Feed silo scanner on the menu
A scanning system designed to give accurate measurements of the amount of feed in feed barge silos is being tested and will be on the market soon.
JM Hansen, based in Tromsø, Norway, has adapted existing laser distance measuring technology to develop the new tool.
Automation engineer Jørgen Antonsen said the system meant fish farmers would never run out of food and could order new supplies more accurately.
Accuracy in ordering
“The industry has asked us for this, they need it for accuracy in ordering and to check their feeding system is correctly calibrated,” said Antonsen, who was promoting the system at Aqua Nor in Trondheim.
“If you think you have fed five tons but have only fed 4.5 tons, the fish will not grow as planned.”
The scanner, which can be mounted anywhere on the roof of a feed silo, scans the entire surface of the feed, allowing precise measurement of the remaining volume in the silo.
Easy to retrofit
Antonsen continued: “We still have some testing and research in the next few months but the scanner itself has an accuracy of 1-2cm.
“It is not important where you mount it. It is easy to retrofit in silos – the sensor will self-calibrate to compensate for its positioning in the silo.”
The engineer said another advantage of the scanner was accurate accounting for fish farmers: “It is important for fish farmers to know how much they have left in their silos to keep account of how much they are spending and how much value they have in food.”
He said the system would alert farmers when feed was running low and could also share measurements with the feed supplier for a more accurate delivery.
