Large volume laminar flow machine

The outside boxes can be inside a wooden frame made of I directed 2x4 studs. It can carry a house. The acrylic should be able to maintain a seal with the wooden frame for mechanical strength.

The inside is the DT with 12x 3" diameter holes. I can do 8x 4" but I need to look at the cost benefit tradeoff. 4" bulkheads and unions are absurdly more expensive.

Here's the most recent view

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The outside box is the only pressure vessel. The backpressure from the laminarizing box (inside the tank) and the actuated valves should be under control now.
 
Quick update. Got a friend doing the computational flow dynamics analysis of the distribution structure. I also have two actuators ready and 2 dedicated pumps to simulate the alternating flow.

Given the cost of the plastic shapes, I'm going to look at purchasing a 3D printer at ~$2K. Each plate is much smaller now, so this should be manageable.
 
Thanks. I'm not looking for a wavebox. I already have an actuated surge.

Setting up a standing wave with a wavebox is cool, but a lot of the energy goes in the up-down motion. The flow is also a circular tube, not a full side to side uniform flow.

Locally, it has a nice effect on the corals similar to what I want. I just want it without the up-down wave effect.

You can think of it as two waveboxes connected so that the push-pull cancels the wave effect, leaving only the current (circulating) effect.

My flow plates make the distribution uniform. That's basically it.
 
I just curious is that a picture of your tank you have today with the mods your talking about? I like all your automation ideas. That is eventually what I like to do someday as I go along. I probably won't have the time to do all of it. :(
 
My buddy had a personal setback. Lost a close friend. :(

Still waiting for the results of the flow analysis.

As an aside, I realize that I'll need a 3D printer and I'm hoping to find a good deal.

Finally, it looks like jebao will be releasing a squirrel cage blower pump, so that could revive that concept too.

I've also need reconsidering ripping out the sides of my current tank and using my actuated surge to drive the flow.

Since none of these are really new ideas, I decided to wait and post when I had something concrete to add.
 
Hey sorry to hear that about your friend. That sucks.

I be interested how that turns out. Which reminds me I actually was trying to print a something narrow (like thin a wall) on my 3D printer and was having trouble getting the software to let me do it for some reason. So one thing to keep in mind. I not sure if there are ways to override this or not.
 
I'll have to check a demo with a small section to be sure it'll work.

I'm trying to combine the flow machine with my natural sunlight design in a peninsula construction. It's very hard to get all those requirements to align, even assuming we move to a new house and I start the build from scratch...
 
I'll have to check a demo with a small section to be sure it'll work.

I'm trying to combine the flow machine with my natural sunlight design in a peninsula construction. It's very hard to get all those requirements to align, even assuming we move to a new house and I start the build from scratch...

ouch I assume moving and dealing with aquariums well isn't fun. lol
 
Hi Karimwassef ...

i using for my testtank only 2 x 230 Watt RD3 Speedys for the flow. The tank has 254 gallons... One pump makes 4500 gallons flow... we want see what happend, when it is finished...

Your ideas that I see here are awesome

Best regards .. .Klaus
 
Here's my current version combining direct sunlight, artificial light, circulating laminar current, dual actuated surge, and a peninsula view.

The wife has another 'restriction' that's no overflow inside the house - no sump or plumbing or pumps, etc... So all the plumbing goes outside or in a contained tank room. Unfortunately, a tank room blocks light, so the only option is an outside control box. Not a good option when it freezes in dallas - so still a design in progress.

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The only way I found to combine direct sunlight and artificial light is in a sunroom with an acrylic top cover. The mechanics and electronics have to go outside.

The surge container has to go on the solid roof section and be plumbed in through the actuated lift cover.

Still half baked, clearly... but you asked about progress.. :D
 
I prefer building a house around my creation. My wife and budget disagree. :D

Oh lol ok. well if your building an an aquarium to live in well I guess that's a different story. haha ;)

That is probably what I should have done was do all the fancy 3D modeling first, but that seems like a lot of work for a small project. That looks really cool what you done there.
 
The 3D modeling saves a lot of trouble. There are so many things that push against each other and doing it on the computer is much cheaper than building and then learning... faster too.
 
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