JPH0249691B2 - GYORUINOSHIIKUSOCHI - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for breeding fish in a zero gravity environment.

In the future, if outer space habitats such as space stations are realized, it will be necessary to raise fish and the like for long periods of time for food, ornamental purposes, experiments, etc., and the development of breeding equipment for this purpose is urgent. As an application example of the known technology, the one shown in FIG. 1 can be considered. A container 1 having a closed structure is almost filled with water 2, an appropriate amount of air is supplied from an air introduction pipe 3, and fish 4 are raised.

However, this method has the following problems:
Difficult to hire. That is, in a zero gravity state, the bubbles 5 that are not dissolved in the water 2 cannot be separated due to the difference in specific gravity.
A mixture of water 2 and air bubbles 5 remains in the water. As the fish 4 consume dissolved oxygen in the water, the oxygen in the bubbles 5 dissolves in the water according to the principle of diffusion, but as the fish 4 consume oxygen, the dissolved oxygen in the water decreases and the bubbles 5 The fish 4 become oxygen-deficient due to the increase in nitrogen concentration in the water 2 and the water 2.

To prevent this, there is a situation in which new air is supplied from the air introduction pipe 3 and the bubbles 5 with increased nitrogen concentration are extracted, but it is extremely difficult to extract only the bubbles 5 from the mixture in the water. , it is necessary to try to solve this problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and includes a fish container with a closed structure filled with water, a circulation pump that circulates the water in the container, a purification device for the circulating water, and a system for purifying the circulating water. The gist of this system is a fish breeding system characterized by a closed-loop water circulation system consisting of an air mixing device for dissolving oxygen and a gas-liquid separation device using waterproof and breathable porous material. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a breeding device for fish, etc., which can be used for a long period of time even in the same condition.

The present invention will be explained in detail based on the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. Figure 2 is a front sectional view of the entire rearing device.
Fig. 3 is a detailed sectional view of the porous material of the gas-liquid separation device shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view of the porous material of the gas-liquid separation device shown in Fig. 2. A pressure state diagram is shown. A container 6 for raising fish 4 has a closed structure and is filled with water 2. A purification device 7 is provided in the pipe line downstream of the container 6 to remove foreign matter such as excrement from the fish 4.
is provided. This purifying device 7 may use known devices such as nylon net or activated carbon alone or in combination. A restrictor 8 is provided downstream of the purifier 7 to create a pressure difference in the circulation waterway system. The throttle 8 may be a known one such as an orifice or a throttle valve. A circulation pump 11 is provided downstream of the throttle 8 and is operated using a known drive device such as an electric motor to circulate the water 2. An air mixing device consisting of an air nozzle 9, a check valve 20, and an air filter 19 is provided in the conduit between the throttle 8 and the circulation pump 11, which applies the principle of a pitot tube.

A gas-liquid separation device 13 is provided downstream of the circulation pump 11.

This gas-liquid separator 13 has a number of tube-shaped passages made of a porous material 14 such as Teflon arranged therein, and mixed water of water 2 and air bubbles 10 is passed through the passages so that only gas is passed through the porous material 14. The water passes through the fine holes 21 and is discharged to the outside of the device 13 through the space 17.

A water accumulator 12 is provided in the pipe line between the circulation pump 11 and the gas-liquid separator 13 to prevent pulsation in the water circulation system and to replenish evaporated water accompanying gas extraction from the gas-liquid separator 13. It is equipped with The gas-liquid separator 13 and the container 6 are connected by a pipe 16, forming a closed loop water circulation system.

Next, the action will be explained. When the circulation pump 11 is started, the water in the circulation system begins to circulate, and at the same time air is sucked in from the air nozzle 9 through the air filter 19 and the check valve 20, and some of the air becomes water due to contact with the surrounding water. dissolve in Furthermore, circulation pump 1
The dissolution of air is promoted by the stirring effect in step 1.
The undissolved air remains as bubbles 10, enters the gas-liquid separation device 13, and is separated from water by the action of the porous material 14 inside. This porous material 14
It is made of a water-repellent material such as Teflon and has a large number of micropores 21 as shown in FIG. 3, and takes advantage of its water-repellent properties to allow gas to pass through, but not water. For example, it has an effect similar to that of waterproofing a raincoat.

Therefore, when water containing air bubbles 10 flows into the porous material 14 having a thin tube shape, the circulation pump 1
1 and the restrictor 8, the internal pressure of the porous material 14 is higher than that of the external space 17, so the bubbles 10 in the water are actively pushed into the space 17 through the micropores 21 along the flow as shown in FIG. It will be discharged and separated. After the bubbles 10 have been separated, the oxygen-dissolved water 15 passes through a pipe 16 and enters the container 6. Here, the pressure distribution in the water circulation system will be explained based on FIG. 5. The diagram indicated by the dotted line 22 shows the pressure state without the throttle 8. Circulation pump 1
1, the pressure in the water circulation system increases by the total pressure loss at the outlet of the pump 11, and thereafter decreases by the pressure loss at various parts along the flow. If this overall pressure distribution is low, as is clear from Henry's law regarding dissolution, it becomes difficult for gas to dissolve, causing a problem in that dissolved air is more likely to form bubbles again. On the other hand, in the diagram indicated by the solid line 23, a pressure loss is caused by the throttle 8, and the pressure is low between the throttle 8 and the circulation pump 11, and the pressure is high in the other range. Therefore, air nozzle 9
The area is in a state where it is easy to suck air, securing the necessary amount of air, and since the pressure is high downstream of the circulation pump 11, the solubility of oxygen in water is improved.

Furthermore, as described above, the internal pressure in the porous material 14 of the gas-liquid separation device 13 is higher than that in the external space 17 (0.1 in the case of Teflon porous material).
~0.2 Kg/cm ² G), the bubbles 10 are easily discharged, and the separation efficiency is increased.

The pressure distribution in the water circulation system is not limited to the shape shown in the diagram in FIG. 5, but may be adjusted by adding resistance corresponding to the throttle 8 to other locations as appropriate depending on the conditions of each device.

As detailed above, according to the present invention, there is provided a fish container with a closed structure filled with water, a circulation pump that circulates water in the container, and a purification device for the circulating water.
By constructing a closed-loop water circulation system with an air mixing device for dissolving oxygen in the circulating water and a gas-liquid separation device using waterproof and breathable porous material, it is possible to operate in weightless conditions, which was previously considered difficult. This will enable long-term breeding of fish and will greatly contribute to the development of the space science industry.

Incidentally, the present invention is not limited to use in a zero-gravity state, but can also be applied to a device for transporting fish on the ground, with great effect. In other words, since the container containing the fish is filled with circulating water, even if the entire device is subjected to vibrations or agitation due to disturbances during transportation, the water in the container hardly moves, and there is no risk of injury caused by the fish colliding with it. This has great effects, such as reducing the occurrence of fatigue and reducing the mortality rate of fish during transportation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a fish breeding container using known technology, Fig. 2 is a front sectional view of a fish breeding apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a detail of the gas-liquid separation device shown in Fig. 2. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a pressure state diagram of the circulation line of the fish breeding apparatus shown in FIG. 2. 1... Container, 2... Water, 3... Air introduction pipe, 4... Fish,
5... Air bubbles, 6... Container, 7... Purifier, 8... Squeezing,
9... Air nozzle, 10... Bubbles, 11... Circulation pump, 12... Water accumulator, 13... Gas-liquid separator, 14... Porous material, 15... Water, 16... Pipe, 17
... Space part, 18 ... Exhaust gas, 19 ... Air filter, 20 ... Check valve, 21 ... Fine hole, 22 ... Throttle 8
23...Pressure diagram when there is no throttle 8.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A fish container with a closed structure filled with water, a circulation pump that circulates the water in the container, a purification device for the circulating water, an air mixing device for dissolving oxygen in the circulating water, and waterproof breathability. A fish breeding device characterized in that a closed-loop water circulation system is configured with a gas-liquid separation device using a porous material.