未来能源安全方面的作用的关注意味着，仍然迫切需要优化消化池的设计和混合，以最大限度地提高能量回收。混合对消化池的性能至关重要。该项目名为Comando，将使用流体动力/厌氧消化耦合数值模拟的高度创新方法来确定厌氧污泥消化器的混合模式和相关流动模式，以优化生物活性和沼气输出，同时最大限度地减少能量输入和避免颗粒沉积，以运行城市污水污泥的非承压气体混合操作的厌氧污泥消化池。我们将首次模拟厌氧消化过程中流体动力学和生物动力学过程之间的复杂关系，以促进工艺设计和操作的优化。最终的结果将是一种方法，用于对厌氧消化器中的混合气体进行稳健但计算高效的模拟，以及一套关于最有效和最有效的消化系统设计和操作的从业人员指南，这些指南可广泛应用于世界各地，以提供可从厌氧消化厂获得的最大可再生能源效益。因此，科曼多将给学术界和实践者带来实实在在的成果和好处。虽然最初专注于水务行业，但相信这里开发的新的建模方法可能会导致开发和广泛采用一类新的模拟工具，并在许多其他学术学科中应用。该项目属于EPSRC‘水务工程’主题，定义为“设计和优化与水资源管理、处理和分配系统相关的技术”。它阐述了EPSRC所宣称的具有弹性、健康和多产的国家成果，并具体解决了EPSRC的几个雄心；即：R1：实现能源安全和效率；R2：确保支撑英国经济的可靠基础设施；R4：高效和可持续地管理资源。

Renewable energy is key to the UK Government's environmental strategy. The by-product of wastewater treatment, sludge, is most commonly treated via mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD), in which sludge is mixed with anaerobic bacteria to degrade biodegradable material and produce a methane-rich biogas. Biogas can then be harnessed via combined heat and power technology for energy recovery. Whilst water companies initially implemented the processes for sludge stabilization, the current focus on the role of renewables in securing our energy future means that there still remains a pressing need to optimize digester design and mixing to maximize energy recovery.Mixing is crucial to digester performance. This project, CoMAnDO, will use the highly innovative approach of coupled hydrodynamic/anaerobic digestion numerical modelling to identify mixing regimes and associated flow patterns that optimise biological activity and biogas output, while minimising energy input and avoiding grit deposition, for anaerobic sludge digesters operating with unconfined gas mixing of municipal wastewater sludge. We will simulate for the first time the complex relationships between hydrodynamic and biokinetic processes in anaerobic digestion to facilitate optimization of process design and operation. The final output will be a methodology for the robust, yet computationally efficient modelling of gas-mixed mixing in anaerobic digesters, together with a set of practitioner guidelines for the most efficient and effective design and operation of digestion systems which can be applied extensively worldwide to provide the maximum renewable energy benefit that can be derived from an anaerobic digestion plant. There are, therefore, tangible outputs and benefits for academics and practitioners to be derived from CoMAnDO. Whilst initially focussed on the water industry, it is believed that the new modelling methodology developed here could lead to the development and widespread adoption of a new class of simulation tools with applications in many other academic disciplines.This project falls within the EPSRC 'Water Engineering' theme, defined as "Design and optimisation of technologies relating to water resource management, treatment and distribution systems". It addresses EPSRC's stated Resilient, Healthy and Productive Nation Outcomes and specifically addresses several of EPSRC Ambitions; viz: R1: Achieve energy security and efficiency; R2: Ensure a reliable infrastructure which underpins the UK economy; R4: Manage resources efficiently and sustainably.