Aquaculture Feed Pellet Transport Conduit with Reduced Pressure Zone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for transporting aquaculture feed pellets, such as pneumatic conveying, result in significant pellet degradation and dust formation, leading to feed loss and poor digestion efficiency in fish, while previous water-impregnation techniques face issues with bacterial contamination and energy inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus using a direct conduit with a reduced pressure zone to impregnate aquaculture feed pellets with water during transport, eliminating the need for pneumatic systems and preventing bacterial growth by using a non-circulating water flow, which can be either fresh or seawater, and utilizing a siphon arrangement to create the pressure reduction without a suction pump.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pneumatic conveying is used to transport feed pellets, then transportation efficiency is improved, but pellet degradation and dust formation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces pneumatic conveying with hydraulic conveying using a water stream to transport feed pellets through a conduit to the feeding site, eliminating the pellet degradation and dust formation caused by high-velocity air flow while maintaining efficient transportation
2Strength
If feed pellets are made hard and robust, then transportation durability is improved, but feed digestion efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by softening the feed pellets with a water stream during transportation before they reach the feeding site, so that the pellets are already in an optimal state for fish digestion when administered, eliminating the need for fish to consume additional ambient water
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the feed pellets from hard/dry to softened/water-impregnated by exposing them to a water stream during conveyance, transforming them into a state that is both durable during transport and digestible upon administration
3Productivity
If water-impregnation loop is used to soften pellets, then feed digestion is improved, but bacterial contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the water-impregnation function from a closed circulating loop and integrates it directly into the open-conduit transportation system, eliminating the stagnant water environment that promotes bacterial growth while maintaining the pellet-softening benefit
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a direct water stream as an intermediary that both transports and softens the pellets in a single continuous flow, avoiding the need for separate impregnation and transportation systems and eliminating bacterial contamination risks associated with recirculating water
4Productivity
If pneumatic blower is used to convey pellets to water-impregnation loop, then pellet softening is achieved, but pellet damage and dust formation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the conveyance function and the water-impregnation function into a single integrated process where the water stream both transports the pellets through the conduit and simultaneously softens them, eliminating the sequential pneumatic blower approach that causes pellet damage
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 method effectively softens feed pellets en route to the feeding site, reducing feed loss and bacterial contamination, while being energy-efficient and suitable for sea-based aquaculture facilities, enhancing feed utilization and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a direct conduit containing a flow of water arranged to transport aquaculture feed pellets to a feeding site without any circulation, wherein the direct conduit includes a reduced pressure zone thereby causing the aquaculture feed pellets to become impregnated with water
Implementation Method 2
utilizing a siphon arrangement to create the pressure reduction without a suction pump
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
An apparatus for impregnating aquaculture feed pellets with water, comprising: a direct conduit (4) containing a flow of water arranged to transport aquaculture feed pellets to a feeding site (6); wherein the direct conduit (4) includes a reduced pressure zone (8) thereby causing the aquaculture feed pellets to become impregnated with water. The direct conduit (4) including a reduced pressure zone (8) assists with transportation of the feed pellets to their destination with low production of fines. Additionally there is no problem of fines building up and allowing bacterial growth within the conduit. In preferred forms a siphon effect can be used to assist transportation, thus reducing energy consumption.