Fish Keeping-Alive Box with Water Circulation and Filtration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for live fish transportation result in fish injury from direct contact with ice, inadequate oxygen levels, and poor water quality due to lack of circulation and filtration, leading to low survival rates during long-distance transport.
Innovation Solution
A high-density keeping-alive box with a water circulation system that includes a purification system, refrigerator, and aeration system to maintain oxygen levels and water quality, featuring sequential filtration and UV sterilization, and a transport method using emulsified Melissa officinalis essential oil to reduce stress and improve survival rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If fish are placed in PE bags with ice for transportation, then cooling effect is achieved, but fish are injured by direct contact with ice and ice melts failing to enable long-term cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a water circulation system with a refrigerator as an intermediary cooling device. Instead of direct ice contact, the refrigerator cools the water in which fish swim, providing indirect cooling that avoids injury while maintaining effective temperature control throughout the transportation period.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical ice-based cooling system with an electrical refrigerator-based water circulation cooling system. This substitution enables precise temperature control and continuous cooling without the drawbacks of ice melting and direct contact injury.
2Reliability
If PE bags are sealed for transportation, then fish are contained, but dissolved oxygen level becomes too low to keep fish alive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a continuous water circulation system that continuously supplies oxygenated water to the fish. The water pump circulates water through the purification system and back to the fish accommodation area, ensuring continuous oxygen supply and preventing oxygen depletion during sealed transportation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts harmful substances and replenishes oxygen through the purification system. The system removes carbon dioxide and other harmful gases from the water while simultaneously supplying fresh oxygen, maintaining adequate dissolved oxygen levels throughout the transportation process.
3Reliability
If water is stagnant in PE bags, then fish are contained, but water quality deteriorates with accumulation of toxic substances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous water circulation through a water pump that constantly moves water from the fish accommodation area through the purification system and back. This continuous circulation prevents stagnation, ensures consistent removal of toxic substances, and maintains water quality throughout the transportation period.
Solution Approach 2:
The purification system extracts harmful substances including ammonia nitrogen, nitrite, and carbon dioxide from the water. The system passes water through filtration media and chemical treatment stages that remove toxic substances while the water is in circulation, preventing accumulation that would threaten fish survival.
4Productivity
If high-density fish transportation is implemented, then transport efficiency is improved, but water quality control and oxygen supply become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple water quality control functions into an integrated system. The water circulation system combines filtration, chemical purification, aeration, and temperature control in a single unified apparatus, enabling comprehensive water quality management in a compact form suitable for high-density fish transportation.
Solution Approach 2:
The water circulation system performs multiple functions simultaneously: it filters particulates, removes dissolved toxins, aerates the water, controls temperature, and maintains water flow. This multi-functional system enables effective water quality control for high-density fish transport without requiring separate systems for each function.
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
The solution effectively maintains dissolved oxygen levels, improves water quality, and significantly increases fish survival rates during transportation by alleviating stress and reducing harmful substance accumulation, as evidenced by improved physiological and immune responses.
Implementation Method 1
The purification system comprises a primary filtration area, a secondary filtration area, an activated carbon filtration area and an ultraviolet (UV) sterilization area arranged sequentially
Implementation Method 2
the activated carbon filtration area is provided with activated carbon particles; a fourth hollowed-out baffle is provided between the activated carbon filtration area and the UV sterilization area; the UV sterilization area is provided with a UV lamp configured for sterilization
Implementation Method 3
the refrigerator is configured to cool the water passing from the fish accommodating area to the water circulation area to a desired temperature and maintain it
Implementation Method 4
the aeration system is configured to maintain a dissolved oxygen in the water in the fish accommodating area at a desired level
Data Source
AI summary
A high-density keeping-alive box for fish and a transport method using same. The keeping-alive box includes a box body and a cover assembly. The box body includes a fish accommodating area and a water circulation area. A cover of the cover assembly on the fish accommodating area is pivotedly connected to the box body, and is provided with a vent hole to prevent splash. A connection between the cover assembly and the box body is provided with a splash-proof rubber. The water circulation area is arranged at a side inside the box body. The water circulation area includes a purification system, a refrigerator and an aeration system arranged sequentially. The purification system includes a primary filtration area, a secondary filtration area, an activated carbon filtration area and an ultraviolet (UV) sterilization area.