A Comprehensive Study on Paddle Wheel Aerator

Abstract

The aquatic biome is greatly impacted by the rise in demand brought on by the current worldwide population growth. The demand for fish is steadily rising with population growth and the prevalence of water contamination is rising alarmingly. Several aerators have been utilized to evaluate the normal aeration effectiveness at different conditions. In terms of oxygen transmission and water circulation, paddle wheel aerators fared better than the rest. The oxygen transfer capacity of the double-hub paddle wheel aerator was the same as that of the single-hub paddle wheel aerator but consumed more energy under similar geometric and dynamic properties. The dimensional analysis of the aeration process highlighted that the absorption process' determining parameter is KLA20 and the main characteristic of a paddle wheel aerator is its geometric variables. Generally, Paddle wheel design typically takes into account a variety of dimensions from 50 to 90 cm for the diameter, 75 to 135 rpm for speed, and 8 to 25 cm for paddle depth of submergence but certain performance losses were seen in the models. The power-to-volume ratio was calculated and found to be between 0.01 and 0.04 kW/m3 but the aeration process is affected by several geometrical and material variables. Despite the different kinds of aerators available in the market, the main issue is that farmers and other small stakeholders cannot afford them. Paddle wheel aerators with single or double hubs are pricey, while their counterparts need a significant initial outlay with lack of Automation and AI in aquaculture domain. Photovoltaic aerators also could not mitigate such anomalies completely as it outperforms in overcast days. This study highlighted the comparison and effectiveness of different types of aerators used and suggested that there is a pressing need to design aerators to solve these issues and make it affordable for small stakeholders.