Gardner Denver showcases innovative aquaculture blower solutions at AgraME 2019

Gardner Denver will be exhibiting its compact and innovative Robox Aqua blower at the upcoming AgraME show, which has been specifically developed to meet the demands of the aquaculture market.

Taking place 5 – 7 March at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the United Arab Emirates, AgraME is the only show in the Middle East that showcases the latest technologies available for the region’s aquaculture industry. Visitors will be able to see Gardner Denver’s latest Robox Aqua blower in hall Z4, on stand C10.

Designed for offshore and onshore feeding systems, the Robox Aqua uses rotary lobe blower technology in applications such as fish food distribution into open water, delivered as part of a pneumatic conveying systems from barges, and for increasing water oxygen content in aeration processes. This helps encourage greater fish yields.

Capable of delivering pressure up to 1,000 mbar(g), volume flow of up to 700m3/h and motor power up to 30 kW (IE3 motor efficiency class), the Robox Aqua utilises direct coupling to avoid transmission losses and reduce servicing costs. Featuring fewer components than competitor models also ensures the unit can be installed more easily, while typically requiring less maintenance too.

Another key feature of the Robox Aqua is its compact design. While fish farms are expanding to meet increasing market growth, the available space for equipment on these barges is becoming more and more limited. The Robox Aqua, however, takes up to 33 per cent less floor space than a conventional blower package. Furthermore, its modular design means it can even be stacked on top of scaffold structures for barges with only very limited space available.

Any servicing can be performed from the front of the unit too, which means a series of Robox Aqua units can be installed side-by-side, taking up even less space.

The technology also overcomes common industry challenges such as noise levels, which can disturb the fish being farmed, by incorporating an improved sound enclosure that reduces noise to below 80 dB(a).

Gardner Denver will also be exhibiting its G-BH8 side channel blowers on the stand. Used for conveying gases and gas-air mixtures, this technology offers a simple and reliable – plus practically maintenance-free – solution. It is approximately half as large and nearly 60 per cent lighter than comparable volumetric machines, while offering the same performance capabilities. Engineered to emit only 74 dB(a), compared with typically 84 dB(a) for alternative models, Gardner Denver’s G-BH8 side channel blowers deliver a quiet and smart solution, which is easy to manage and easy to store on barges with only limited space available, providing increased feed output as a result.

Gardner Denver is already working with a range of aquaculture companies, including Gael Force Group. Neil MacDonald, Project and Design Engineer at Gael Force Group, said: “We were impressed with Gardner Denver’s rotary lobe blowers, which already have an excellent reputation in the aquaculture sector, as well as the compnay’s side channel blowers and compressed air systems. No matter the application, unit size has been a prime consideration for us. All products meet this critical requirement, offering technologies with a compact design and small footprint, coupled with excellent performance.

“Gardner Denver has been engaged with us from the very beginning, bringing its extensive experience and innovation to the table. The company has been really easy to work with, proving themselves to be a very trusted supplier.”

Umberto Onetti, Key Account Manager at Gardner Denver, explains: “The world fish trade is growing at an unprecedented rate, bolstered by the expansion of the aquaculture market, which has been the fastest growing food production sector over the past 20 years. Our latest technologies for the aquaculture market have been developed to meet the industry’s needs, in line with AgraME’s mission to help countries in the Middle East and Africa boost domestic production while reducing the regions’ dependency on imports.

“Overcoming common challenges such as limited installation space, high noise levels and unreliable performance, our industrial air solutions have been developed to offer operators in the aquaculture sector efficient and effective solutions. We look forward to welcoming visitors to stand C10 in hall Z4 to discuss these technologies in more detail.”

For more information on Gardner Denver, please visit www.gardnerdenver.com/industrials