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最常通过中温厌氧消化（AD）进行处理，其中污泥与厌氧细菌混合以降解可生物降解的材料并产生富含甲烷的沼气。沼气可以通过热电联产技术进行能源回收。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方面的作用的关注意味着仍然迫切需要优化消化池设计和混合，以最大限度地回收能源。混合对消化池性能至关重要。该项目CoMAnDO将使用高度创新的耦合流体动力学/厌氧消化数值模拟方法，以确定优化生物活性和沼气产量的混合制度和相关流型，同时最大限度地减少能量输入并避免砂砾沉积，用于厌氧污泥消化器，并与城市污水污泥的无限制气体混合。我们将首次模拟厌氧消化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。最后的输出将是一种方法，用于对厌氧消化器中的气体混合混合进行鲁棒且计算效率高的建模，以及一套用于最高效和最有效的消化系统设计和操作的从业者指南，这些消化系统可以在全球范围内广泛应用，以提供可以从厌氧消化厂获得的最大可再生能源效益。因此，CoMAnDO将为学术界和从业人员带来切实的产出和好处。虽然最初集中在水行业，它被认为是新的建模方法，在这里开发可以导致开发和广泛采用的一个新的类的仿真工具与应用程序在许多其他的学术disciplines.This项目属于福尔斯在EPSRC的“水工程”的主题，定义为“设计和优化技术有关的水资源管理，处理和分配系统”。它解决了EPSRC的规定弹性，健康和生产力的国家成果，并具体解决了EPSRC的几个抱负;即：R1：实现能源安全和效率; R2：确保可靠的基础设施，支撑英国经济; R4：有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.