NO20211497A1

NO20211497A1 - Submersible fish farm

Info

Publication number: NO20211497A1
Application number: NO20211497A
Authority: NO
Inventors: Erlend Eide; Sondre Eide
Original assignee: Eide Fjordbruk As
Priority date: 2021-03-08
Filing date: 2021-12-10
Publication date: 2022-09-09
Also published as: NO20210295A1; NO346549B1; GB2618741A; WO2022191716A1; GB202313302D0; NO346755B1; CA3212807A1

Description

SUBMERSIBLE FISH FARM

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a submersible fish farm, and a method of operating a submersible fish farm.

Background

One of the goals of the aquaculture industry is environmentally sustainable development. The industry is therefore producing solutions that achieve energy efficiency, reduction of fossil fuels and reduced climate footprint.

The spread of salmon lice and other disease infections is a major issue for the aquaculture industry. Escape offish is also a problem especially for the wild salmon stock - and is often due to technical failure, incorrect use of equipment and vessels, or storms.

In addition, emissions in the aquaculture industry have increased, and the industry accounts for large amounts of seabed waste along coastal areas. The waste largely consists of waste from feed and faeces, but also waste from medical treatments and delousing. The environmental impact because of the waste is largest below or in the immediate vicinity of the fish farms, and the discharges could potentially affect life on the seabed and affect the environmental conditions near the sites.

The above-mentioned issues create a need for closed fish farms that reduce the environmental problems, and which ensure growth and sustainability in the future. To increase production, there is also a need for new locations in more weatherexposed areas at sea. Closed and semi-closed fish farms have been deployed to remedy the above problems. Some companies produce land-based facilities, but such plants require considerable land areas, increased energy and water consumption. Handling of sludge production yield significant costs.

The environment from which the fish is sought to be separated from, is mainly the upper water layer to avoid lice and other pathogens, while the waste substances are released into the bottom as in traditional cages. Disadvantages of these solutions include that they are cumbersome to operate, and they do not sufficiently reduce sea bed pollution.

It is an object of the invention to provide an easy to transport, energy efficient, closed, submersible fish rearing facility with low weight and that is cost efficient, easy to deploy and easy to maintain. It is also an object of the invention to provide a facility that is adapted to be submerged below the upper water layers of the sea to avoid sea-lice, harsh weather conditions and floating debris. Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide controlled water treatment, evenly distributed water flow within the facility, and controlled waste discharge to obtain ideal fish rearing conditions and environmentally friendly production.

Summary of the invention

The present invention relates to a submersible fish rearing tank. The submersible fish rearing tank includes an exterior enclosure forming a closed fish habitat. A utility transition element provides a transition for at least one of a water inlet, a water outlet, a gas outlet, an air inlet, and connections for instrumentation, fixed to the exterior enclosure. At least one pump unit is adapted to pump water into the submersible fish rearing tank to provide a pressure inside the submersible fish rearing tank exceeding a pressure acting on the outside of the submersible fish rearing tank.

The submersible fish rearing tank may further include a lower support plate, at least one inlet water supply column with nozzles adapted to provide water into the of the submersible fish rearing tank fixed in relation to the exterior enclosure and at least one pump unit adapted to pump water into the tank through the water supply column via the nozzles. A water discharge column extends along a central axis of the tank between the utility transition element and the lower support plate. The water discharge column includes a plurality of discharge ports in a discharge column wall, and a water discharge column outlet, whereby the at least one pump unit is adapted to provide the pressure inside the submersible fish rearing tank exceeding the pressure acting on the outside of the submersible fish rearing tank.

The exterior enclosure may be made of a flexible material.

The submersible fish rearing tank may include two tubular inlet water supply columns with nozzles adapted to supply water to the inside of the tank, each including at least one a pump unit.

Each tubular inlet water supply column may include two pump units.

The submersible fish rearing tank may further include an air inlet element at a lower part of the tank.

The nozzles may be adapted to provide water into the of the tank and may be directed with a tangential component inside the tank to generate a circular or spiral shaped waterflow inside the tank in a direction from the inner wall of the tank and towards the water discharge column.

The water discharge column may furthermore include an inner tube extending vertically along the centre axis of the water discharge column from the lower support plate to the utility transition element.

The submersible fish rearing tank may further include a flow restriction or throttle to reduce or completely close the outlet water flow from the water discharge column outlet to maintain the pressure inside the submersible fish rearing tank above the pressure acting on the outside of the submersible fish rearing tank.

The submersible fish rearing tank may further include a ballast and an adjustable buoyancy element to orient and maintain the buoyancy of the the submersible fish rearing tank.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of operating the submersible fish rearing tank, including controlling the flow restriction in coordination with the at least one pump unit to maintain one of a substantially constant pressure and a constant flow inside the submersible fish rearing tank while changing one of a waterflow through the at least one pump unit and the flow restriction.

Brief description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a transparent perspective view of a submersible fish farm of a first embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the underwater fish rearing tank of the invention;

Fig. 3 corresponds to fig. 2 and include more details;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a lower support plate from an inside of the fish rearing tank;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a utility transition element;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the utility transition element from an inside of the fish rearing tank;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view or the utility transition element from inside of the fish rearing tank:

Fig. 8 is a further perspective view of the utility transition element from inside the fish rearing tank;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a lower water inlet pump unit as seen in Fig. 2; Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the underwater fish rearing tank shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of the fish rearing tank; and

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the underwater fish rearing tank.

Detailed description of embodiments

Fig. 1 is a transparent perspective view of a submersible fish farm 10 according to the invention deployed in water. The submersible fish farm 10 includes an underwater fish rearing tank 100.

The tank 100 further includes an exterior enclosure 17, a utility transition element 110 and a lower support plate 111 forming a closed habitat for fish. The habitat must be sufficiently closed to allow a pressure to build up inside thank and to keep unwanted elements from entering the tank. Unwanted elements include parasites, jellyfish, plankton and algae. Although the tank is closed, the tank 100 is receive seawater (fresh or saline), fluids such as air and oxygen, and feed, and furthermore discharge used water and waste. Intake and discharge may be autonomously controlled by a controller connected to a plurality of sensors and cameras installed in the tank, thereby allowing controlled water treatment and flow for achieving optimal fish rearing conditions and optimal power usage. The pressure inside the tank prevents ingress of unwanted elements in the event of a leak.

Incoming and outgoing water may be filtered to prevent sea lice from entering the tank, and from polluting the surrounding environment, although the tank water may be replaced in such a rate that sea lice would not be able to latch on to the fish.

The exterior enclosure 17 is preferably a membrane made of a flexible material such as PE, PVC, latex, nylon or any impermeable and flexible plastic or fabric material. The exterior enclosure 17 may also be made of a rigid material forming a rigid tank structure. The exterior enclosure 17 is fixed to the utility transition element 110 and to the lower support plate 111. The support plates 110, 111 are rigid and preferably made of metal, plastic or composite materials. The material does not need to be totally impermeable.

The exterior enclosure 17 may be equipped with an zipper 18 for opening the enclosure 17 for accessing the inside of the tank, e.g. for cleaning, replacing or performing maintenance on internal components.

The submersible fish farm 10 may be deployed and operated offshore, in coastal areas or in freshwater lakes.

Fig. 1 further shows that the underwater fish rearing tank 100 includes a first water supply column 103 and a second water supply column 103’ attached to the exterior enclosure 17 on diametrically opposite sides. Each water supply column 103, 103’ is a rigid tubular and elongated structure, preferably cylindrical but may have a rectangular or elliptical cross-section, extending vertically along the exterior of the tank 100 in parallel with the vertical centre axis of the tank 100. The first water supply column 103 and a second water supply column 103’ attached to the exterior enclosure 17 may be curved to accommodate the shape of the submersible fish rearing tank 100 and may be integrated into a wall exterior enclosure 17.

The tank 100 may include additional water supply columns (not shown) attached to the exterior enclosure 17, preferably having the same circumferential distance between each other. The water supply columns 103, 103’ are preferably made of a light-weight and rigid plastic or metal material. Suitable materials include PE, PVC, latex, nylon or any impermeable and flexible plastic or fabric material.

The underwater fish rearing tank 100 further comprises a central water discharge column 120 inside the tank 100. The central water discharge column 120, which is connected to and extending between the utility transition element 110 and the lower support plate 111, is preferably cylindrical and oriented vertically along the vertical centre axis of the tank 100 which advantageously also acts as a support column between the utility transition element 110 and the lower support plate 111. The water discharge column 120 is adapted to lead internal pressurized water out of the tank 100. The support plates 110, 111 provides connections and bases for the various utilities.

The utility transition element 110 includes a buoyancy element 155 (see Fig. 2). A gas pocket 138 (fig. 3), and the lower support plate 111 includes a weight element 154 (see in Fig. 2), such as a heavy solid material. The utility transition element 110 and the lower support plate 111, also acting as a utility transition element, and the water discharge column 120, keep the tank 100 floating and aligned in an upright position.

Each water supply column 103, 103’ is impermeably attached and sealed onto an oblong opening (not shown) in the exterior enclosure 17 by ways of being be sown, glued or melted into the exterior enclosure 17 over an attachment length which is shorter than the length of the central water discharge column 120.

Consequently, as shown in Fig. 1, the exterior enclosure 17 may form a cylindrical mid-section along the said attachment length, a plate-shaped top-section and a cone-shaped bottom-section. An advantage of the cone-shaped bottom-section is that its inclination will cause debris and dead fish to slide downwards and accumulate on top of the lower support plate 111 from where it will be extracted, preventing accumulation of debris and dead fish in corners of the tank 100 which may be difficult to remove.

Each water supply column 103, 103’ includes nozzles 122 aligned vertically along a surface of the water supply column 103, 103’. The nozzles 122 have outlets inside of the tank 100. The nozzles 122 are oriented at an angle with a tangential component to create rotational flow inside the tank, which is evident from Fig. 12. The nozzles of each of the supply columns 103, 103’ are thus oriented in the same direction to create the rotational flow inside the tank. The lower part of the tank does not include water supply nozzles to reduce flow and to allow faeces and dead fish settle at the bottom for removal.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the underwater fish rearing tank 100 according to the invention. Each water supply column 103, 103’ includes a lower water inlet pump unit 101 located on its lower end. Each water supply column 103, 103’ may also include an upper water inlet pump unit 10T. Each water inlet pump unit 101, 10T includes a water inlet (see Fig. 9) and a water pump mechanism such as a pneumatic pump or an impeller (see Fig. 9) for drawing clean ambient water into the water supply column 103, 103’ and into the underwater fish rearing tank 100 via the nozzles 122 in the water supply column 103 with nozzle outlets inside the tank 100. The pump may be actuated by a topside controller (not shown) manually or autonomously based on data retrieved from sensors included in the tank 100. The lower water inlet pump unit 101, 10T serves to increase hydrodynamical pressure within the tank, create a rotational fluid flow inside the tank 100 and allow water replacement so that the fish is provided with clean water.

The water discharge column 120 has discharge nozzles 150 on its surface though which water flow from the inside of the tank 100. The discharge ports 150 extends from the top of the column 120 and to a level substantially aligned with the level which the exterior enclosure 17 narrows. Resultingly, water inside the lower coneshaped part of the tank 100 is not exchanged at the same rate as volume above the cone-shaped part. Therefore, dead fish and debris is allowed to settle. The fish will avoid the lower part of the tank 100, and this will contribute to reduce flow and water currents in the lower part.

Fig. 2 shows (see dotted lines) that water is drawn from the outside of the tank 100 and into the water supply columns 103, 103’ and subsequently into the tank 100 via the nozzles 122 with outlets. Fig. 2 further shows that the water discharge column 120 has a water discharge column outlet 152 at its lower end, though which internal water is discharged. The water discharge column outlet 152 is includes a flow restriction or throttle 153 which may reduce or completely close the outlet water flow and thereby build hydrodynamic pressure within the tank 100 in order to at least keep the flexible exterior enclosure 17 inflated and stretched out to maximize the internal volume and maintain rigidity. The throttle 153 is typically coordinated with the pumps to maintain the pressure inside the tank to accommodate for difference in flow. The flow may be adjusted to accommodate for varying fish size as larger fish requires higher flow.

The pressure difference between the outside and the inside of the tank allows the water discharge column 120 to passively expel water from inside the tank 100 via its discharge ports 150 and out through the water discharge column outlet 152. Water is passed horizontally between the nozzles 122 of the water supply columns 103, 103’ and nozzles 150 of the water discharge column 120 is level. This creates an evenly distributed water flow inside the entire tank with the exception of the water at the bottom of the tank, avoiding accumulation of stale water in certain areas of the tank, facilitating water replacement while allowing sedimentation and settling of dead fish and faeces at the bottom. The weight element or ballast 154 ensures that the submerged fish rearing tank 100 stays in an upright position.

Fig. 3 is a more detailed version of Fig. 2. In the embodiment of Fig. 3 feed hoses 116 are provided and run from a topside location to a top portion of the underwater fish rearing tank 100. The tank 100 further includes a feed supply tube 105 extending through the utility transition element 110 and is connected a feed dispenser tube 119 located in an upper portion of the tank 100 and extending radially from the centre of the tank 100.

The tank 100 may further include fish monitoring cameras 109 for observing fish behaviour.

Each water supply column 103, 103’ may include a water sensor 104 for measuring water quality parameters, such as oxygen level, or for detecting sealice or debris. The water sensor 104 is connected to a topside controller (not shown).

The tank 100 may include one or several auxiliary sensors 113 attached to the water discharge column 120. Auxiliary sensors 113 may be located on any rigid internal component of the tank 100 measuring water quality parameters such as oxygen level, temperature, pressure, visibility and any other parameter relevant for fish rearing conditions. The sensors may pass data to a topside controller which may accordingly adjust inflow and outflow of water. A drop in the internal water pressure may indicate leakage, malfunctioning pumps or a malfunctioning outlet throttle 153 which may signal a warning to personnel.

The tank 100 includes a plurality of upper light sources 112 attached to the inside of the utility transition element 110 surrounding the water discharge column 120. The tank 100 may also include a plurality of lower light sources 112” attached the bottom half of the water discharge column 120.

The water discharge column 120 includes an inner tube 123 extending vertically along the centre axis of the water discharge column 120 from the lower support plate 111 to an outlet in the utility transition element 110.

Fig. 3 further shows at least one gas pocket 138 for containing excess gas produced in the tank 100. In Fig. 3 the gas pocket 138 is in fluid connection with a ventilation tube 106 or ventilation valves 134 (see Fig. 5) extending above the sea surface. Gas generated or lead inside the tank accumulates in the gas pocket 138. The accumulated gas may be released by the ventilation valves 134, and the ventilation valves 134 may be connected to a topside manually or automatically operable controller. An oxygen inlet element 131 may be provided introduce oxygen in the event the oxygen levels become too low, for instance if the inlet pumps should fail or for some other reason. The oxygen inlet element 131 is shown as a tubular ring with perforations.

An air inlet element an air inlet element 118 indicated as a ring with square cross section may be provided introduce air is typically connected to an air compressor via an air hose. A separate water and waste outlet tube 114 is provided as an alternative to withdraw water from the water discharge column 120.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lower support plate 110 from inside the underwater fish rearing tank 100. Waste such as debris, dead fish, sludge and feed is accumulated at the bottom of the tank 100 on top of the lower support plate 110. The water discharge column 120 includes two vacuum inlets 130 on its lower end in fluid connection with the inner tube 123 (not shown) for collecting waste from the lower support plate 110 and transporting it to a topside deposit via the inner tube 123.

Air supply tube 142 provide pressurized air and bubbles inside the inner tube to provide a water lift and suction in the two vacuum inlets 130 to extract the waste settling at the bottom.

The lower support plate 111 may be provided with a fluid dispenser ring 131 along its circumference encircling the water discharge column 120. The fluid dispenser ring 131 is in fluid connection with a topside pump providing oxygen, nitrogen, or air which is dispensed through nozzles in the ring 131 and distributed throughout the tank volume. The fluid dispenser ring 131 may e.g. oxygenate the water or create air bubbles serving as an air source for the fish. The fluid dispenser ring 131 may be actuated manually or autonomously by a topside controller based on values retrieved from sensors inside the tank 100 (see Fig. 3). Fish behaviour may be observed through cameras 109 (see Fig. 3) which may determine whether the fish needs increased air supply.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the utility transition element 110 seen from above. The utility transition element 110 includes a fish inlet 132 though which fish is inserted into the tank 100 typically via a hose. The fish inlet 132 is connected to a fish outlet 139 (see Fig. 6) located on the inside of the tank.

Fig. 5 further shows a waste outlet 135, an extension of the inner tube 123 (not shown), to which a hose or a tube may be connected to transport waste from the inner tube 123 to a topside deposit.

Fig. 5 further shows a feed inlet 133 to which a hose or a tube may be connected to transport feed into the tank. The feed inlet 133 is connected to the feed dispenser tube 119 (see Fig. 6) inside the tank. Fig. 5 further shows ventilation valves 134 for discharging excess gas contained in the excess gas pocket 138 (also see Fig. 3). The ventilation valves 134 may be remotely operated. Gas may be accumulated in the gas pocket 138 to provide buoyancy to the tank 100.

The utility transition element 110 includes substantially cone-shaped fish passages 136 (see Fig. 6 to Fig. 8) through which fish may be let out or extracted via hoses. Support plate nozzles 137 are provided to allow natural or artificial light through in order to lure the fish through the utility transition element 110 via the fish passages 136.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the utility transition element 110 from inside the underwater fish rearing tank 100 (see Fig. 3). Fig. 6 shows the fish outlet 139 located directly below the plate 110 and the feed dispenser tube 119 extending radially from away from the water discharge column 120.

Fig. 6 further shows a support collar 143 fixed to the top end of the water discharge column 120 supporting a plurality of radially oriented cantilever arms 142. The support collar 143 may be electrically or hydraulically actuated to move up or down along the the water discharge column 120 to actuate radially oriented cantilever arms 142 to pivot and extend or retract in a manner resembling an umbrella mechanism. The cantilever arms 142 are attached to an substantially circular membrane 140 serving as a hatch or valve for the fish outlets 139.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view or the utility transition element 110 from inside the underwater fish rearing tank 100 (see Fig. 3) where the membrane 140 is depicted transparently. Fig. 7 shows how the membrane 140 creates a barrier between the fish passages 136 and the tank 100, preventing fish from escaping the tank 100. The membrane 140 forms a valve and seals the fish passages 136 and is pressed towards the passages due to the internal pressure of the tank.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the utility transition element 110 from inside the fish rearing tank 100 (see Fig. 3). In Fig. 8, the cantilever arms 142 are retracted and pivoted against the water discharge column 120. Consequently, the membrane 140 is folded back and retracted so that the fish passages 136 and the support plate nozzles 137 are exposed.

When the fish are ready for termination and extraction, the membrane 140 is retracted which allows light through the utility transition element nozzles 137.

Salmonoids follow vertically oriented light movements, therefore the fish will be lured towards the surface through the fish passages 136.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the lower water inlet pump unit 101 as seen in Fig. 2. The depicted unit is also applicable for the upper water inlet pump unit 10T. The lower end of the water supply column 103 may be secured to the exterior enclosure 17 by means of a flexible membrane segment 141. Each water inlet pump unit 101, 101’ may include an impeller 151 drawing water into the respective water supply column 103, 103’.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the underwater fish rearing tank 100 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 10 illustrates how water in the tank is pressed through nozzles 150 in the central water discharge column 120 and further through an annular passage formed between the inner tube 123 and the water discharge column 120. The discharge water is expelled through the lower end of the water discharge column 120.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the underwater fish rearing tank 100. Fig. 11 shows how the water supply column 103 is attached to the exterior enclosure 17 and provides a more detailed view of the upper and lower water inlet pump units 101<, >101<’ .>

Fig. 12 is an elevation of the underwater fish rearing tank 100. Fig. 12 shows how the water supply column nozzles 122 are angled to create a rotational water flow around the centre of the tank 100. The nozzles 122 are angled 30-60 with respect to a tangential axis Y1, Y2. The velocity of the water flow and the rate of change of the water inside tank is adapted to the size of the fish and the amount of biomass in the tank.

Figure reference overview

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A submersible fish rearing tank (100) comprising:

an exterior enclosure (17) forming a closed fish habitat;

a utility transition element (110) providing a transition for at least one of a water inlet, a water outlet, a gas outlet, an air inlet, and connections for instrumentation, fixed to the exterior enclosure (17);

at least one pump unit (101) adapted to pump water into the submersible fish rearing tank (100) to provide a pressure inside the submersible fish rearing tank (100) exceeding a pressure acting on the outside of the submersible fish rearing tank (100).

2. The submersible fish rearing tank (100) of claim 1, further including a lower support plate (111);

at least one inlet water supply column (103) with nozzles (122) adapted to provide water into the submersible fish rearing tank (100) fixed in relation to the exterior enclosure (17) and at least one pump unit (101) adapted to pump water into the tank (100) through the water supply column (103) via the nozzles (122); a water discharge column (120) extending along a central axis of the tank (100) between the utility transition element (110) and the lower support plate (111); and

wherein the water discharge column (120) includes a plurality of discharge ports (150) in a discharge column wall, and a water discharge column outlet (152), whereby the at least one pump unit (101) is adapted to provide the pressure inside the submersible fish rearing tank (100) exceeding the pressure acting on the outside of the submersible fish rearing tank (100).

3. The submersible fish rearing tank of claim 1, wherein the exterior enclosure (17) is made of a flexible material.

4. The submersible fish rearing tank of claim 1 or 2, including two tubular inlet water supply columns (103, 103’) with nozzles (122) adapted to supply water to the inside of the tank (100), each including at least one a pump unit (101).

5. The submersible fish rearing tank of any of the preceding claims, wherein each tubular inlet water supply column (103, 103’) includes two pump units (101).

6. The submersible fish rearing tank of any of the preceding claims, further including an air inlet element (118) at a lower part of the tank.

7. The submersible fish rearing tank of any of the preceding claims wherein the nozzles (122) adapted to provide water into the tank (100) are directed with a tangential component inside the tank to generate a circular or spiral shaped waterflow inside the tank in a direction from the inner wall of the tank and towards the water discharge column (120).

8. The submersible fish rearing tank of any of the preceding claims wherein the water discharge column (120) furthermore includes an inner tube (123) extending vertically along the centre axis of the water discharge column (120) from the lower support plate (111) to the utility transition element (110).

9. The submersible fish rearing tank of any of the preceding claims, further including a flow restriction or throttle (153) to reduce or completely close the outlet waterflow from the water discharge column outlet (152) to maintain the pressure inside the submersible fish rearing tank (100) above the pressure acting on the outside of the submersible fish rearing tank (100).

10. The submersible fish rearing tank of any of the preceding claims further including a ballast (154) and an adjustable buoyancy element (155) to orient and maintain the buoyancy of the the submersible fish rearing tank (100).

11. A method of operating the submersible fish rearing tank of claim 9, including controlling the flow restriction (153) in coordination with the at least one pump unit (101) to maintain one of a substantially constant pressure and a constant flow inside the submersible fish rearing tank (100) while changing one of a waterflow through the at least one pump unit (101) and the flow restriction (153).