The EnviroSim team is pleased to announce the release of BioWin 5.2.
BioWin 5.2 contains many exciting new updates that build upon the energy and operating cost features first introduced in BioWin 5.0, further expanding its capability as a plant management tool, and for comparing design alternatives.A more comprehensive description of the upgrade may be found in a What's New in BioWin 5.2 in PDF format.
BioWin 5.2 highlights include:
- Power - Expanded tracking in flowsheet elements
- Power - New & Improved Output Functionality
- Heating Requirements - New & Improved Output Functionality
- Choose between heating methods
- Choose how biogas is used
- Costing Calculations - Fuel consumption, option to sell biogas, and sludge disposal
- Track sludge disposal costs on a unit volume basis
- General usability improvements
- Instructions for Annual License Customers
- Instructions for Perpetual License Customers
- Instructions for Academic License Customers
- Download BioWin 5.2
Power - Expanded tracking in flowsheet elements
The ability to track / calculate power use in all flowsheet elements has been expanded. All elements can track power demand on either a unit volume/flow basis, or a direct user-input kW (or hp) basis. Each of these options can be constant, or vary with time. Additionally, sludge output elements now have the ability to track power demand on either a unit flow basis, or a direct user-input kW (or hp) basis.
Power - New & Improved Output Functionality
Two new outputs related to power requirements have been added to BioWin 5.2:
- You can add pre-defined air supply group (i.e. blower) tables to the album. These tables show the breakdown of power requirements for different air supply groups that have been defined, along with various calculated values used in the blower power calculations (e.g. intake pressure, discharge pressure, intake airflow).
- You can add a chart that shows the peak 15-minute power demand for each month over the most recent 12 months of simulation; this facilitates calculating and checking demand charges for the subsequent month.
Furthermore, BioWin 5.2 pre-defined power tables and charts have been rationalized and expanded to improve clarity. When creating power tables and charts, you now have the option to include “system wide” parameters such as HVAC as separate line items.
Heating Requirements - New & Improved Output Functionality
The heating power requirement is determined for Anaerobic Digester and Thermal Hydrolysis flowsheet elements. Typically, the main component of the heating power is the amount of energy required to heat an influent stream to the desired operating temperature specified in the Anaerobic Digester and/or Thermal Hydrolysis unit elements. Additional heating power may be required in an Anaerobic Digester element to overcome a specified digester heat loss. A new feature for BioWin 5.2 is that the anaerobic digester heat loss can vary with time. The heating power requirement is provided from a fuel or electrical source [see later], but there are also options in BioWin for heating power recovery within the Anaerobic Digester and Thermal Hydrolysis Unit elements. The heat recovery option for anaerobic digesters is a new BioWin 5.2 feature.
When the option to include a heat exchanger is specified, BioWin assumes that the hot digester (or THU) output stream is used to heat the cool incoming stream in a counter-current heat exchanger. Users can enter the efficiency of the exchanger as well as the temperature difference between the heat exchanger’s hot exit stream and cold entry stream. A schematic representing the difference in temperature between the hot exit and cold entry streams for the heat exchanger is shown below:
Choose between heating methods
Another new BioWin 5.2 feature is that it is now possible to choose between two heating methods for anaerobic digesters and thermal hydrolysis units:
- Electrical heating which will incur an electricity cost, or
- Heating via an external fuel source used in a boiler (e.g. natural gas, heating oil, diesel, or a custom fuel) which will incur a cost for fuel
Choose how biogas is used
BioWin 5.2 also allows you to choose how biogas generated in an anaerobic digester is used. The overall multiple options for biogas use are shown in the following diagram (and options for additional heating needs are identified):
Digester biogas may be used in three main ways:
- Using the biogas in a Combined Heat & Power (CHP) engine. This pathway includes options for selling all or left-over generated power; using or selling non-waste heat, and the method used for additional digester heating if required (i.e. electrical or use of external fuel).
- Burning the biogas in a boiler for heating and supplementing via electrical or external fuel sources if insufficient gas is available. If there is any excess biogas after satisfying heating demands, there is an option to sell it.
- Either flaring off or selling all of the gas. For either option, the method used for digester heating (i.e. electrical or use of external fuel) must be specified.
Costing Calculations - Fuel consumption, option to sell biogas, and sludge disposal
The ability to track / calculate power use in all flowsheet elements has been expanded. BioWin 5.2’s ability to track fuel consumption that may be associated with anaerobic digester and/or thermal hydrolysis unit heating required the addition of a new cost tracking category. In addition to the three categories tracked by BioWin 5.0 (energy consumption, chemical consumption, sludge disposal), BioWin 5.2 adds a fourth category - boiler fuel consumption. Users can specify costs, energy content, and liquid density for a variety of heating fuels via the Project > Costs/Energy > Fuel/Chemical menu.
In BioWin 5.0, you could sell CHP-generated power back to the grid, as well as CHP-generated heat. BioWin 5.2 adds a third sellable item - anaerobic digester biogas. As with CHP power and heat sales, sale of digester-generated biogas will show up as a cost credit (negative cost) in cost charts and tables.
Track sludge disposal costs on a unit volume basis
Finally, BioWin 5.2 adds the ability to track sludge disposal costs on a unit volume basis in addition to BioWin 5.0’s unit mass basis.
General usability improvements
In addition to the new features above, a number of usability improvements have been made, including:
- Pop-up hints have been added to clarify pipe minor loss calculations in pump flowsheet elements.
- The ability to plot aeration parameters alpha and beta has been added to the general time and current value series dialogue boxes.
- If a CHP engine is associated with an anaerobic digester element, red text is shown in the fly-by pane as a visual indicator.
- Improved handling of how BioWin Album tables and charts are added to the BioWin Notes editor via the right-click “Add to notes” command. For example, tables are automatically formatted before being pasted to the Notes editor and tables with many columns are automatically divided into smaller tables that will fit the Notes editor.
Download BioWin 5.2
You can download the full installation for BioWin 5.2 using the link below.
NOTE : BioWin Updater will not automatically upgrade BioWin 5.1 or earlier versions to BioWin 5.2. You MUST run the full installation from the link provided. Thereafter the BioWin Updater will always be checking that your files are up to date :
Other important items to note:
- The upgrade to 5.2 will not affect older BioWin versions (BioWin 5.1 and earlier) which are separate applications. This means that users can keep their older copies of BioWin.
- We are emailing the registered contact for specific BioWin serial number(s). If an organization has multiple copies or users of BioWin, we would be pleased if the registered contact can advise other users of this new version and these upgrade instructions.
Annual License Customers
Annual license customers can now upgrade to BioWin 5.2; releases and upgrades are included in the annual lease and distributed electronically. Instructions on how to electronically upgrade to BioWin 5.2 can be found here.
Perpetual License Customers
Perpetual license customers who purchased after February 1, 2016 will be emailed instructions on how to electronically upgrade to BioWin 5.2 free of charge. If you have not received your upgrade email, please contact us. Customers who purchased BioWin prior to February 1, 2016 may order an upgrade here.
Academic Licenses
Academic licenses can now be upgraded to BioWin 5.2; releases and upgrades are included in the annually renewed license and distributed electronically. Instructions on how to electronically upgrade to BioWin 5.2 can be found here.
Enjoy your new BioWin 5.2. We look forward to your feedback.