Future energy systems necessitate dispatchable renewable energy to balance electrical grids with high shares of intermittent renewables. Biogas from anaerobic digestion (AD) can generate electricity on-demand. High-rate methanogenic reactors, such as the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB), can react quicker to variations in feeding as compared to traditional AD systems. In this study, experimental trials validated the feasibility of operating the UASB in a demand-driven manner. The UASB was operated with leachate produced from a hydrolysis reactor treating grass silage. The UASB demonstrated a high degree of flexibility in responding to variable feeding regimes. The intra-day biogas production rate could be increased by up to 123% under 4 hours in demand-driven operation, without significant deterioration in performance. A model based on kinetic analysis was developed to help align demand-driven operation with the grid. The findings suggest significant opportunities for UASBs to provide positive and negative balance to the power grid.

未来的能源系统需要可调度的可再生能源，以平衡电网与间歇性可再生能源的高比例。厌氧消化（AD）产生的沼气可以按需发电。与传统 AD 系统相比，上流式厌氧污泥床 (UASB) 等高速产甲烷反应器可以更快地对进料变化做出反应。在本研究中，实验验证了以需求驱动方式运行 UASB 的可行性。UASB 使用处理青贮饲料的水解反应器产生的渗滤液进行操作。UASB 在应对不同的喂养方式方面表现出高度的灵活性。在需求驱动的运行下，日内沼气产量在4小时内可提高高达123%，且性能不会明显恶化。开发了基于动力学分析的模型，以帮助将需求驱动的运营与电网结合起来。研究结果表明，UASB 有很大机会为电网提供正负平衡。