Performance and thermoeconomic analysis of a biogas engine powered ventilation system for livestock building

Abstract

In this study, a biogas engine powered ventilation fan of a small swine farm was proposed. The research objective was to evaluate performance of, and apply a thermoeconomic analysis to an active ventilation system powered by a small biogas engine. Comparison was made against a gasoline engine and an electric motor. The engine used was a single-cylinder, four-stroke, spark ignited engine with capacity of 118 cm3. The biogas engine was found to be practically able to drive the ventilation fan with acceptable operation over a range of speeds and loads. At null price for biogas, the biogas engine proved to offer the lowest cost per product exergy unit at $0.054/MJ, which was considerably lower than the gasoline engine and electric motor.