An experimental system for the recovery, accumulation, and utilization of heat generated by bamboo chip biodegradation using a small-scale apparatus

Abstract

We performed experiments using a small, laboratory-scale apparatus for validating a system of recovery, accumulation, and utilization of the heat generated by bamboo chip biodegradation. This system is based on the effective use of biomass resources and is needed to support industrial progress in low population regions such as Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. This paper is the first attempt at quantifying the use of heat to warm an aquaculture pond. Although conduction is the main heat transfer mechanism in the bamboo chip pile, physical models of heat conduction are mathematically complex. Therefore, we considered the heat conduction effects concentrated around the heat extraction pipe embedded in the bamboo chip pile, and obtained relatively simple analytical solutions for the temperature in the bamboo chip pile, water reservoir for heat accumulation, and conceptual fishpond (i.e., a heat utilization subsystem). Based on the experiment's results and the simplified model, we discussed the validity of the comprehensible heat transfer model and the feasibility of the proposed system.