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Thesis defences

PhD Oral Exam - Nathan Curry, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Anaerobic Digestion CHP Solutions for the Urban and Rural Environments


Date & time
Friday, March 6, 2015
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Cost

This event is free

Organization

School of Graduate Studies

Contact

Sharon Carey
514-848-2424 ext. 3802

Where

Computer Science, Engineering and Visual Arts Integrated Complex
1515 St. Catherine W.
Room EV-11.119

Wheel chair accessible

Yes

When studying for a doctoral degree (PhD), candidates submit a thesis that provides a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the thesis subject as well as the student’s own contributions to the subject. The distinguishing criterion of doctoral graduate research is a significant and original contribution to knowledge.

Once accepted, the candidate presents the thesis orally. This oral exam is open to the public.

Abstract

Urban waste generation and disposal remains a major global issue. As the world’s population grows past the 7 billion mark and more people move to urban areas, the amount of waste generated will grow accordingly. The most common and widespread solution is landfilling, but landfills around the world are running out of space at an alarming rate. The most promising solutions to this problem are waste to energy technologies in the form of biological treatment of organics through anaerobic digestion and thermal decomposition via plasma arc gasification. These two technologies can be used in the urban environment separately or complimentarily to reduce the volume of the waste being processed while also generating heat and power (CHP) and reducing transportation costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

In this research, the feasibility of heating a small-scale anaerobic digester using an air source heat pump and solar heat gains from a greenhouse located on the roof of an urban building in Montreal, Canada, is investigated during the coldest time of the year. A heat loss model for the insulated tank was developed using measured data from National Resources Canada. A 3-D model of the proposed building and the neighboring buildings has been constructed and analyzed for the shadowing effect of surrounding buildings on solar radiation. The solar heat gains are transferred to the digester tank using an air source heat pump model during daylight hours. Small-scale implementation of anaerobic digestion systems is also investigated for the urban environment for backup and emergency power.

In addition, sizing and implementation concerns of connecting combined heat and power (CHP) biogas plants to the grid are investigated for the rural environment as a solution for increased grid blackouts caused by more frequent and more severe storms. Derating curves are determined for generators operating under extreme unbalanced load conditions in both the urban and rural environments. The benefits and disadvantages of induction and synchronous generator systems are presented for small to large-scale systems (20kW to 2000kW).

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