Feed Pad Leachate Channel and Clean Water Diversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current feed pad systems face high costs due to the need to collect and treat 100% of rainwater and snowmelt as leachate, with existing solutions failing to effectively prevent rainwater from contacting feed and becoming leachate, leading to costly pumping and leachate management issues.
Innovation Solution
A feed storage area design featuring a feed pad with a leachate channel and a feed barrier that covers the feed pile, with the barrier's edge extending over the leachate channel to prevent rainwater from mixing with leachate, and a clean water channel to collect and divert clean runoff, allowing for efficient separation of leachate and clean water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rainwater is collected and treated as leachate according to regulatory requirements, then compliance with environmental regulations is achieved, but operational costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments water collection into two distinct pathways: a leachate channel for contaminated water and a clean water channel for rainwater runoff. This segmentation allows selective collection and treatment, complying with regulations for leachate while excluding clean rainwater from costly pumping and treatment operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The feed barrier serves as an intermediary structure that physically separates the feed pile from the leachate channel while allowing the clean water channel to collect runoff. This intermediary structure enables differentiation between contaminated and clean water paths, reducing overall treatment requirements.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If plastic covers are placed over feed piles to prevent contact with rainwater, then leachate generation is reduced, but rainwater shedding off the plastic must still be collected as leachate
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by directing different water flows to different channels based on their contamination status. Rainwater shedding off plastic covers is captured by the clean water channel and excluded from leachate collection, while only water actually contacting feed is directed to the leachate channel.
3Reliability
If all rainwater contacting the feed pad is collected as leachate, then complete regulatory compliance is achieved, but costs increase to over $250,000 annually for large scale farms
Solution Approach 1:
The dual-channel system segments water collection to treat only the necessary portion (leachate) while excluding clean rainwater, dramatically reducing the quantity of water requiring expensive pumping and treatment operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The clean water channel extracts and removes clean rainwater from the collection system before it can be mixed with leachate, preventing unnecessary inclusion of clean water in the treatment process and reducing overall treatment volume.
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 design significantly reduces the cost of leachate management by preventing rainwater from becoming leachate, allowing for the collection and utilization of clean water runoff, thereby lowering annual costs associated with leachate treatment and pumping.
Implementation Method 1
a feed barrier configured to cover a feed pile on top of the feed pad, with an edge of the feed barrier configured to be positioned on top of the leachate channel and extend past the leachate channel
Implementation Method 2
at least one leachate channel arranged adjacent to the feed pad
Implementation Method 3
a clean water channel to collect and divert clean runoff
Data Source
AI summary
A feed storage arrangement for use with a sheet like feed barrier, the storage arrangement comprising at least one elongated leachate channel having an outlet end; and at least a first feed pad section extending along at least a portion of a length dimension of the leachate channel, the first pad section including first and second lateral edges and upper and lower edges wherein the first lateral edge is located proximate the leachate channel, the second edge is spaced apart from the first edge, the upper edge is proximate the outlet end of the leachate channel, and the lower edge is opposite and spaced from the upper edge, the first pad section sloped downward starting at the second edge and toward the first edge, wherein, with feed supported on the first pad section adjacent the leachate channel, the feed barrier is positionable on top of the feed with an edge portion extending over the leachate channel to a side of the leachate channel opposite the first pad section.