AERATION APPARATUS

BACKGROUND

Field of Invention The present invention relates to an aeration apparatus, and more particularly to an aeration apparatus that pumps water near the pool surface to the bottom of the pool to circulate water and raise the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of water at the pool bottom.

Description of Related Art

Aeration apparatus is generally applied to aquatic or fish farms to maintain the DO concentration of water to keep the breath of aquatic fishes and aerobic microorganisms and to maintain the balance of ecology of aquatic pools. The conventional aeration method utilizes a paddle-wheel driven by an electrical motor to splash water into the air to increase the contact duration and surface area between the water droplets and air. As a result, the oxygen of the surrounding air gets into water droplets by diffusion effect to raise the DO concentration of water.

However, the paddle-wheel does not increase the DO concentration of water close to the pool bottom at which shrimps, shellfish, crabs, and aerobic microorganisms live. The shortage of DO concentration usually promotes the growth of anaerobic bacteria, and is very harmful to aquatic fishes and aerobic microorganisms. Therefore, multiple paddle-wheels are required to boost the

DO concentration of water when the cultivation density is high or the cultivation

area is broad. The use of multiple paddle-wheels inevitably increases a lot of power consumption and the instrumentation cost.

As a result, there is a need to develop a high efficiency aeration apparatus with lower instrumentation cost and power consumption to circulate pool water and raise the DO concentration, especially the water close to the pool bottom.

SUMMARY

It is therefore an aspect to provide an aeration apparatus to solve the problem since the conventional paddle-wheel can only aerate water near the pool surface but not water close to the pool bottom.

It is therefore another aspect to provide a movable aeration apparatus to broaden the aeration scope and to reduce the number of aeration apparatuses. Accordingly, an aeration apparatus of the present invention includes an aeration device and an upholder wherein the aeration device includes a pump of an inlet and an outlet. The pump is of a lower pressure head and a higher flow rate, and fixed on the upholder to float on water. The inlet and the outlet are positioned under water level wherein the outlet is further positioned below the inlet. The inlet and outlet of the pump are respectively purposely-designed to close to the surface and bottom of the pool. Thus, water of higher temperature and DO concentration on the pool surface is spurted close to the pool bottom. Pumping water from the pool surface to the bottom of the pool automatically reduces water temperature difference between the pool surface and the bottom,

and results in an upward and downward convection effect, which circulates water and regulates the DO concentration of various depths in the pool.

In accordance with another aeration apparatus of the present invention, a movable aeration apparatus can be used to replace many kinds of multiple existing aeration devices. The movable aeration apparatus further includes a controller, which controls the outlets of the spurted flow, which forms a number of asymmetric water jets and provides counter force. The movable apparatus is pushed to move forward and backward repeatedly by respectively switching "on" and "off" of the water flow outlets opposite to the moving orientation, or decreasing and increasing the spurted flow rates in the moving or opposite orientation, respectively. As a result, the aeration scope is broadened by the movable aeration apparatus driven by the counter force due to the asymmetric flow of water jets.

As a result, the aeration apparatus of the present invention has the following effects:

1. The aeration apparatus of the present invention pumps water near the pool surface with higher DO concentration to the pool bottom to generate both water circulation and convection effect. Consequently, the DO concentration of water close to the pool bottom is raised to a high level and the cultivation environment and water quality is largely improved. The ecology is therefore

stably balanced.

2. The aeration apparatus with multiple aeration devices of the present invention is moved by counter force due to asymmetric water jets controlled by the controller, which switches "on" or "off' of the water flow outlets or regulates

the flows between the aeration devices. As a result, the aeration scope is broadened according to the cruising distance of the movable aeration apparatus (usually longer than 400 meters), and the instrumentation cost and the power consumption are both reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side view of an aeration apparatus of the first embodiment in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of an aeration apparatus of the second embodiment in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3 is a side view of an aeration apparatus of the third embodiment in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 4 is a side view of an aeration apparatus of the fourth embodiment in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 5 is a schematic top view of an aeration apparatus with a plurality of aeration devices.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or similar parts.

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the figures, in which similar reference numerals are carried forward.

The sunshine affects water temperature of outdoor aqua farms, and heats up water temperature close to the surface. In summer, water temperature nearby the pool surface is higher than the middle by about 1-3 degrees Centigrade and higher than the bottom by about 2-5 degrees Centigrade. The decomposition and fermentation of the residual of fish feed, corpse of dead fishes and excrement of aquatic animals need higher biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), especially in summer or hot seasons. Pumping water near the pool surface of higher DO concentration and temperature, due to photosynthesis, to the pool bottom can raise the DO concentrations of water in the middle and bottom of the pool. In addition, water pumping results in water circulation and convection effect, which enlarge the effective depth of photosynthesis, and the aeration efficiency is therefore improved.

Refer to Figure 1. Figure 1 illustrates a side view of an aeration apparatus of the first embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

The aeration apparatus 100 includes an aeration device 110 and an upholder

120 wherein the aeration device 110 includes a pump 112 of an inlet 111 and an outlet 113.

The upholder 120 is a float, on which the aeration device 110 is fixed. The inlet 111 and the outlet 113 of the pump 112 are both positioned under water level.

The aeration device 110 further includes a filtering device 115 connected around the inlet 111 to filter the unwanted objects, impurity, organism or grit and prevent suction of sick or dead fishes in the pool.

Water pumped from the inlet 111 is obliquely spurted from outlet 113 toward the pool bottom 150. Thus, water of higher temperature and DO concentration from the pool surface 130 widely spreads out at the pool bottom 150. The difference of water temperature between pool surface 130, middle

140 and bottom 150 is therefore reduced due to water convection and circulation effect, and the DO concentration of various depths in the pool are also regulated. The method of the present invention automatically enlarges the working range of photosynthesis and raises the aeration efficiency since the sunshine does not penetrate water into the pool bottom.

In this embodiment, the pump 112 of the aeration device 110 is of a low

pressure head less than 6 meters, and large flow rate of 500-1000 standard

liters per minute (SLPM), with a power consumption of 1 horsepower. Aeration

devices of large power input or similar performance are also suitable to this application.

Refer to Figure 2. Figure 2 illustrates a side view of an aeration apparatus of the second embodiment in accordance with the present invention. The difference between the aeration apparatus 200 and the aeration apparatus

100 is that the aeration apparatus 200 further includes an extended tube 210 with a plurality of nozzles 211. The extended tube 210 and nozzles 211 are purposely designed to be 10-15 centimeters above the pool bottom 150 to spurt water of higher temperature and DO concentration from the pool surface 130 to the pool bottom 150. Therefore, water convection and circulation effect are improved to raise DO concentration of water at the pool bottom 150.

Refer to Figure 3. Figure 3 illustrates a side view of an aeration apparatus of the third embodiment in accordance with the present invention. The amount and arrangement of the aeration devices fixed on the upholder 120 depends on the practical requirement. In the third embodiment, the aeration apparatus 300 includes two aeration devices 310, 320 and an upholder 120 wherein the aeration devices 310 and 320 are both fixed on the upholder 120.

The aeration device 310 includes a pump 312 of an inlet 311 and an outlet 313. The structure of the aeration device 310 is identical to the aeration device 110 of the first embodiment in Figure 1 , and its details are described in previous paragraphs.

The aeration device 320 includes a pump 322 of an inlet 321 and an outlet 323. The difference between the aeration device 320 and the aeration

device 310 is that the inlet 321 is positioned under water, and the outlet 323 is

positioned above water. The aeration device 320 obliquely spurts water pumped from the inlet 321 toward the air by the outlet 323 to increase the contact surface area between spurted water and air to enhance aeration efficiency. In this embodiment, the pumps 312 and 322 are of low pressure heads less than 6 meters, and large flow rates of 500~1000 standard liters per minute (SLPM), with a power consumption of 1 horsepower. Aeration devices of large power input of similar performance are also suitable to this application.

Refer to Figure 4. Figure 4 illustrates a side view of an aeration apparatus of the fourth embodiment in accordance with the present invention. The aeration apparatus 400 includes one aeration device 310, two aeration devices 320 and an upholder 120 wherein the aeration devices 310 and 320 are fixed on the upholder 120. The structure of the aeration device 310 and 320 in the fourth embodiment are identical to the aeration device 310 and 320 in the

third embodiment, and its details are described in previous paragraphs.

In the fourth embodiment, the pump 312 of the aeration device 310 is of a low pressure head less than 6 meters, and large flow rate of 500~1000 standard liters per minute (SLPM), with a power consumption of 1 horsepower. Aeration devices of large power input or similar performance are also suitable to this application.

The pumps 322 are of different performance wherein one of the pumps

322 is of a higher pressure head and a lower flow rate, and another is of a lower

pressure head and a higher flow rate. In this embodiment, the pump of higher pressure head operates in the range between 8-15 meters and a flow rate in the

range between 300-700 standard liters per minute (SLPM), with a power consumption of 3 horsepower. The pump of lower pressure head operates in the range between 2-6 meters, and a flow rate in the range between 500-1000 standard liters per minute (SLPM), with a power consumption of 1 horsepower. Aeration devices of large power input or similar performance are also suitable to this application.

The aeration apparatus of the present invention can be designed in an immovable formation or a movable circulation formation with a controller. The controller can either control spurted flow from each outlet or switch the outlets. Refer to Figure 5. Figure 5 illustrates a schematic top view of an aeration apparatus with a plurality of aeration devices. The aeration apparatus 500 includes a plurality of aeration devices 510, two upholders 120 and a supporting plate 600 wherein the structure of the aeration device 510 is the same as the aeration device 310. The supporting plate 600 is fixed on the upholders 120, and the aeration devices 510 are fixed on the supporting plate 600 in a circle formation.

In this embodiment, the aeration apparatus 500 further includes a controller, which regulates the spurted flow from each outlet or switch the outlets of each aeration devices 510, to provide a flow of asymmetric water jets to generate counter force. For example, switching-on only the aeration device opposite to the moving orientation, or decreasing and increasing the spurted

flow of the aeration device in the moving or opposite orientation, respectively.

Accordingly, the aeration apparatus 500 is pushed by the counter force of the

asymmetric flows to move forward and backward in the pool to broaden the aeration scope.

As embodied and broadly described herein, the aeration apparatus of the embodiment is of the following effects: 1. The aeration apparatus of the embodiment pumps water near the pool surface 130 with higher DO concentration to the pool bottom 150 to generate both water circulation and convection effect. Consequently, the DO concentration of water at the pool bottom 150 is raised to enhance the cultivation pool environment, and the quality and ecology of water is therefore stably balanced.

2. The aeration apparatus composed of multiple aeration devices 510 of the embodiment is moved by counter force due to asymmetric water jets controlled by the controller, which switches the outlet or regulates the spurted flow between the aeration devices. As a result, the aeration scope is broadened according to the cruising length of the movable aeration apparatus

(usually longer than 400 meters), and the instrumentation cost and the power consumption are therefore reduced.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable details with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, their spirit and scope of the appended

claims should no be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments contained herein.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without

departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.