Aquaculture Raceway Ejector Circulation System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Land-based aquaculture faces challenges such as high energy costs for seawater pumping, oxygen deficiency due to power failures, and maintenance issues from sedimentation of faeces and uneaten feed, which affect water quality and efficiency in recirculating systems.
Innovation Solution
A longitudinal flow installation with a return conduit that recirculates water using an ejector pump, incorporating a submerged, organism-excluding element and a skimmer to maintain laminar flow, reduce energy consumption, and allow for oxygen enrichment without movable parts, enabling operation without electric power and minimizing maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If water is pumped from the outlet to the inlet in an external conduit, then water circulation is achieved, but energy consumption increases due to pumping requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an ejector pump installed in the return conduit to circulate water from the outlet back to the inlet. The ejector utilizes hydraulic principles to create a self-sustaining circulation system that reduces external pumping energy requirements while maintaining reliable water circulation through the raceway.
Solution Approach 2:
The ejector pump system enables the water circulation system to serve itself by using the kinetic energy of the incoming water flow to drive the return flow. This self-service mechanism reduces the need for continuous external power input while maintaining effective water circulation throughout the system.
2Productivity
If water flow is increased to transport faeces and uneaten feed to the outlet, then waste removal efficiency improves, but energy consumption for pumping increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ejector pump creates a hydraulic circulation system that maintains sufficient water flow velocity to transport waste materials to the outlet while using the water's own kinetic energy to drive circulation, thereby reducing external pumping energy requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system optimizes water flow parameters by adjusting the ejector pump performance to achieve the minimum necessary flow velocity for effective waste transport. This parameter optimization allows the system to maintain productivity while minimizing energy consumption by avoiding excessive flow rates.
3Reliability
If pumps are used to circulate water, then water circulation is maintained, but the system becomes vulnerable to power failures
Solution Approach 1:
The ejector pump system is designed to operate autonomously using the kinetic energy of the incoming water flow. This self-service capability allows the system to maintain water circulation without continuous external power supply, making it resilient to power failures while preserving reliable circulation functionality.
4Use of energy by moving object
If a return conduit is added to recirculate water, then energy consumption is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The return conduit is integrated within the existing raceway structure, merging the water circulation function with the housing structure. This integration approach reduces overall system complexity by eliminating the need for separate external conduits and pumps, while still achieving effective water recirculation and energy savings.
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 solution achieves low energy consumption, high water oxygenation, and efficient maintenance by recirculating water with a strong current, reducing energy costs and eliminating the need for emergency power units while maintaining water quality and utilizing the entire footprint for aquatic organism breeding.
Implementation Method 1
The ejector is operated by means of a pump providing the ejector with fresh water or a mixture of fresh water and water being pumped from the raceway. The ejector is placed in the return conduit in such a manner that the ejector establishes a water flow in the return conduit in the direction of the inlet portion of the raceway.
Implementation Method 2
The ejector is provided with an induction opening facing the atmosphere, whereby air is mixed into the water in the return conduit.
Implementation Method 3
The return conduit is sufficiently wide and sufficiently long for surplus nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide to diffuse out of the water and into the atmosphere before the water is conducted into the raceway at the inlet portion thereof.
Implementation Method 4
Faeces and uneaten feed are removed from the longitudinal flow installation in the same skimmer.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Longitudinal flow installation (1) for farming of aquatic organisms, wherein the longi- tudinal flow installation (1) comprises a raceway (2); wherein the raceway (2) is struc- tured to be filled with water for allowing aquatic organisms to be accommodated; wherein the raceway (2) comprises an inlet portion (21) for water and an outlet por- tion (23) for water, and the outlet portion (23) is provided with a first drain (7) for the water; wherein the longitudinal flow installation (1) is provided with a fluid supply (41, 45) for allowing oxygen to be supplied to the water, and wherein the longitudinal flow installation (1) is further provided with at least one return conduit (3) for circulation of the water in the raceway (2), wherein the return conduit (3), in an inlet portion (31) and an outlet portion (33) thereof, is provided with a submerged, water flow-through and organism-excluding element (35, 39).