The test facility was designed and built to facilitate the automatic operation of a biogas plant even on a small technical scale. In order to achieve conditions more like those in industrial operation, the disadvantages of the usual batch process used in the laboratory are resolved. In addition, the automatic feed and continuous recording of relevant process measurement data result in inexpensive test operation.
It consists of a storage tank, a digester and a measuring station. The facility is controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC), which can vary the feeding process, bypass circulation and the agitation regime. The measurement data are stored in a PIMOS database and are analysed automatically.