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The S-92 Intensive Aquaculture growout system is unique in many ways when compared to
other systems available today. The S-92 was designed and developed over a 25 year period
using applied research during day to day operations of a producing farm in Aberdeen, Maryland, USA. Although all of the pumps, valves, electrical, and computerized control components are
of the "Off the shelf" variety, all the engineering and configuration of the equipment has
been designed to perform in harmony with all other components in the system. This
allows for greater redundancy within the system for operational purposes. This system can
operate within any temperature range, and can be used for either salt or fresh water.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
1.Construction-
With the exception of a few key components, such as the tanks, biofilters, injectors, quadrant filters, etc., the entire system is built on site using common building materials such as concrete blocks and steel. All internal plumbing components (such as valves, pipes, and pumps) are purchased from local suppliers. Local craftsmen (carpenters, plumbers, electricians, masons, etc.) will be able to construct and maintain the system. The only area requiring special technical personnel would be for computer installation and maintenance, however, these areas are no more complicated than any complex office computer system.
2.Operating Personnel-
The S-92 system has achieved a level of parity between complexity
and simplicity of operation. Although the manager of the system will have to be trained in
fish culture and management, his subordinates do not. The system has specialized
computer and sensor capabilities that have the ability to first anticipate a problem, locate
the problem and then tell the staff how to go about correcting it. In many instances, this
correction could be as simple as an adjustment of a valve or cleaning of a sensor. However,
if a component such as pump should fail, the defective item can be replaced in a plug-in
modular fashion, or the system will automatically go to a backup system, until someone
with necessary skills is called to make repairs.
3.Water Source and discharge-
The S-92 was originally designed to use pond, lake, or river
water for its water source. After two years of testing with a pond as a source for water,
the system performed perfectly. However, later tests using well water as a source showed
that it would be the preferred source because of the absence of algae and other water
borne organisms. A comparison of the two tests showed no noticeable differences in
production rates, however, it was found that the equipment operated much cleaner with
well water and did not require as much airation to maintain oxygen levels.
Water discharge from an S-92 system is free of any suspended solids and will contain only
nutrients. The system effectively separates the solid waste from the water, allowing for
sludge to be removed from the system in a concentrated manner- which can be handled the
same as any animal waste. The water that is discharged each day can be released into a
pond, lagoon, or spray irrigated onto lawns or fields. However, considering the results of
tests utilizing hydroponic plant production, it is recommended that the waste be converted
to liquid nutrient and utilized for hydroponic crop production.
4.Internal Water Quality-
Perhaps one of the finest features of the S-92 is its patented
"Sequential Flow" operation. This design is the heart of its operation and one of the
reasons that it has had such a fine success rate in high density production. Instead of each
tank having its own limited water cleansing equipment, the S-92 utilizes a fundamental
principle that has been around for centuries in the form of centralized
municipal/centralized water treatment plants. That is, one massive treatment plant for all
of the tanks. This gives each tank as an individual the redundancy of the entire system. In
a production system that utilizes cleansing equipment for each individual tank, the volume
of water in the tank is greater than that in the cleaning unit. So, if the water in the tank
becomes toxic to the fish, the entire system becomes toxic, usually resulting in the lose of
the fish in that particular tank. With the S-92 system, each tank is just one part of the
entire system with its water being replaced every four hours with cleansed water from the
water treatment unit (hydroponic filtration). In the event one tank should experience
water quality problems, it can be quickly flushed back to the treatment unit and the water
replaced simultaneously. Because of this feature, no limitations are placed on the
operators as to how much feed to dispense in regards to the system's capacity to handle it--
the fish can be fed all they can eat.
5.Polyculture-
One more advantage of the "Sequential" operation of the S-92 system is its
enhanced ability to operate a true polyculture system while keeping the different species
in separate tanks. Polyculture (the growing of many different species at the same time),
has long been known as a very effective way to increase the efficiency of fish production.
The main problem with most systems has been that in order to achieve this, the fish could
only be grown together in the same tank. This is not really practical for the most part,
because some species do not tolerate other species of fish. This creates a stressful,
unproductive environment. Also, for the most part, the practice of polyculture usually
calls for the lower order of fish to be of a smaller size than the higher order. When the
two are mixed together, quite often the higher order will cannibalize the smaller ones. In
the S-92 system, we do not have this problem, because the two species are in different
tanks and the effluent water from the higher order of fish flows into the tanks containing
the lower order, carrying the excess nutrients with it.
6.Efficiency-
There are several factors which can make any fish culture system inefficient
to operate. Many times intensive systems will do a great job growing fish, but they are
unprofitable because it costs too much per pound to raise them. Here again these concerns
were taken into consideration when designing the S-92. One of the factors that has to be
considered is the amount of electric power that it takes to run a system. In the S-92 we
were able to eliminate an enormous number of pumps. In a normal system where each
tank has its own cleaning unit it takes two pumps per tank, one to send the water through
the biofilter and one to return the water to the tank and create circulation. With a combination of sequential and gravity flow, the S-92-32 tank configuration uses only 10
pumps to operate the system. One main drive to supply water from the filtration unit,
one biofilter pump, and one injector pump per four tanks. Another cost saving feature is the system's no-net loss of dissolved oxygen. With the S-92, any surplus oxygen that is in the effluent when it leaves one tank quadrant is transferred to the next quadrant. This is particularly beneficial when operating in a polyculture mode. By running a higher order of fish in the front quadrants that need perhaps 8 ppm of oxygen, when the effluent flows to the next quadrant where the lower order needs perhaps only 6 ppm, quite often little or no oxygen needs to be added to support fish these fish.
7.Computerized Monitoring-
One of the most important goals for any operator of an
aquaculture system is to maintain absolute control of the system. Loss of control of any
of the critical environmental parameters necessary to maintain a healthy fish environment
can be devastating. It is not a question of whether conditions will from time to time
deteriorate, but when, and how can these adverse conditions be predicted or spotted and
corrected in a timely manner before the fish begin to suffer the consequences.
The computerized package developed by Aquatic Technologies is included in the S-92
aquaculture system. The program is designed to perform ,any functions for the operator
simultaneously and thus allows him peace of mind. One of its features is to record each
individual tanks condition every fifteen minutes. This data includes oxygen levels and
temperature, and can include ph and water flows. The computer has the ability to
recognize changes in the environmental condition and will automatically correct them.
Should a condition arise that is caused by some equipment failure, the system will locate
the problem, alert the operator, and identify the source of the problem.
For operators and system owners who are working in a vertical integration type
operation, an additional program can be installed in conjunction with the monitoring
system which will keep track of the individual tank's bio-mass and keep the operator and
the processor informed on a day to day basis as to how the fish are growing, when to
expect harvest, and what harvest weight to expect.
8.Expansion Capabilities-
The S-92 has been designed as a modular system, made up of
quadrants which consist of four tanks each. A 32 tank configuration using our S-99 "Steel Core" 3200 gal. tanks, for instance,
consists of 8 quadrants consisting of four tanks each. An S-92 system can be made up of a
few as four tanks or in multiples of four for expansion. We have determined that when
all building costs are taken into consideration such as; fixed cost for computers, operating
personnel, building, well, etc., the 32 tank configuration is the smallest size that can be
used for maximum return on investment. The 32 tank configuration has an annual
production capacity of 211,000. Should an operator decide in the very beginning that he
wants a higher production rate, additional tanks can be added to the unit without any
redesign work. However, depending on the number of additional tanks added, it may be
that additional filtration must be added to accommodate them.
9.Sites and Location-
Aquaculture is no different than most other businesses in that there
are some locations that would not be desirable to establish such an enterprise. However the
S-92 has been designed to be versatile to the point that it is not particularly site specific.
The system itself can be placed in almost any location or terrain, but as with other
structures, site grading must be performed. One of the main concerns as to geographical
location has more to do with the building enclosure than the system itself. Since the
system must be protected against the elements, some areas of the country are going to
have higher initial construction costs than others due the need for additional insulation and
a sturdier building to guard against harsh winters. The least expensive location would be
in a rural southern area, with its minimal structural, insulation and weather dependent
costs.
10.Unit Cost Ratio-
Although the function and internal workings of the S-92 are unique and
sophisticated, the actual cost of construction is very reasonable when a standard cost to
production ratio is used. This ratio is quite often used by the industry as a standard to
determine what a system should cost initially. For instance, at this time the recognized
ratio is a construction cost of $2.50 for each pound of annual production. Using this
formula, a system that can produce 200,000 pounds of product annually will cost
approximately $475,000 (excluding building structures and land). By designing the S-92 to use common, off the shelf building
materials and parts, and construction contractors to build it, the ratio cost for the system
is about $2.45 per pound. When construction labor costs are lowered through owner
participation in construction, the cost drops even more.
aquatic@netgsi.com
Copyright 1998
All rights reserved
All information found throughout these pages are the exclusive property of Global Aquatics Ltd. and may not be copied or distributed without the expressed written permission from the owners of this intellectual property.
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