Reservoir diffused aeration can help increase productivity in many ways. A few examples of this would be the increase of oxygen-rich water into the root systems of plants and crops not to mention the huge reduction in single-cell algal blooms which can cause timely maintenance issues with filter blockages. Heathland Group has several effective solutions in our range of diffused reservoir aerators and can provide a choice of disc and tube styled diffuser membranes. Tube style diffuser membranes entrain water from 360 degrees around the tube and this allows them to reach deeper water from the bottom of the reservoirs, whilst the base design prevents them from actually disturbing the reservoir bed. Disc style diffuser membranes entrain water from the top of the membrane up towards the reservoir surface.
Reservoirs can be affected negatively by warmer weather. During the summer, reservoirs can suffer from thermal stratification, which is when water becomes divided into layers as shown below. The bottom layer of the reservoir will contain cool, oxygen-depleted water whilst the surface layer of the reservoir will contain warmer oxygen-rich water. These two layers are separated by the thermocline that prevents the two from mixing because of differences in the water density.
A diffused aerator pumps air through the diffuser membranes, which then travels to the reservoir surface in the form of millions of tiny bubbles. When these bubbles travel up through the thermal layers they entrain the colder water and this is then carried to the surface layer, where it becomes naturally oxygenated. This colder water circulates and is replaced by warmer water providing complete circulation and balanced temperature.
Circulating and aerating from the reservoir base upwards also releases toxic gases that normally become trapped underneath the thermocline layer. This provides a balanced habitat for aquatic life. This diffused aeration process creates aerobic conditions near the reservoir bed and then the microbial process can naturally break down nutrients that might otherwise be used in the production of noxious aquatic weeds and algae.