Aquacultural Engineering 56 (2013) 71–78

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Aquacultural Engineering
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/aqua-online

Selection of aerators for intensive aquacultural pond

Avinash Kumar a , Sanjib Moulick b,∗ , Bimal Chandra Mal c
a
Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
b
School of Civil Engineering, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar 751024, India
c
Swami Vivekananda Technical University, Bhilai 490009, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Aeration cost is the third largest cost in intensive aquaculture system after post larvae and feed cost
Received 21 July 2012 representing about 15% of total production cost. Therefore, selection of aerators plays a major role in
Accepted 16 May 2013 maximizing the profit in such system. Over the years, various types of aerators have been developed
specifically to enhance the production of aquatic species. The performances of these aerators are gen-
Keywords: erally compared in terms of standard aeration efficiency. However, suitability of a particular aerator at
Aeration
different pond sizes and water quality conditions can best be determined in terms of aeration cost per
Aquaculture
unit time of operation. In the present study, economic performance of five different aeration systems –
Aerator selection
Economic performance
circular stepped cascade (CSC), pooled circular stepped cascade (PCSC), 1-hp paddle wheel, 2-hp paddle
Aeration cost wheel and propeller aspirator pump were evaluated and compared at different pond sizes, initial DO con-
centrations of pond and operating hours of aerators; assuming a typical Indian major carp (IMC) culture
with commonly practiced stocking density and feeding. Both CSC and PCSC aerators were found to be
suitable for pond size less than 1000 m3 . However, for pond sizes more than 5000 m3 , 1-hp paddle wheel
and 2-hp paddle wheel aerators were found to be efficient.
© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction be met through natural aeration process only. Therefore, artificial

Aerators are essential in semi-intensive and intensive aquacul-
ture to maintain an environment congenial to the physiological
requirements of the cultured organisms. In an intensive aquacul-
ture, full demand of oxygen supply of the cultured species cannot
Abbreviations: ␣, KL a20 pond water/KL a20 tap water; ␤, DO saturation concen-
tration of pond water/DO saturation concentration of tap water; , temperature
correction factor; AC, aeration cost per unit time; AE, aeration efficiency (L−2 T2 );
C, capital cost of aerator; C*, saturation value of dissolved oxygen at test conditions
(M L−3 ); C0 , dissolved oxygen concentration at time, t = 0 (M L−3 ); Cp , initial dissolved
oxygen concentration of pond water (M L−3 ); CS , saturation oxygen concentration of
pond water (M L−3 ); CSC, circular stepped cascade; DO, dissolved oxygen; EC, energy
cost; ER, electricity rate; h, hour; hp, horse power; I, interest rate; IMC, Indian major
carp; KL a20 , overall oxygen transfer coefficient at 20 ◦ C (T−1 ); KL aT , overall oxygen
transfer coefficient at T ◦ C (T−1 ); LC, labour cost; Lf , useful life of aerator; MC, main-
tenance cost of aerators; N, total number of aerators; ODb , benthos oxygen demand;
ODp , plankton oxygen demand; ODs , oxygen demand by cultured species; Oh , oper-
ating hours per year; OTR, actual oxygen transfer rate (M T−1 ); P, power consumption
(M L2 T−3 ); PAP, propeller aspirator pump; PCSC, pooled circular stepped cascade;
Pi , individual power rating of an aerator (M L2 T−3 ); PW, Paddle wheels; PW1, 1-hp
paddle wheel aerator; PW2, 2-hp paddle wheel aerator; Rs, rupees; SAE, standard
aeration efficiency (L−2 T2 ); SOTR, standard oxygen transfer rate (M T−1 ); SV, salvage
value of aerators; t, time of sampling (T); T, temperature (◦ C); TOD, total oxygen
demand (M T−1 ); V, volume of water under aeration (L3 ).
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 7504459858.
E-mail addresses: sanjib moulick72@yahoo.co.uk, sanjibmoulick72@gmail.com
(S. Moulick).
aeration through aerators becomes essential. Aerators increase the
interfacial area between air and water, thus enhancing the oxy-
gen transfer and simultaneously provide water circulation which
prevents the stratification in the water body (Boyd and Martinson,
1984). Various types of aerators have been developed over the
years to maintain desired level of dissolved oxygen (DO) con-
centration in the pond water in an effort to improve the energy
efficiency of the oxygen mass transfer process. Vertical Pump
Sprayers (VPS), Propeller-Aspirator-Pumps (PAP), Paddle Wheels
(PW), and diffused-air systems are probably the most widely used
aerators in the field of aquaculture (Boyd, 1998). Paddle wheel
aerators were found to be the most efficient aerator in terms of
aeration efficiency and circulation (Rappaport et al., 1976; Boyd
and Ahmad, 1987). Recently Singh (2010) designed and devel-
oped circular stepped cascade (CSC) aerator. CSC aerator consists
of six circular steps arranged one above the other with their radii
decreasing in a uniform manner from bottom to top with equal
height of each step. At the central portion of the CSC, a propeller
pump is attached for delivery of water at the top of the step. A
detailed design specification of CSC aerator is available in Singh
(2010). Kumar et al. (2013) developed PCSC aerator by providing
partial barriers at the periphery of each of the circular steps of CSC
aerator to increase the time of exposure of falling water. These aer-
ators, i.e., CSC and PCSC were found to be very cheap and hardy
because of their simple design. The SOTR for both CSC and PCSC
aerators were found to be very low in comparison to paddle wheel

0144-8609/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaeng.2013.05.003
72 A. Kumar et al. / Aquacultural Engineering 56 (2013) 71–78
aerators. However, their lower capital investment and lesser wear
and tear in contrast to highly efficient paddle wheel aerators make
them a potential candidate particularly in small sized ponds.
In the present study, it is intended to compare the economic
performance of different aeration systems which include CSC, PCSC,
1 hp paddle wheel, 2 hp paddle wheel and propeller aspirator pump
at different pond sizes, initial DO concentrations of pond and oper-
ating hours of aerators; assuming a typical Indian major carp (IMC)
culture with commonly practiced stocking density and feeding.
2. Theoretical considerations
The standard oxygen transfer rate (SOTR) of an aerating device
is defined as the mass of oxygen that the device can introduce into
a body of water per unit time at standard conditions (water tem-
perature = 20 ◦ C, initial DO concentration = 0 mg/L, one atmospheric
pressure and clear tap water) (APHA, 1985).
It can be expressed as:
SOTR = KL a20 × (C ∗ − C0 ) × V = KL a20 × 9.07 × V × 10−3
where SOTR is the standard oxygen transfer rate (kg O2 /h), KL a20 is
the overall oxygen transfer coefficient at 20 ◦ C (h−1 ) = KL aT / T−20 ,
KL aT is the overall oxygen transfer coefficient at T ◦ C (h−1 ),  is
the temperature correction factor = 1.024 for pure water, C* is the
saturation value of DO at test conditions (mg/L), C0 is the DO con-
centration at time t = 0 (mg/L), 9.07 is the saturation value of DO
(mg/L) at 20 ◦ C and one atmospheric pressure and V is the aeration
tank volume (m3 ). A better comparative parameter is the standard
aeration efficiency (SAE), which is defined as the SOTR per unit of
power (Lawson and Merry, 1993) and is expressed as:
SOTR (kg O2 /h)
SAE (kg O2 /kWh) =
P
where P is the wire power (kW).
The actual oxygen transfer rate (OTR) of an aerator operating
in a fish pond can be estimated by the following equation (ASCE,
1993; Boyd, 1998):
SOTR[˛(1.024)T −20 (ˇCs − Cp )]
OTR =
9.07
where Cs is the saturation concentration of pond water (mg/L) at
T ◦ C, Cp is the initial DO concentration in pond water (mg/L), at T ◦ C,
˛ is the KL a20 pond water/KL a20 tap water and ˇ is the DO satura-
tion concentration of pond water/DO saturation concentration of
tap water. Aeration efficiency (AE) of aerators for pond conditions
can be estimated by using SAE instead of SOTR in the preceding
equation (Boyd, 1998):
SAE[˛(1.024)T −20 (ˇCs − Cp )]
AE =
9.07
Total oxygen demand (TOD) of an aquaculture pond is repre-
sented as:
TOD = ODs + ODp + ODb
where ODs is the oxygen demand by cultured species, ODp is the
plankton oxygen demand, and ODb is the benthos oxygen demand.
Based on the values of TOD and AE, total power (P) requirement
for aeration can be calculated as follows:
TOD (kg O2 /h)
P (kW) =
AE (kg O2 /kW h)
Thus, knowing the individual power rating of an aerator (Pi ), the
total number of aerators (N) can be estimated using the following
equation:
P TOD depends on the water quality and the species cultured
N=
Pi
The cost of aeration can be evaluated by determining the fixed
and variable costs associated with different aeration devices. Fixed
cost includes the capital cost, depreciation cost, maintenance cost,
and bank interest for purchase of the aerators; whereas, the vari-
able cost comprises energy and labor cost involved for running the
aerators. The hourly fixed cost can be obtained by dividing the total
annual fixed cost by the hours of operation. Cost of energy per hour
of aeration can be calculated by the following equation:
EC = ER × Pi × N (8)
where EC is the energy cost (Rs/h) and ER is the electricity rate
(Rs/kW h).
The aeration cost per unit time (AC) in Rs/h can finally be esti-
mated by the following equation:
 C × N   100 − SV  
Or, AC = × + I + MC + EC + LC (9)
Oh × 100 Lf
where C is the capital cost of aerator (Rs); Oh is the operating hours
per year; SV, I and MC represent salvage value, interest rate and
(1) maintenance cost of aerators in terms of % of capital cost; Lf is the
useful life of aerator (years) and LC is the labor cost (Rs/h).
3. Materials and methods
Selection of different types of aerators, determination of TOD,
determination of OTR, AE, P and N and determination of aeration
cost are presented in this section.
3.1. Selection of different types of aerators
Five different types of aerators: (a) pooled circular stepped cas-
(2) cade (PCSC); (b) circular stepped cascade (CSC); (c) 1 hp paddle
wheel (PW1); (d) 2 hp paddle wheel (PW2) and (e) propeller aspi-
rator pump (PAP) (Fig. 1) were selected in this study to determine
their comparative aeration performances. The aeration character-
istics and design specifications of PCSC, CSC and PAP aerators are
available in Kumar et al. (2013), Singh (2010) and Kumar et al.
(2010). The prices of these aerators were also ascertained based on
(3) market prices. The details of paddle wheel aerators – PW1 and PW2
along with their prices were obtained through quotations from dif-
ferent manufacturers/dealers. The values of wire power, SOTR and
SAE of the five selected aerators are presented in Table 1. The values
of SOTR and SAE of the above mentioned aerators were determined
by conducting non-steady state reaeration tests following standard
procedure (ASCE, 1997). To conduct the non-steady state reaeration
test, initially clean tap water was taken in a tank. Initially sodium
sulphite and cobalt chloride at the rates of 10 mg/L and 0.1 mg/L,
respectively, were used for deoxygenation of each mg/L of available
(4) dissolved oxygen in the water. Thereafter, DO measurements were
done at timed intervals by running the aerator till the DO in the
water body becomes typically greater than 96% of saturation (Jiang
and Stenstrom, 2012). DO was measured using Dissolved Oxygen
(5) (DO) meters (YSI 55, YSI Professional Plus and Hach Hydrolab Sonde
DS5) by inserting the probes to a depth of approximately 0.20 m
(Baylar et al., 2007) during the experiments. Finally based on the
data of DO concentrations obtained at different times, C0 , Cs and
KL aT were simultaneously estimated. Further, KL a20 was found out
using temperature correction factor () and subsequently SOTR and
SAE were calculated following Eqs. (1) and (2). The details of the
(6)
aeration experiments conducted for development of CSC and PCSC
aerators are presented in Singh (2010) and Kumar et al. (2013).
3.2. Determination of TOD
(7)
therein. In the present study, Indian major carps (IMC) consisting of
 A. Kumar et al. / Aquacultural Engineering 56 (2013) 71–78
Fig. 1. Different types of aerators.
catla (Catla catla), rohu (Labeo rohita) and mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala)
with stocking ratio of 4:3:3 were considered as the aquatic species.
Further it was assumed that at the time of harvesting, the com-
bined yield of IMC be 0.85 kg/m3 which is very common in Indian
scenario. Respiration rate and feeding rate of Indian major carps
were assumed to be 300 g O2 /kg feed (Lawson, 1995) and 2% of
biomass/day, respectively. Oxygen demand of plankton and ben-
thic respiration was taken as 0.134 mg/L/h and 0.061 mg/L/h (Boyd
and Tucker, 1998), respectively, for 1 m deep well prepared ponds.
Based on the above-assumed values, TOD was calculated for six
different sizes of ponds with water spread areas of 100, 200, 500,
1000, 5000 and 10,000 m2 having 1 m depth.
3.3. Determination of OTR, AE, P and N
It can be noticed from Eqs. (3) and (4) that that the aeration
parameters – OTR and AE and subsequently P and N depend on
initial DO concentrations in pond water (Cp ). Further, variation
in these aeration parameters directly affects the aeration cost. To
Table 1
Wire power, SOTR and SAE of different type of aerators.
Sl. No. Aerators Wire power (kW)
1 PCSC 0.186
2 CSC 0.186
3 PW1 0.746
4 PW2 1.492
5 PAP 1.492
73
ascertain the variation of these aeration parameters with Cp , four
different Cp values (1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/L) were assumed and calcula-
tion of OTR (Eq. (3)), AE (Eq. (4)), P (Eq. (6)) and N (Eq. (7)) were made
by selecting the values of SOTR, SAE and P from Table 1 and assum-
ing typical values of T, ˛ and ˇ as 25 ◦ C, 0.95 and 0.90, respectively.
The value of Cs at 25 ◦ C was taken as 8.26 mg/L (APHA, 1985).
3.4. Determination of aeration cost
The mathematical details pertaining to the cost of aeration is
already provided in theoretical analysis. Annual depreciation cost
was estimated using the straight line method (Engle, 1989). The
useful life of different aerators was estimated based on the materi-
als used in the fabrication of the aerators. Repair and maintenance
cost for individual aerator was estimated based on electric motor,
gear and material used. The electricity and labor cost were consid-
ered at the rate of Rs 3/kW h and Rs 25/h, respectively. Total aeration
cost (AC) was calculated (Eq. (9)) for four levels of aeration – 500,
1000, 1500 and 2000 h per year and eight different sizes of pond
SOTR (kg O2 /h) SAE (kg O2 /kW h)
0.161 0.867
0.135 0.726
2.600 3.485
5.000 3.351
0.454 0.304
74 A. Kumar et al. / Aquacultural Engineering 56 (2013) 71–78

Table 2
Capital cost, useful life and other fixed costs of different type of aerators.

Sl. No. Aerators Capital cost Useful life Depreciation Bank interest Maintenance
(Rsa ) (year) cost (Rs/year) (Rs/year) cost (Rs/year)

1 PCSC 6929 6 1039 762 346

2 CSC 6285 6 943 691 314
3 PW1 25,500 4 5738 2805 2550
4 PW2 36,000 4 8100 3960 3600
5 PAP 30,000 6 4500 3300 1500
a
Rs 55 = 1 $ approximately.

70 PCSC 70 V = 200 m3 PCSC

V = 100 m3 CSC CSC

Cost per hour (Rs.)

Cost per hour (Rs.)

60 PW1 60 PW1
PW2 PW2
50 PAP 50 PAP

40 40

30 30

20 20
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per year

70 PCSC
70 V = 500 m3
V = 300 m3 PCSC CSC
Cost per hour (Rs.)

60
Cost per hour (Rs.)

60 CSC PW1
PW1 PW2
PW2 50
50 PAP
PAP
40 40

30 30

20 20
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per year

70 PCSC PCSC
80
CSC V = 1000 m3 CSC
Cost per hour (Rs.)

Cost per hour (Rs.)

60 V = 700 m3 PW1 70 PW1

PW2 PW2
50 PAP 60
PAP
50
40
40
30 30
20 20
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per year

350 PCSC
180 PCSC V = 10000 m3 CSC
V = 5000 m 3 CSC 300 PW1
Cost per hour (Rs.)

160
Cost per hour (Rs.)

PW1 250 PW2

140 PW2 PAP
120 PAP 200
100 150
80
100
60
40 50
20 0
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per Year

Fig. 2. Variation of aeration cost with hours of aeration for different aerators and pond sizes for Cp = 1 ppm.
 A. Kumar et al. / Aquacultural Engineering 56 (2013) 71–78 75

70 PCSC 70
V = 100 m3 PCSC
CSC
V = 200 m3

Cost per hour (Rs.)

Cost per hour (Rs.)
60 60 CSC
PW1
PW1
PW2
50 50 PW2
PAP
PAP
40 40
30 30
20 20
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeraon hour per year Aeration hour per year

70 70
PCSC PCSC
V= 500 m3 CSC

Cost per hour (Rs.)

Cost per hour (Rs.)

60 CSC 60
V= 300 m3 PW1 PW1
50 PW2 50 PW2
PAP PAP
40 40

30 30

20 20
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per year

70 PCSC 80
V= 700 m3 PCSC
V = 1000 m3
Cost per hour (Rs.)

CSC
Cost per hour (Rs.)
60 70 CSC
PW1 PW1
60 PW2
50 PW2
PAP 50 PAP
40
40
30 30
20 20
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per year

250 V= 5000 m 3 PCSC

CSC 400 V = 10000 m3 PCSC
Cost per hour (Rs.)

CSC
Cost per hour (Rs.)

200 PW1
300 PW1
PW2
150 PW2
PAP
200 PAP
100
50 100

0 0
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per Year

Fig. 3. Variation of aeration cost with hours of aeration for different aerators and pond sizes for Cp = 2 ppm.

(100, 200, 300, 500, 700, 1000, 5000, 10,000 m2 ) having 1 m depth.
Salvage value was taken as 10% of the capital cost.
4. Results and discussion
The capital and other fixed costs including depreciation, bank
interest and maintenance costs of the various aerators are pre-
sented in Table 2. It can be seen from the table that capital
Investment and depreciation cost per unit varied widely for dif-
ferent aeration systems. PW2 has the highest capital cost followed
by PAP, PW1, PCSC and CSC. Minimum fixed cost was evaluated for
CSC followed by PCSC, PAP, PW1 and PW2. The depreciation costs
for CSC and PCSC aerators were found to be very less as their capital
cost were very less and also had higher life span as compared to the
other aerators considered.
Variation of aeration cost (AC) with different aeration hours per
year for different aerators and pond sizes at 1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/L of
Cp are shown in Figs. 2–5, respectively. It can be seen from the
figures that ACs for PCSC and CSC almost match for pond sizes up
to 1000 m3 at a particular aeration level. For pond sizes in the ranges

Table 3
Usefulness of various aerators at different Cp values for different pond volumes.

Cp (mg/L) PCSC (m3 ) CSC (m3 ) PW1 (m3 ) PW2 (m3 ) PAP

1 ≤1000 ≤1000 10,000 5000–10,000 Not efficient

2 ≤1000 ≤300 10,000 5000–10,000 Not efficient
3 ≤1000 100, 300 1000 5000–10,000 Not efficient
4 ≤500 ≤500 700–10,000 10,000 Not efficient
76 A. Kumar et al. / Aquacultural Engineering 56 (2013) 71–78

70 PCSC 70
V = 100 m3 V = 200 m3 PCSC
CSC CSC

Cost per hour (Rs.)

60

Cost per hour (Rs.)

60 PW1 PW1
PW2
50 50 PW2
PAP
PAP
40
40
30
30
20
20
500 1000 1500 2000
500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per year

PCSC
70 V = 300 m3 PCSC 70
V = 500 m3 CSC
Cost per hour (Rs.)

CSC

Cost per hour (Rs.)

60 60 PW1
PW1 PW2
50 PW2 50 PAP
PAP
40 40
30 30
20 20
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per year

80 V = 700 m3 PCSC PCSC

CSC
80 V = 1000 m3
CSC
Cost per hour (Rs.)

70
Cost per hour (Rs.)
PW1 70 PW1
60 PW2 60 PW2
PAP PAP
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per year

PCSC
250 V = 5000 m 3 CSC
500 V = 10000 m3 PCSC
CSC
Cost per hour (Rs.)
Cost per hour (Rs.)

200 PW1 400 PW1

PW2 PW2
150 PAP 300 PAP
100 200

50 100

0 0
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per Year

Fig. 4. Variation of aeration cost with hours of aeration for different aerators and pond sizes for Cp = 3 ppm.

of 100–700 m3 , ACs for PW1 and PAP are almost equal at a particular
aeration level. However, PAP aerator has the highest aeration cost
for pond sizes 1000–10,000 m3 . For pond sizes above 5000 m3 , PW2
aerator has the least aeration cost followed by PW1, PCSC, CSC and
PAP. This implies that PW2 aerator is more economical than the
other aerators for larger pond sizes.
From all the above figures (Figs. 2–5) it can be observed that AC
for different types of aerators decreases with the increase in aer-
ation hour per year. This is due to the fact that as the number of
operation hours per year increases, fixed cost per hour reduces due
to reduction in the values of hourly depreciation and interest rate.
Therefore, total cost of aeration per hour (AC) becomes inversely
proportional to operating hours of aeration (Oh ). The fact is
mathematically expressed in Eq. (9). In fact AC tends to approach
the summation of EC and LC at higher values of Oh . Therefore, it is
more economical to run the aerators in ponds with intensive aqua-
culture system as those ponds require higher oxygenation leading
to larger hours of operation (Oh ).
Based on the data obtained from the analyses, the comparative
performances for all the five different aerators are summarized in
Table 3. It can be seen from the table that the PCSC aerator is highly
suitable for pond sizes less than 1000 m3 followed by CSC aerator
at Cp ≤3 mg/L. This is due to the fact that in small sized ponds,
oxygen demand is less and thus fixed cost becomes a major factor
compared to the energy cost. For pond sizes more than 5000 m3 ,
PW1 as well as PW2 aerators are suitable mainly because of lesser
 A. Kumar et al. / Aquacultural Engineering 56 (2013) 71–78 77

70
V = 100 m3 PCSC 70 V= 200 m3 PCSC
CSC CSC

Cost per hour (Rs.)

60

Cost per hour (Rs.)

PW1 60 PW1
PW2
50 PAP
PW2
50 PAP
40
40
30 30
20 20
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per year

70 V = 300 m3 PCSC V = 500 m3 PCSC

80
CSC CSC
Cost per hour (Rs.)

Cost per hour (Rs.)

60 PW1 70 PW1
PW2 PW2
50 60 PAP
PAP
50
40
40
30 30
20 20
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per year

80 PCSC
V= 700 m3 100 V = 1000 m3 PCSC
CSC CSC
Cost per hour (Rs.)

Cost per hour (Rs.)

70 90
PW1 PW1
60 80 PW2
PW2
70 PAP
50 PAP 60
40 50
40
30 30
20 20

500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000

Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per year

400 V = 5000 m 3 PCSC 600 V = 10000 m3 PCSC

CSC CSC
Cost per hour (Rs.)

Cost per hour (Rs.)

PW1 500 PW1

300 PW2 PW2
400
PAP PAP
200 300
200
100
100
0 0
500 1000 1500 2000 500 1000 1500 2000
Aeration hour per year Aeration hour per Year

Fig. 5. Variation of aeration cost with hours of aeration for different aerators and pond sizes for Cp = 4 ppm.

energy cost. In no case PAP aerator is found to be economical for use the methodology stated above, one can modify the necessary cal-
due to its high initial investment as well as low standard aeration culations based on the actual field data to suit their specific needs.
efficiency.

5. Conclusions
4.1. Limitations of the study
In the present study, aeration cost (Rs/h) of five different aer-
This study was carried out using the data collected from various ation systems – circular stepped cascade (CSC), pooled circular
literatures and quotations received through enquiry from various stepped cascade (PCSC), 1 hp paddle wheel, 2 hp paddle wheel and
manufacturers/dealers. Further, various assumptions were made propeller aspirator pump were evaluated and compared for appli-
with regard to aquatic species, pond conditions, water quality cation in different pond sizes, initial DO concentrations of pond
parameters, etc. Therefore, the results reported in this study may and operating hours of aerators; assuming a typical Indian major
not be strictly applicable for all general conditions. However, using carp (IMC) culture with commonly practiced stocking density and
78 A. Kumar et al. / Aquacultural Engineering 56 (2013) 71–78
feeding. Based on the results of the study, following conclusions are
drawn:
• For proper selection of aerator in an aquaculture system, aer-
ation cost needs to be determined based on the methodology
presented.
• For a typical Indian major carp culture system in a small pond
of less than 1000 m3 volume, circular stepped cascade or pooled
circular stepped cascade aerator is most economical.
• For larger ponds of volume more than 5000 m3 , 1-hp paddle
wheel or 2-hp paddle wheel aerator is more economical.
• Usefulness of various aerators at different initial pond DO con-
centrations and pond volumes is presented.
Acknowledgment
The authors are grateful to the Department of Science
and Technology (DST), New Delhi, Project Sanction No.
SR/S3/MER/003/2008, dated 28.07.2008 for providing the financial
support.
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