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Blower, Air Pump or Compressor Know the best air compressor for your application?Oil-less Air Compressors The primary difference between the names blowers, air pumps and compressors is the pressure to which they can compress air. All air compressors used for aquaculture purposes should be “oil-less”. Air Pressure First determine the pressure required. To form bubbles, you must have enough pressure to overcome the water pressure at the diffuser’s depth, the piping friction loss and the diffuser’s resistance to air flow. Here is an example: With a water depth of 36 inches, a low-resistance piping system, say 4 inches H2O and a low-resistance air diffuser, say 10 inches H2O (just prior to cleaning). You will need air pressure of at least 50 inches H2O. This is equal to about 2 PSI. Regenerative blower type compressors are preferred in the aquaculture industry because they are the most reliable and economical in this pressure range. Air Volume Your next consideration is the volume of the air needed to accomplish the job. If you have only one fish room for example, you may want one linear air pump compressor with ad additional one for emergency backup. In a larger facility, you might want two or more primary blower compressors and one emergency backup. Air Flow When using low pressure air, it’s important that the air piping system and diffuser offer little resistance to air flow. Special Situations If you must go deep under the water or use a high-resistance diffuser, you’ll need to look at higher pressure compressors. Blowers Blowers are designed to provide large volumes of air at low pressures (less than 4 psi) and are most commonly used in conjunction with air diffusers and air lifts. This combination adds oxygen and removes CO2 with low power consumption. Typical applications include recirculating fish systems, bait and lobster holding facilities, and shallow pond aeration using the Fat Cat TM design. Air Pumps Fractional horsepower linear compressors fill the gap between aquarium air pumps and blowers. Units supply up to 4.8 cfm and can pus down to 10 feet. These fit perfectly in applications such as Koi ponds, bait shop tanks, classrooms, laboratories, etc. Compressors Oil-less rotary vane and piston compressors are the tool to use where depths are greater than 8 feet such as lake aeration, algae culture and lobster ponds. These compressors allow airlines to be run thousands of feet when electricity is not near the water body. As little as 3/4 hp compressor can be used to aerate and destratify a eutrophic 10 acre lake. Forest City Pond Club Newsletter, March |
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