Validation of Novel Wobbe Index Sensor for Biogas Cogeneration

Biogas is a fuel made from the anaerobic digestion of organic material to form methane. It can be used to power a stationary engine to generate electricity making it a viable method of decentralised power generation from renewables. However, biogas is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, and other trace gases such as hydrogen, hydrogen sulphide and oxygen. As such the quality can vary and setting the air-fuel ratio for efficient combustion can be problematic under these conditions. The Wobbe Index, or Wobbe Number, is a quality of combustible gases that allows the air-fuel requirement to be determined. This work presents a novel type of Wobbe Index sensor based on a miniaturised capillary viscometer that can be used with biogas. The sensor is validated at a biogas cogeneration plant which uses a stationary engine and the results are compared to a methane sensor installed at the plant.