AN ENGINEERS DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DETAILS FOR SEVERAL CLASSROOM AQUACULTURE/AQUAPONICS SYSTEMS James M. Ebeling, Ph.D. Research Engineer Aquaculture Systems Technologies, LLC Michael B. Timmons, Ph.D. Professor Dept. of Bio. & Environ. Eng. Cornell University Paul G. Hightower Research Biologist Aquaculture Systems Technologies, LLC
Overview of Unit Operations CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL AERATION AIR/OXYGEN DISINFECTION Fish Culture Tank FINE & DISSOLVED SOLIDS REMOVAL HYDROPONICS SLUDGE WASTE SOLIDS REMOVAL BIOFILTRATION NITRIFICATION MONITORING & SYSTEM CONTROL SLUDGE BIOSECURITY Transfer AA-2012
Transfer AA-2012 Overview of Unit Operations HYDROPONICS RAFT NFT RECIPROCATING
Anything that holds water Fish Culture Tank
Cornell type Dual-Drain Culture Tanks Fish Culture Tank "RULE OF THUMB" Dual-Drain Design Dia:Depth = 3:1 to 6:1 15 to 25% through center drain 75 to 85% through sidewall discharge
Circulation Drains / Pumped Return Lines Fish Culture Tank "RULE OF THUMB" Circulation Fry/Fingerlings 15 to 30 Min HRT Growout 30 to 45 min HRT Broodstock 60 min HRT Purging 1 to 2 Tank exhanges per day Maximum Flow (gpm) Pipe Dia Drain Line Pumped Return (inches) (1 to 2 fps) (< 5 fps) 1/2 1 5 3/4 2 10 1 5 15 1.5 10 30 2 20 50 3 45 125 4 75 200 6 150 500
Predicting Fish Growth Fish Culture Tank Weight = function (length) 3 Growth = function (Temperature) Wt lbs = CF L 10 3 inches 6 Growth = Inches month = T T TU base base "RULE OF THUMB" Weight vs Length CF trout = 400 CF tilapia = 760 CF perch = 490 CF striped bass = 720 Trout Tilapia Perch T base 32 65 50 TU base 28 15 25 T max 72 85 75
Fish Culture Density Fish Culture Tank D = density C L density "RULE OF THUMB" Fish Culture Density D density Density in kg/m 3 (lbs/ft 3 ) L C density Length of fish in cm (inches) tilapia: 0.24 for L in cm (1.5 for L in inches) trout: 0.32 (2.0) perch: 0.40 (2.5) hybrid striped bass: 0.45 (2.8)
Settable Solids Removal Settling basins 1 lb of feed 0.30 lbs of Solids "RULE OF THUMB" Settling Basin Design basin floor area of 1 ft 2 per gpm of flow use 10 inch wide weirs and use rounded edges maximize length of settling chamber as much as possible
Settable Solids Removal Swirl separators/ Radial Flow Clarifers "RULE OF THUMB" Radial FlowDesign Surface-loading rate for the radial-flow settler 4.6 gpm/ft 2 of settling area
Suspended Solids Removal Screen filtration Pressurized bead filters Propeller Washed Bead Filter Bubble Washed Bead Filter "RULE OF THUMB" Suspended Solids Capture Design Bead Filter 5 to 6 lbs of feed per ft 3 of media Screen Filters see manufacturer recommendations
Fine & Dissolved Solids "RULE OF THUMB" Foam Fractionation Tank Volume every 1 to 2 hour
Solids Disposal By-Product NOT a Waste Stream Land application Aquaponics GeoTextile Bags Composting
Biofiltration / Nitrification Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria 2 NH 4 + + OH - + 3 O 2 2 H + + 2 NO 2 - + 4 H 2 O Ammonia Nitrite Nitrite Oxidizing Bacteria 2 NO 2 + 1 O 2 2 NO - 3 Nitrite Nitrate "RULE OF THUMB" Nitrification of 1 g of ammonia-nitrogen Yields 5.93 g of carbon dixoide Consumes 4.57 g of oxygen and 7.14 g alkalinity 1 KG FEED ABOUT 0.03 KG AMMONIA
Biofilters Options Bead Bioclarifiers Moving Bed Biofilter "RULE OF THUMB" MBBR Design 17.14 g TAN/ft 3 /day curler media @ 25 to 30 Deg C 13.26 g TAN/ft 3 /day @ 15 to 20 Deg C 10.14 g TAN/ft 3 /day @ 5 to 10 Deg C 3 to 5 min HRT 50% fill factor max 65% Air flow: 0.125 scfm/ft 3 of reactor About 1 g TAN / m 2 of media per day
Aeration / Oxygenation RULE OF THUMB 1 KG FEED ABOUT 1 KG OXYGEN
Oxygen Sources
Disinfection "RULE OF THUMB" UV 30 mw-sec/cm 2 10-30 second contact times "RULE OF THUMB" Ozone 0.025 and 0.045 kg O 3 per kg feed
MONITORING & SYSTEM CONTROL Monitoring & System Control The most sophisticated monitoring and alarm system is an attentive human operator!
MONITORING & SYSTEM CONTROL Water Level Alarm Low Water Level High Water Level Low Water Level Local audible alarms for Low and High Water Level
Water Quality Lab Nothing Special- BUT dedicated to Water Quality Anlaysis
Back-up Systems Loss of Oxygen More fish are probably lost in recirculation systems due to lack of oxygen than to any other single cause! A three tier emergency oxygen supply is not an extravagance (Just ask NASA!) normally open, electrically operated solenoid valve
Aquaponics Advantages of Aquaponics with RAS systems Dissolved nutrients recovered by plants Minmizes water exchange rate Secondary crop improves profitability Disadvantages of Aquaponics with RAS systems Large ratio of plants area to fish rearing area New set of skills Green Thumb Limits treatment options for both plants and fish
Aquaponics Hydroponics Water Quality Macronutrients (required in relatively large quantities) Micronutrients (required in considerably smaller amounts) carbon (C) oxygen (O) hydrogen (H) carbon dioxide gas (CO 2 ) nitrogen (N) potassium (K) calcium (Ca) magnesium (Mg) phosphorus (P) sulfur (S) chlorine (Cl) iron (Fe) manganese (Mn) boron (B) zinc (Zn) copper (Cu) molybdenum (Mo) ph Control Calcium hydroxide Potassium hydroxide (Never Baking Soda)
Aquaponics Hydroponics NFT System Nelson & Pade, Inc. E&T Farms Aquaponics. Aquaculture Systems Tech., LLC
Aquaponics Hydroponics Raft System Nelson & Pade, Inc. Friendly Farm Hawaii. Lettuce Factory, Ithica, NY
Aquaponics Hydroponics Reciprocating System (flood and drain) To ensure adequate aeration of plant roots, gravel beds are operated in a reciprocating (ebb and flow) mode, where the beds are alternately flooded and drained.
Hydroponics Raft System Design Crieria: daily feed input/plant growing area (Hydroponics makes up 75% of the system water volume) Raft System: channel (raceway) with a 1 ft depth, usually 4 ft wide covered by a floating sheet of polystyrene ( 4 ft x 8 ft x 1 ½ inches) for plant support. "RULE OF THUMB" Waste Treatment 60 to 100 g of fish feed/day m 2 of raft area 60 to 90 min water turnover rate Aeration airstones or diffusers
Hydroponics NFT System Design Crieria: daily feed input/plant growing area (Hydroponics makes up small fraction of the system water volume) NFT System: shallow flow of water, 1 lpm with 1% slope "RULE OF THUMB" Waste Treatment 15-25 g of fish feed/day m 2 of raft area 1 lpm for rate 1% slope
Hydroponics Reciprocating System (flood and drain) Design Crieria: daily feed media volume (Hydroponics makes up small fraction of the system water volume) Volume ratio of 1 ft 3 of fish-rearing to 2 ft 3 of media "RULE OF THUMB" Waste Treatment 1 ft 3 of fish fish rearing volume to 2 ft 3 of media (1/4 to ½ inch in diameter)
Student System To NFT System Air Pump 48" top by 39" bottom diameter x 25" depth with 20" of water PolyTank PT-4825 2 ft x 2 ft x 3 ft deep Fiberglass Sump Sump UV Drain Sequence Model 1000 610023 SEQ Airline BBF-4 cuft BioClarifier Backwash Drain
Student System Sump Center Standpipe / Outside Sleeve Tank Stand Unions & Rubber Couplings AirLifts
Student System
Student System Stock No Component Qty Unit Cost Total Cost PT-4825 48" dia, 25" deep 150 gallon tank 3 $ 261.67 $ 785.01 3300SEQ21 Sequence 1000 1/8 hp 115/230v, 60 Hz 1 $ 542.00 $ 542.00 FRT-90.C Fiberglass Sump tank 24"x24"x36" 1 $ 425.71 $ 425.71 BBF-SX4000GR 2 ft 3 bubble washed bead filter 1 $ 1,251.98 $ 1,251.98 AL-100 Alita AL-100 air compresser 1 $ 420.00 $ 420.00 PVC Fittings & Parts 1 $ 351.02 $ 351.02 Total: $ 3,775.72 Plus, lots of labor and buy-in by friends and families, plus fish!
Conclusions Think! Plan! Respond! SAFETY Plan for it! Prepare for it! The Good! Low voltage - 24 VAC or 12 or 24 VDC National Electric Codes The Bad! Electricity and Water make a Fatal combination!
Questions? For copy of presentation: JamesEbeling@aol.com Transfer AA-2012