Page 12 - PDZA Sustainable Aquarium Brochure

LSS POWER DEMANDS

Historical data reveals how important the physical waste of annual power cost due to location of the
configured of an LSS is on power use. The data equipment in the design of the facility.
in Figure 1 comes from a survey of operational
filtration systems using sand media filters, drum The data also show that the alternative systems
filters and bead filters. This data include only the with drum filters and bead filters use less power.
power required for circulation through filtration But even with these systems, the efficiency is very
and excludes other power requirements for strongly influenced by where the LSS equipment
heating, chilling, ozonation, etc. sits in relationship to the pools.

In looking at this data, it’s obvious that the Table 3 illustrates that, although drum screen
physical configuration of the LSS had the most filters offer the potential of savings in energy,
significant influence on power use. The three water and space use, sand media filters still offer
systems operating at 3,000 gpm clearly show good benefits for many facilities. In terms of
this. Two of the systems are using close to 65 power savings, it must be emphasized that careful
kW while the third system requires 80 kW. The planning and collaboration with the design of the
system using 80 kW is in an aquarium where building are essential for optimum savings. In fact,
the deaeration tower and protein skimmers had since sand media filters capture pressure energy,
to be located at a much higher elevation than they can actually require less power than drum
optimum. As such, the 15 kW differential between filters when the ideal location for drum filters
these systems is the power needed to move the cannot be accommodated into the facility design.
filtered water up to the elevated deaeration tower
and protein skimmers. Essentially, this is a 25%

LSS SPACE DEMANDS

To determine historical space requirements FIGURE 2—HISTORICAL FILTRATION
for each system, we gathered data from plan SPACE REQUIREMENTS
drawings of completed construction projects. The data includes only mechanical filtration.
Our data on filtration space use for operational Space for heat exchangers, ozone, and towers
saltwater fish systems is shown on Figure 2. is not included. For systems that have backwash
recovery, we also counted the space for basins
and pumps. Above the diagonal line on Figure 2,
see how vertical style sand filters have the least
space efficiency. Horizontal filters are generally in
the middle. The alternative bead and drum screen
filtration systems require less space.

12 AQUARIUM OF THE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: PUBLIC FACILITIES DESIGNED TO EMBODY CONSERVATION