Leaky Pipe method

The A.G.A Group can supply and install a range of tough porous rubber hoses for aeration and other gaseous exchange applications. This technique has many applications and can be used within the fish farming & fish transportation industry; pollution control; effluent/leachate treatment and associated uses where high exchange rates are required.

The ‘leaky pipe’ relies on compressors or blowers to supply high or low-pressure air, which enters the water through the diffuser. The diffuser splits the air into small bubbles; this is achieved with numerous types of porous materials. The diffuser is placed at a low point in the water body.

Oxygen is transferred from the air bubble to the water as the bubbles pass through the water column, the smaller the bubble the larger the surface area, thus better oxygen exchange rate. The distance and speed the bubble travels through the water column also impacts on the efficiency of exchange, the greater the contact time the greater the exchange.

We know from our knowledge of partial pressure that the dissolved oxygen deficit will ultimately control the rate of exchange to a great extent in air systems.

The Leaky Pipe technique can be used for both irrigation and aeration depending on your requirements; the principle is still the same. The air or water passed through the pipe dissolves through the outer wall slowly to either facilitate aeration of water or irrigation of plants. The leaky Pipe guarantees increased dissolved oxygen content within a water body by slowly releasing air from the pipe as it works its way through the complex mesh of the wall effectively ‘leaking’ fine bubbles. This ensures the efficient transfer of oxygen.

This system is particularly useful in the transportation of fish and provides a viable solution to aerating containers while in transport. The A.G.A Group has full confidence in the product and has fitted a number of Leaky Pipe systems successfully.