Energy Balance Analysis for Integrated Energy Production System from Water Hyacinth Operated with no Electricity Supply

Abstract

The aims of this paper are to investigate the energy balance on an integrated energy production system using water hyacinth as biomass fuel with no electricity supply to the system. The conceptual framework of the present study is to use water hyacinth as primary energy source input into gasifier through the gasification process. The producer gas produced will be used as energy input to drive the other parts of the system that be connected with the gasifier. The integrated energy production system comprise of three main parts such as (1) collection system of fresh water hyacinth from canal or river (2) briquetting system of water hyacinth and (3) gasification system using briquetted water hyacinth as biomass fuel. Based on the concept of the system that will be operated with no electricity supply to the system, thus every engines of the production system will be driven with the producer gas. The investigation was conducted based on the calculation of energy balance in the system. The calculation results based on the average value of biomass gasification rate showed that the gasifier with the capacity of 100 kg/hr can produce the producer gas at the rate of 300 m3/hr. And the total amount of the producer gas required to operate the engines installed within the system are 165.75 m3/hr in which equivalent with the amount of briquetted water hyacinth around 55 kg/hr. Thus from the energy balance analysis found that the producer gas produced from the gasifier with the capacity of 100 kg/hr can supply the energy to drive all engines installed at the site. Moreover there are the extra amount of water hyacinth briquettes produced from the system around 45 kilogram per hour.