Transcript Engineering Aspects of An Aquarium

Teaching
Engineering
Principles Using an
Aquarium
Dr. Kauser Jahan
Associate Professor of Civil and
Environmental Engineering
Rowan University
Glassboro NJ 08028
U.S.A
Introduction to Aquariums
 An aquarium is an exquisite combination of interacting
systems which can be analyzed using multidisciplinary
engineering principles.
 Children typically have personal aquariums for their pet
fishes and visit some large aquarium as part of a school
field trip or as part of their family outing.
 While these activities apparently raise the knowledge
base in terms of nature and the environment, children
seldom make a connection to the engineering principles
playing out in the maintenance of a commercial or
personal aquarium.
Water Quality
An Aquarium
Water
Treatment
Toxicology
Biology
Gas Transfer
Ethics
Materials
Sustainability
Heat
Transfer
Fluid
Mechanics
Fish Health
Pollution
Prevention
Online Instrumentation
Data Acquisition
Digital Imaging
Outline
 How engineering is applied towards the design,
operation and maintenance of an aquarium.
 Water quality parameters
 Water Treatment
 Heat Transfer and Evaporation
 Material Properties
Ethics
Pollution Prevention
Biology
Physical Water Quality
Parameters
 Turbidity
 Color
 Odor
 Temperature
Chemical Water Quality
Parameters
 Dissolved Oxygen
 Hardness
 pH
 Salinity
 Nitrates
 Alkalinity
 Nitrites
 Redox Potential
 Ammonia
 Conductivity
 Chlorine
Dissolved Oxygen
Dissolved oxygen is one of
the most important water
quality parameters for
aquariums.
 DO needs to be
maintained at
4mg/L or above in
order for fish to survive
Some pictures of diffusers
Pad Diffuser
Fine Bubble Diffuser
Tube Diffuser
Wood Diffuser
GAS TRANSFER KINETICS
2.5
2
1.5
ln(C*-Ct)
1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
-1.5
-2
0
100
200
300
400
Time (sec)
Stone Green Diffuser
Wooden Air Diffuser
Figure 3: Dissolved Oxygen Comparison
500
600
700
Stone Green Diffuser
y = -0.0047x + 2.1133
Wooden Air Diffuser
y = -0.0028x + 1.7454
Salinity
 Salinity
is the measure of the salt content
of water.
 Affects
the pH and the Dissolved Oxygen
content
 Measured
by the Specific Gravity
Freshwater – Specific Gravity of 1.000-1.005
Salt Water – Specific Gravity of 1.020-1.025
Biological Water Quality
Parameters
Nitrosomonas
Nitrobacter
 Microbes
 Beneficial
 The
bacteria
role of sponges
Nitrogen-fixing
Nitrogen Cycle
Ammonia
Nitrosomonas bacteria
Nitrite
Nitrobacter bacteria
Nitrate
Nitrogen fixing bacteria
Nitrogen
Water Treatment in Aquariums

Chemical
 Mechanical
 Physical




GAC
PAC
Zeolites
Sponge Filters
GAC and PAC
 GAC
 PAC
Granular Activated
Carbon
Powdered Activated
Carbon
Scanning
Microscopic View
Zeolites
Granulated Zeolites
A picture of a Zeolite using a
scanning electron microscope
Heat Transfer and Evaporation
 Surface Area
 Volume
 Humidity
 Pressure
 Temperature
Heat Transfer via Convection
Students cool hot water in two different types of closed coffee mugs.
Top Outside Diameter
0
-0.2
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
-0.4
Insulated Row an Cup
-0.6
Cup Vertical
Height, L
-0.8
ln
-1
-1.2
y = -0.0117x
R2 = 0.9968
-1.4
-1.6
Bottom Outside
Diameter
-1.8
-2
Tim e (Minutes)
 U A
 Tliquid  Troom 

  exp   o o
T

 mC
p
 initial  Troom 


t


Uo = overall heat
transfer
coefficient
180
Materials
Glass – aquariums made out of glass are harder to
scratch then acrylic tanks. Glass is also heavier
than acrylic and less force is required to break a
glass tank. For an equal amount of volume, a
glass tank would be much thicker than an acrylic
tank.
Acrylic – aquariums made out of acrylic tanks are
lighter but are easily scratched. Unlike glass
tanks, acrylic tanks can be molded to form
almost any shape desired.
Material Properties
 Elasticity,
Stress, Strain, Modulus of
Elasticity
 Compression
 Refraction
and Tension
and Reflection of Light
 Refractive Index
Ethics and Pollution Prevention
Testing the Waters
Toxic waste in our
water - the attempted
clean-up of the
Niagara River.
Empty Oceans, Empty Nets
Examines the global marine
fisheries crisis and the efforts to
implement sustainable fishing
practices.
Data Acquisition and Imaging

Real time data
acquisition via pH,
DO probes

Real time image
acquisition to post on
web
R-QUARIUM
Website
Field Trip
On April 12 and 13, the Freshman Engineering Clinic Students went on
a field trip to Cumberland County College Aquaculture Technology
Program to see there Fish Barn and demonstration/training facility.
At the facility, the students witnessed
first hand the engineering that had
been implemented to aquariums on
a much larger scale than just a
simple home aquarium.
Conclusions
Engineering plays a large role in the
upkeep of an aquarium
Aquariums lend life and excitement for
students
Acknowledgement
Freshman Engineering Class
College of Engineering
Rowan University
Glassboro, New Jersey