Offshore Fish Feeding Boat with Rehydrated Feed Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fish feeding systems in offshore fish farms distribute dry feed, leading to waste and inefficiency, especially on windy days, and require time-consuming and fuel-intensive boat maneuvering.
Innovation Solution
A boat structure with a hull, collector buoy, and suction system that stores feed in containers, uses a turbine to create a vacuum for pneumatic suction into silos, mixes with seawater, and supplies rehydrated feed to cages via submersible pumps and supply pipes, reducing waste and improving efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If dry feed is distributed using air cannons, then feeding operation is simple, but feed waste increases and fish receive unnatural feed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of feed from dry to rehydrated form by introducing seawater into the feed pellets through the suction system. This parameter change allows feed to be delivered in a more natural state that reduces waste while maintaining operational simplicity through automated pumping and distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a hybrid pneumatic-hydraulic system where seawater is pumped through hoses to rehydrate feed, and the mixture is then distributed using pneumatic pressure. This combination allows efficient feed delivery with reduced waste compared to traditional dry air-cannon methods.
2Device complexity
If dry feed is distributed using air cannons, then feeding system is simple, but feed disperses out of cage on windy days
Solution Approach 1:
By changing feed from dry pellets to rehydrated form with higher water content, the feed becomes more cohesive and less susceptible to wind dispersion. The increased moisture content creates a stickier, more unified feed mass that remains contained within the cage during distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The controlled pneumatic-hydraulic delivery system allows precise regulation of feed flow and pressure, enabling feed to be delivered gently into the cage without excessive force that would cause dispersion, while still maintaining distribution efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If boat maneuvers to each cage for feeding, then feed can be delivered directly, but time and fuel consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the feeding system into modular components: the boat serves as a mobile feed production unit, while each cage is equipped with its own suction inlet and distribution hoses. This segmentation allows simultaneous feeding of multiple cages from a single boat position, eliminating the need for repeated boat maneuvers.
Solution Approach 2:
The boat is designed with universal feeding capabilities that can service multiple cages simultaneously through a network of hoses and suction points. The same pumping and distribution system can deliver feed to any or all connected cages, making the boat a multi-functional feeding platform that reduces overall operation time.
4Ease of manufacture
If feed is delivered dry in pellet form, then storage and handling is easy, but fish do not receive natural feed
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the physical parameters of feed by controlling the amount of seawater introduced during suction and delivery. Feed can be delivered in various hydration states depending on fish needs, maintaining naturalness when required while preserving storage ease when feed is kept dry in the boat's hold.
Solution Approach 2:
Feed is prepared and stored in dry form in advance for easy handling and storage, then rehydrated immediately before delivery to the cages. This preliminary preparation allows the system to maintain feed in optimal storage condition while ensuring natural hydrated feed reaches the fish, resolving the contradiction between storage ease and feed naturalness.
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 delivers feed in a natural, rehydrated form, reduces waste and time spent on feeding, and ensures reliable and safe operations by simultaneously feeding multiple cages with minimal boat movement, reducing environmental impact and stress on fish.
Implementation Method 1
said turbine assembly creating a vacuum inside said silos
Implementation Method 2
said feed being sucked by pneumatic floating from said containers until it reaches said silos above the wells
Implementation Method 3
said feed in said well mixed with sea water being sucked by said submersible pump
Implementation Method 4
said feed being collected by said suction pipe and conveyed to said silos from where it descends by gravity into each well
Data Source
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AI summary
Boat structure for feeding cages (10) of offshore fish farms, characterized in that it comprises a hull (2) and a collector and mooring buoy (9); said hull (2) housing containers (3) for the storage of feed and a series of silos (4) arranged in correspondence with respective wells (5) formed in said hull and open at the bottom; said structure further comprising a feed suction system consisting of suction pipes (6) connected to said containers (3) and to said silos (4) through which the feed is sucked from the containers (3) and brought to the silos (4) by the action of a turbine assembly (7); said structure further comprising a feed supply system consisting of supply pipes (8) connected to each well (5) and to a submersible pump; said supply pipes (8) leading to said collector and mooring buoy (9) and departing from it to reach respective cages (10) to be supplied with said feed;said turbine assembly (7) creating a vacuum inside said silos (4) and said feed being sucked by pneumatic floating from said containers (3) until it reaches said silos (4) above the wells (5); said feed being collected by said suction pipe (6) and conveyed into said silos (4) from where it descends by gravity into each well (5); said feed in said well (5), mixed with sea water, being sucked by said submersible pump and, through said supply pipes (8), being introduced into each of said cages (10) in a rehydrated form.