China: Graphic of the basic Chinese design – all digestion and most gas storage in one masonry tank (~ 1986)
China: Early stone and brick construction (~late 1970s)
China: Early cement construction (~early 1980s)
China: 10 cu m family digester, 1987 – Outside-wall, circle finishing tool – in preparation for new digester construction. The outside earthen wall provides the outside form for concrete digester pour.
China: 10 cu m family digester, 1987 – Pouring concrete into steel slip form for lower portion of digester tank. Note precast inlet in place and center pulley system.
China: 10 cu m family digester, 1987 – Strengthening joint between vertical sides and dome. Note steel dome sections.
China: 10 cu m family digester, 1987 – Forming the digester dome. Note thickness of mix, bricks for thickness gauge, center manhole, center pulley system.
China: 10 cu m family digester, 1987 – Manhole tightness testing. Note backfill to ground level, cover housing, cover.
China: 10 cu m family digester, 1987 – External ferro-cement gas holders floating on water wells.
China: Henan [State] Solar Energy Research Institute, 1987 – Digester monometers (pressure gauges) and gas meters, commercial biogas burners.
China: Henan [State] Solar Energy Research Institute, 1987 – Senior researcher with supplies.
China: Henan [State] Solar Energy Research Institute, 1987 – Bench research digesters.
China: Henan [State] Solar Energy Research Institute, 1987 – Compression testing unit.
China: Henan [State] Solar Energy Research Institute, 1987 – Biogas courtyard with covers of several buried digesters.
China: Side-by-side comparison of a biogas lamp and a 40 watt electric bulb. (1987)
China: Digester cover of a village family digester system in pig and chicken pen – sealed cover underneath. (1987)
China: Sealed digester cover for one family system along a common village path. (1987)
China: Nanyang Distillery digestion systems, 1987 – Two, 20-year-old, 2000 cu meter, concrete-covered, plug-flow digesters feed one-third of the solids from sweet potato distillation.
China: Nanyang Distillery digestion systems. 1987 – Same digesters, providing one-third of the distillery’s process energy, and a view of the city of Nanyang.
China: Nanyang Distillery digestion systems, 1987 – Gas piping for apartments housing distillery employees.
China: Nanyang Distillery digestion systems, 1987 – Gas piping and equipment in employee’s apartment kitchen.
China: Nanyang Distillery digestion systems, 1987 – Large biogas burner beneath a very large wok for drying tea. Please click on image for a larger view
China: Nanyang Distillery digestion systems, 1987 – One of two new 5000 cu m, full-mix digesters to manage the remaining two-thirds of the distillery residues.
China: Nanyang Distillery digestion systems, 1987 – From the top of one new digester toward the other.
China: Nanyang Distillery digestion systems, 1987 – Gas storage for the new digesters. To provide gas to 30,000 nearby households… to replace coal briquets. I wanted to do some air pollution studies in the area – But alas….
China: Biogas powered tractors. (1987) [I suggest that adequate liquid biofuels can be developed and that biogas is more appropriate for stationary needs.]
China: A double-pronged, twist-release pitch fork. (1987)
