Subsurface Aquaculture Transfer Assembly for Temperature Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aquaculture systems face challenges in maintaining optimal environmental conditions, particularly temperature, during the transfer of marine life between different developmental stages due to the large and spaced nature of tanks, which can lead to environmental disruptions and inefficient growth.
Innovation Solution
A transfer assembly with a subsurface path of fluid flow interconnecting storage facilities, positioned beneath independent ground levels to shield from ambient weather and heat transfer from the water table, ensuring consistent temperature and environmental conditions for marine life transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If tanks are spaced far apart to accommodate large-scale aquaculture operations, then production capacity is improved, but temperature control during transfer deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transfer tank as an intermediary component between the rearing tank and storage tank. This transfer tank serves as a buffer that maintains stable environmental conditions while marine life is being transferred. The transfer tank is equipped with its own heating and cooling systems, allowing it to compensate for temperature fluctuations that occur during transfer, thus resolving the contradiction between large spacing for production capacity and temperature control stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer tank is equipped with self-contained temperature control systems including heating elements and cooling coils that can independently regulate temperature without requiring constant intervention from the main system. This self-service capability allows the transfer tank to maintain stable temperatures autonomously during the transfer process, addressing the temperature control issue while maintaining large tank spacing for high production capacity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tanks are disposed in spaced relation, then system scalability is improved, but environmental condition maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the aquaculture system into functionally independent segments: rearing tanks, transfer tanks, and storage tanks. Each segment is equipped with its own environmental control systems. This segmentation allows tanks to be spaced far apart for scalability while each tank independently maintains its environmental conditions, resolving the contradiction between system scalability and environmental condition maintenance reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer tank acts as an intermediary that decouples the environmental requirements of the rearing and storage tanks. It provides a buffer zone that can maintain stable conditions during transfer operations, allowing the main tanks to be spaced far apart for scalability without compromising the reliability of environmental condition maintenance in either the source or destination tank.
3Device complexity
If transfer path is exposed to ambient weather, then system simplicity is improved, but temperature stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer tank serves as a protected intermediary chamber that shields marine life from ambient weather conditions during transfer. By providing this intermediate protected space, the system maintains temperature stability without requiring complex enclosed transfer paths between tanks, thus resolving the contradiction between system simplicity and temperature stability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution maintains the desired temperature range for marine life transfer between developmental stages, enhancing growth and flavor quality while minimizing environmental impact and operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
positioned beneath independent ground levels to shield from ambient weather and heat transfer from the water table
Implementation Method 2
positioned beneath independent ground levels to shield from ambient weather and heat transfer from the water table
Data Source
AI summary
A system for transferring marine life within an aquaculture facility including a plurality of segregated storage facilities each containing water for marine life, maintained within a predetermined temperature range and supported at independent ground levels. The storage facilities are successively disposed and structured to contain marine life at different stages of growth. A transfer assembly includes a path of fluid flow interconnecting successive ones of said plurality of storage facilities in fluid communication with one another, wherein at least a majority of a length of said path of fluid flow is disposed beneath the independent ground levels at a predetermined depth, which is sufficient to facilitate maintenance of the path of fluid flow within the predetermined temperature range, via geothermal cooling.