Cellular microbead filter for use in water recirculating system

Abstract

A water recirculating system for use in producing fish. The water recirculating system includes a fish raising tank that provides an environment for fish to grow and a supply system to deliver contaminated water from the fish raising tank to a filtration system. The filtration system includes a chamber with a hydraulic loading area that is divided into a plurality of cells with smaller hydraulic loading areas. Filter media is positioned in each cell to filter the contaminated water received from the fish raising tank. A delivery system returns the filtered water back to the fish raising tank.

1 . A filtration system comprising: 
 a chamber that includes a hydraulic loading area divided into a plurality of cells with smaller hydraulic loading areas; and    filter media positioned in each of the cells to filter water passing through the cells.    
   
   
       2 . The filtration system of  claim 1  wherein the water is unable to flow between cells as the water passes through the microbeads.  
   
   
       3 . The filtration system of  claim 1  wherein the filter media is spherical microbeads with diameters between 1 mm and 3 mm.  
   
   
       4 . The filtration system of  claim 3  wherein the microbeads have a density that is between 8 kg/cubic meter and 48 kg/cubic meter.  
   
   
       5 . The filtration system of  claim 1  wherein the microbeads within each cell have a depth between 15 cm and 60 cm.  
   
   
       6 . The filtration system of  claim 1  wherein the chamber has a rectangularly-shaped hydraulic loading area as water passes through the filer media and each cell has a square-shaped hydraulic loading area.  
   
   
       7 . The filtration system of  claim 1  wherein each cell has a hydraulic loading area less than 2.3 square meters.  
   
   
       8 . A filtration system comprising: 
 a chamber that includes a hydraulic loading area divided into a plurality of cells such that each cell has a hydraulic loading area less than 2.3 square meters; and    microbeads positioned in each cell to filter water passing through the chamber, the microbeads being spherical and having diameters between 1 mm and 3 mm.    
   
   
       9 . The filtration system of  claim 8  further comprising a plurality of nozzles positioned above the filter media within the chamber to supply water to each cell in the chamber.  
   
   
       10 . The filtration system of  claim 8  wherein the microbeads have a density that is between 8 kg/cubic meter and 48 kg/cubic meter and the microbeads within each cell have a depth that is between 15 cm and 60 cm.  
   
   
       11 . The filtration system of  claim 8  wherein the hydraulic loading area of the chamber is rectangularly-shaped and the hydraulic loading area of each cell is square-shaped.  
   
   
       12 . The filtration system of  claim 8  further comprising a receiving tank to receive water from the chamber.  
   
   
       13 . The filtration system of  claim 12  wherein the chamber is at least partially immersed in the receiving tank.  
   
   
       14 . The filtration system of  claim 8  wherein the water in each cell is isolated from the water in the other cells as the water flows through the microbeads.