Technical field

The present invention regards a system for supplying land based net pens with seawater, and more particularly a system for supplying the land based net pens with seawater supplied from a pumping arrangement using the motion of the sea as an energy source.

Background of the invention

During the last few years it has been a resurge of the Lepeophtheirus salmonis more commonly known as salmon louse among the fish farms in the northern hemisphere. The fight against salmon louse cost Norwegian fish farmers more than 5 billion NOK in 2016 and the cost will continue to rise until a better way of fighting the louse is found.

Several ways of fighting this disease is under development, but it is hard to keep the lice down since the net pens are in open waters.

The most common ways of fighting salmon lice today are either by using drugs, mechanical treatment or using a cleansing fish. The drugs are either introduced in the food or in a bath.

Cleansing fish eat salmon lice that sit on the farmed fish. This treatment has also several drawbacks. The cleansing fish treatment is most effective when the amount of fish in the pens is low and when the water is cold. In addition, the net pens also need to be clean or the cleansing fish will eat the lice on the net pens and not the lice on the fish.

In later years, mechanical treatment has become an increasingly more popular way of treating the fish. Popular methods include lasers, brushing the fish or shocking the lice with using either fresh water or warm water. The problem with mechanical treatment is that it also kills a lot of salmon.

A solution to the problems with salmon lice is to be able to control the environment in the net pen completely. A way to control the environment in the net pen completely is to use closed pens where all the water and food entering and exiting the system is controlled and cleaned. One can e.g. use closed pens at sea, however the problem with these solutions is that it is hard to hinder any contaminants from entering the holding tanks, when they are located at sea. Another solution is to use holding tanks located on land to. This method allows the farmers to control the conditions in the net pens completely by controlling the water the fish is swimming in.

Land based net pens are a costly solution to the problem due to the massive amount of energy needed to keep up the net pens. The constant supply of clean seawater requires a lot of energy.

KR101613856 B1 and KR101565082 B1 present solutions for supplying land based net pens with clean seawater. Seawater is collected, cleaned and pumped into holding tanks wherein the fish is kept. The system uses electricity as a power source supplied by the local grid.

These systems do hence not solve the problems mentioned above since they do not reduce the cost of running the land based fish farms.

Summary of the invention

It is therefore the object of the present invention, as stated in the set of claims, to solve the problems mentioned above.

The present invention solves the problem with supply of clean seawater to at least one holding tank for fish. A pump supplies the clean seawater to the at least one holding tank. The pump gets energy from an energy generating device. The energy generating device harvest energy from the sea and/or the wind. The seawater is transported by the pump to a collection manifold where the seawater is cleaned to make sure no salmon lice are transported into the holding tanks. If the holding tanks are placed at sea level the drained water from the holding tanks are cleaned and the water returned to the sea.

If the holding tank is placed above sea level the drained water can be used to generate electricity before it is cleaned and returned to the sea.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a buoy 1 attached to a pump 2 uses wave energy to pump 2 seawater up to a collection manifold 3 and holding tanks. Figure 2 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a tidal and/or sea current generator 9 is attached to a pump 2 to provide energy for pumping seawater to a collection manifold 3 and holding tanks. Figure 3 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a wind mill 10 attached to a pump 2 provides energy to pump seawater up to a collection manifold 3 and holding tanks.

Figure 4 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a buoy 1 is attached to a pump 2, using wave energy to pump seawater up to a collection manifold 3 and further to holding tanks placed at sea level.

Figure 5 a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a tidal and/or sea current generator 9 is attached to a pump 2 to provide energy to pump seawater to a collection manifold 3 and holding tanks placed at sea level. Figure 6 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a wind mill 10 attached to a pump 2 provides energy to pump 2 seawater to a collection manifold 3 and holding tanks placed at sea level.

Detailed description

Figure 1 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a buoy 1 attached to a pump 2 uses wave energy to pump 2 seawater up to a collection manifold 3 and holding tanks.

A buoy 1 is floating at sea level. The buoy 1 comprises at least a buoyant material. The buoy 1 is attached to a pump 2 via a wire, rope, chain, pipe or similar.

The pump 2 is anchored to the sea floor. The buoy 1 moves up and down in accordance with the waves. The movement provides the pump 2 with energy. The energy runs the pump 2. The pump 2 pumps water to a collection manifold 3.

The collection manifold 3 cleans the sea water for any contaminants and especially salmon lice.

After the water has been cleaned it is transported to holding tanks or various pools with net pens 4. In the net pens 4, or the holding tanks, there are fish.

The water in the holding tanks or the pool is fed to a tubular system to a lower lying turbine 5 that runs a generator that produces electricity 8. The generator generates electricity 8. This electricity 8 can either be sent to the main grid or it can be used as a backup energy system locally. After the water has passed the turbine 5 it will be cleaned 7 and is then discharged back into the sea. The electricity 8 produced that is not used locally, at e.g. a fish processing plant 6 is transferred to main grid. Figure 2 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a tidal and/or current generator 9 is attached to a pump 2 to provide energy for pumping seawater to a collection manifold 3 and further that to holding tanks. An axial turbine 5 is mounted to the sea bottom. The axial turbine 5 is driven by sea currents and/or tidal currents. The energy created by the turbine 5 runs a pump 2. The pump 2 can be located in relation to the turbine 5 or another more suitable place.

The pump 2 is anchored to the sea floor. The pump 2 pumps water to a collection manifold 3.

The collection manifold 3 cleans the sea water for any contaminants and especially salmon lice.

After the water has been cleaned it is transported to a holding tank or a pool with net pens 4. In the net pens 4, or the holding tanks, there are fish. The water in the holding tanks or the pool drains to a generator. The generator generates electricity 8. This electricity 8 can either be sent to the main grid or it can be used as a backup energy system locally. After the water has passed the generator, it is discharged back into the sea.

Figure 3 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a wind mill 10 is attached to a pump 2. The windmill provides energy to pump seawater up to a collection manifold 3 and holding tanks.

The energy created by the wind mill 10 runs a pump 2. The pump 2 can be located in relation to the wind mill 10 or another more suitable place.

The pump 2 transports water to a collection manifold 3. The collection manifold 3 cleans the sea water for any contaminants and especially salmon lice.

After the water has been cleaned it is transported to a holding tank or a pool with net pens 4. In the net pens 4, or the holding tanks, there are fish.

The water in the holding tanks or the pool drains to a generator. The generator generates electricity 8. This electricity 8 can either be sent to the main grid or it can be used as a backup energy system locally. After the water has passed the generator, it is discharged back into the sea.

Figure 4 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a buoy 1 attached to a pump 2 uses wave energy to pump seawater up to a collection manifold 3 and further to holding tanks placed at sea level.

A buoy 1 is floating at sea level. The buoy 1 comprises at least a buoyant material. The buoy 1 is attached to a pump 2 via a wire, rope, chain or similar.

The pump 2 is anchored to the sea floor. The buoy 1 moves up and down in accordance with the waves. The movement provides the pump 2 with energy. The energy runs the pump 2. The pump 2 pumps water to a collection manifold 3.

The collection manifold 3 cleans the sea water for any contaminants and especially salmon lice.

After the water has been cleaned it is transported to a holding tank or a pool with net pens 4. In the net pens 4, or the holding tanks, there are fish. The water is drained from the pool or the holding tanks and will be cleaned and is then discharged back into the sea.

Figure 5 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a tidal and/or current generator 9 is attached to a pump 2 to provide energy for pumping seawater to a collection manifold 3 and further that to holding tanks.

An axial turbine 5 is mounted to the sea bottom. The axial turbine 5 is driven by sea currents and/or tidal currents. The energy created by the turbine 5 runs a pump 2. The pump 2 can be located in relation to the turbine 5 or another more suitable place. The pump 2 is anchored to the sea floor. The pump 2 pumps water to a collection manifold 3.

The collection manifold 3 cleans the sea water for any contaminants and especially salmon lice.

After the water has been cleaned it is transported to a holding tank or a pool with net pens 4. In the net pens 4, or the holding tanks, there are fish. The water is drained from the pool or the holding tanks and is discharged back into the sea.

Figure 6 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a wind mill 10 attached to a pump 2 provides energy to pump 2 seawater to a collection manifold 3 and holding tanks placed at sea level.

The energy created by the wind mill 10 runs a pump 2. The pump 2 can be located in relation to the wind mill 10 or another more suitable place.

The pump 2 transports water to a collection manifold 3.

The collection manifold 3 cleans the sea water for any contaminants and especially salmon lice.

After the water has been cleaned it is transported to a holding tank or a pool with net pens 4. In the net pens 4, or the holding tanks, there are fish.

The water is drained from the pool or the holding tanks and is discharged back into the sea.