Centrifugal Pump Inlet Segmentation for Gentle Fish Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fish pumping and transportation systems cause stress and damage to fish due to inefficient design, leading to reduced quality and welfare, with existing solutions failing to adequately address issues of compression, pump design, and fluid dynamics.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a pump with a horizontal inlet and straining box, utilizing a biomass detector to control the flow of water and fish, and a centrifugal pump with a specifically designed impeller to minimize damage, ensuring continuous and gentle transport with reduced stress on the fish.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If fish are pumped and transported using conventional centrifugal pumps, then pumping efficiency is improved, but fish welfare and quality deteriorate due to stress, injury, and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The pump inlet is divided into multiple separate inlet openings arranged around the impeller, with each inlet serving a specific zone. This segmentation allows fish to enter the pump through multiple pathways, reducing congestion and stress while maintaining pumping efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the pump are designed with different properties: the inlet zones are optimized for gentle fish entry, the impeller blades are shaped to minimize injury, and the outlet is designed for efficient discharge. This local optimization ensures that each part of the system addresses specific needs of fish transport.
2Productivity
If pump velocity and pressure are increased to improve transport speed, then productivity increases, but fish injury and mortality increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system allows for dynamic adjustment of operating parameters such as speed and flow rate. The variable speed drive enables the pump to operate at optimal speeds for different fish sizes and transport distances, preventing excessive velocity that could cause injury while maintaining efficient transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key operating parameters including impeller speed, inlet pressure, and flow rate based on fish characteristics and transport requirements. By optimizing these parameters rather than using fixed high values, the system achieves efficient transport without causing fish injury.
3Productivity
If pump compression is increased to improve pumping efficiency, then productivity improves, but fish welfare deteriorates due to stress and compression damage
Solution Approach 1:
The compression function is distributed across multiple inlet zones and impeller blades rather than concentrated in a single high-pressure zone. This distributed compression approach reduces peak stress on individual fish while maintaining overall pumping efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump design includes cushioning features such as rounded inlet edges, gradual pressure transitions, and protective barriers that prevent direct impact and compression. These cushioning elements are built into the pump structure to protect fish before they encounter high-pressure zones.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If pump design is optimized for fish welfare with gentler mechanisms, then fish quality improves, but pumping efficiency and productivity may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The pump design achieves multi-functionality by simultaneously optimizing for fish welfare and pumping efficiency. The same impeller design that gently transports fish also maintains high pumping performance, eliminating the need to choose between welfare and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces harsh mechanical compression and high-velocity impact mechanisms with gentler fluid dynamics-based transport. By using optimized flow patterns and pressure distributions rather than direct mechanical force, the system achieves both fish welfare and pumping efficiency.
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 system ensures better fish welfare, reduces mortality, and minimizes damage during the pumping process by controlling fish flow and using a gentle transport mechanism, maintaining stable pump capacity while reducing fish velocity and stress.
Implementation Method 1
A centrifugal pump uses a rotating impeller arranged in a pump housing to increase the pressure in a liquid. As the impeller starts to rotate, the water is discharged to the side and conducted through the pump housing in which the impeller is mounted, to an outlet of the pump. In the center of the impeller, a suction will then be formed where new water will flow in. Fish and water are fed into the center of the pump and thrown to the side via the impeller.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a system for pumping and transporting a liquid containing solid bodies, where the system comprises a pump connected to a driving device, a suction line arranged between the pump and a volume containing liquid and solid bodies to be pumped and transported, a straining box, a receiving unit and a pipeline for transport of solid bodies, where the pump further comprises a horizontal inlet comprising an expanded region of diameter for reception of an end of the suction line with a diameter, and a linear, substantially vertical outlet which leads into a bottom of the straining box, where the straining box further comprises an outlet for a first pipeline connected to the expanded region of the inlet and a second pipeline connected to the volume containing liquid and solid bodies. The invention provides for gentle pumping and transport of fish.