Centralised Automatic Feed System

With a feeding system from JT you decide when and how you want to feed. You specify the feeding amount, dose frequency, and choice of feed type with control either remotely or automatically. Our feeding systems are designed to fulfill strict specifications of accuracy, negligible feed damage, system reliability and flexibility

We supplier a feeding system which is exceptionally user friendly with great emphasis upon reliability. The feeding system uses the very latest network technology for communication between the various entities of the control system. All communication runs via standard network equipment making it easy to add new entities such as sensors and cameras. Consequently the system is capable of being expanded and enhanced to take advantage of the rapidly moving network and technology market.

The feeding system consists only of industrial standard components, without specially developed electronics. Modules are "off the shelf" and can be shipped at short notice all over the world. We use a very powerful PLS system that can run up to four separate systems from a standard PC.

Pellets must be transported from silo to cage twith great care. GMT's expert knowledge and precise design ensure that our mechanical system elements cause neglegible feed damage during transit.

COMBINATIONS

The centralised feeder can simultaneously feed through the designated port(s) of one, two, three or four, cage selctor valves, according to the set-up and equipment. If the system is to feed through two valves simultaneously, you will need a double feed system with two selectors/sluices/blowers. Feeding through three pipes simultaneously require a treble system.

- 90mm and 75mm feed pipes are normally used for on growing farms
- 50mm feed pipes are used on hatcheries and smaller sea farms 

QUALITY

When developing the feeding system we have emphasised  the following:

• advanced and user friendly software
• gentle pellet treatment
• widely available industry standard products
• excellent service
• superior industrial design
• environment, health and safety concerns
• best quality in production and delivery
• continual effort in product development

FEEDING CAPACITY

We deliver hatcheries ina range that can feed from just a few grams every second up to 200-300 grams per second. On-growing fish farm systems are delivered with the capacity up to 3 kg per second. They can feed up to 45 tons each hour (systems with four dispensers, Ø 90mm). The bigger on-growing systems can dispense between 10 kg and 3 tons every hour.


MIXFEED

It is common to mix two types of pellets in the transition from one type of  feed to another. Some farmers mix both feeds in the same silo but this obviously degrades dose accuracy.

GMT system offers a solution maintaing optimum dose accuracy  by running two feed augers, each drawing from a different silo, at the same time. The augers deliver the feed pellet mixture, in the ratio controlled by the GMT system,  into a common sluice from which the feed is conveyed to the appropriate cage via the designated selector valve

REMOTE FEED

This is a hand held PC with wireless Ethernet communication and a touch panel that is easy to use. The communication runs via a wireless base station which can communicate with several radios simultaneously. The PC does not have to be turned on operate the radio control.

GMT has made it possible to use 4 radios simultaneously. All of the systems can also be controlled from a radio. The display has excellent visibility in daylight and has a backlight function available during darkness. The range is 0-1200 meters but can be substantially  increased using a repeater (standard wireless network equipment).

GMT RADIO Screen Shot:



Remote in waterproof & floating case:      
                                                                                 

GENTLE FEED


GMT AS, in cooperation with an industrial design company, has developed a new kind of selector valve. Under the development we have focused on 4 criteria. These are highly accomplished.

1) Design that provides gentle feed transport

2) Exact positioning for each outlet port

3) The outlets are saltwater tight from every side

4) Because the selector valve is only externally visible part of the GMT feeding system we have paid very careful attention to it's shape and form.

The entire selector is made from AISI316L stainless steel and is very robust and highly durable. The standard selector has 12 outlets, each of them with Ø90mm.

We can also provide selector versions with Ø75mm, Ø50mm and Ø40mm outlets. The bend radius of the selector arm is 1500mm. The inside diameter is the exact same from the inlet to the outlet of the valve. This ensures that the food does not hit any sharp edges on its way through the valve.

An electronic pulse counter ensures that each selector arm is exactly positioned for each outlet. The counter is immune to salt water flushing the valve from all sides. It is not necessary to readjust the counter.

VARI SPEED FEED

The feeding speed measured in kg/min/ton is regulated automatically according to the biomass in each cage. The user can easily adjust the feed auger feed speed (grams/second). One can also choose to run the same speed no matter the biomass.

High Biomass | Low Biomass

The GMT system(red pellets) compared to an ordinary system (yellow pellets)

HOW IT WORKS

The pellets fall under gravity from the silo into the transport auger, the pressure caused by the weight of the feed in the silo being reduced by a special feature on the way. This means that the feed pellet level in the silo cannot affect the accuracy or capacity of the auger.

The pellets are measured by transit through the transportation augar.  down to the valve. The transportation aguar is very accurate and self cleaning. The auger screw rotational speed is adjusted to the size of the dose and high precision is obtained.

Then the feed is introduced into the air stream from the blower. The valve has an "air lock" and its only task is to bring the pellets into the air stream gently.

The pellets then transit through the distribution valve and out into the feeding pipes to the cages. The feed accelerates all the way and is not crushed or damaged during its' passage through the distribution valve.

HANDLING THE FEED

GMT feeding systems are designed to treat the feed very gently. This is demonstrated when you see the shape of the transportation augar and how the sluice and distribution vales work. The transportation augars are produced to make the clearance between the edge of the screw auger and the inside of pipe very small, so that the pellets do not get "squeezed" or crushed when passing through. The dimension of the distribution valve pipe bend is generous for the pellet volume passing through.

Our design specification is that the sluice must never be more than 50 percent full. GMT's distribution valve has been given a lot of attention. It is our opinion that competing designs of this unit are often responsible for pellet crushing which occurs if feed achieves high speed (10-15 m/s), hits sharp edges, if pellet / bore friction is high, the inside pipe diameter changes, and the radius of the bend is small.

DISTRIBUTION/SELECTOR VALVE
The GMT distribution valve gives better results than its' competitiors. It has a s-pipe with large bending radius (1500m), no sharp edges and a constant inner pipe diameter. This makes it possible to place the distribution valve further away from the sluice We can justifiably claim that the GMT feed system is the most gentle on the market.

The motor and sensors in the sluice are well protected and it is therefore possible and easy to clean inside the valve. The GMT valve is the only one you can treat this way. The bottom of the valve is open and therefore feed left overs can be flushed out to maintain a very hygienic valve. 

TRANSPORTATION AUGER

The transportation aguar is shaped to make the volume constant and ensure that the dosage of the feed will vary in exact proportion with the rotational speed. This gives accurate doses even with a variating rotational speed.

We always use a frequency inverter to regulate the speed of the aguer. This makes the feeding system very flexible in addition to being very precise. Because the rotational speed to the electric motor is directly proportional with the frequency of the electrical supply, a frequency change produces a comparable change in rotational speed.

If the electric supply comes from a diesel generator, which is common, we know that the frequency can variate by +/- 5 percent. Then the rotational speed of the aguar will variate by the same percentage. This is, of course, not good. Our frequency inverter however reduces this error to no more than +/- 1%.

The transportation aguerr are made of acid proof stainless steel (S316).

SOFTWARE

We have developed software for PLS, PC and radio remote unit in cooperation with the company Controlteam AS, of Bergen. GMT has invested heavily in software and Controlteam are contracted to continue development in a long term arangement. We believe that professional software is and will be our best competitive advantage.

The GMT software has unparalleled qualities and potential. SpeedFeed, MixFeed and VariFeed gives the farmer unique opportunities. There are several other advanatges when using our programme:

• the operator can at all times see how much of the systems capacity that is in current use. This gives the operator the ability to optimise the system at all times.
• logging of low, high, and very high pressure in each feed pipe with an alarm warning. This is important when the length of each pipe is different
• logging of temperature and consumption
• control of the blowers for each single pipe. The user can control the speed of the blower at different levels for each pipe. At pauses, when rotating the distribution valve or when stopping at an outlet without pipe, the speed of    the blower is cut to low level. This reduces power consumption and noise levels.
• individual alarm loop from each motor or sensor. This makes the trouble shooting simple and results in quicker start ups after stops.
• one control system can operate four distribution valves/blowers (Quattro System)
• Ethernet communication between PLC, PC and radio remote controller
• individual radio remote control for each system
• Akvasmart (CAS1) compatible FarmControl and Superior compatible
• Oxygen control of feeding (option)
• connection of several sensors for measuring of temperature, salinity, current, light etc. (the sensors must have and industrial interface)
• customer applications. In co-operation with the customer special applications can be developed on a short term.