I have a 1300 GPH pump that uses a 3/4" pipe connection. I want to pump water into a bio media chamber, but I want to slow the movement of the water, as it moves through the media. How do I calculate the GPH of the water, when I connect it to a larger pipe or container?
For example, I connect the 3/4" pipe to a 4" pipe, which is 5' long, and then connect the other end of the 4" pipe to another 3/4" pipe that returns to the tank. In GPH, how fast is the water moving through the 4" pipe? I would guess that the right way to solve this would be to calculate the volume of water in 5' of each of the two pipes, divide the larger by the smaller, and then divide the 1300 GPH by the quotient. In other words, I figure the flow loss will be proportionate to the increased pipe size and this relationship could be calculated as such.
Another example. I build a 130 gallon tank that is 7' x 0.5' x 5'. I put a 7' spray bar at the bottom of the tank, which acts as the inlet and does not slow down the water. Since the tank holds 130 gallons and the pump moves 1300 GPH, the water must be moving up the tank at 10 GPH, correct? That makes sense to me, but I have a nagging feeling that it's wrong...
This is for my denitrator project. My idea was to have a length of pipe, filled with Pond Matrix, which is capable of cultivating anaerobic conditions for bacteria to break down nitrates into harmless nitrogen gas. Recently, I was informed that Kmuda, over at oscarfish.com, has already done this with a product that is very similar. DeNitrate is basically the same thing as Pond Matrix, except smaller pieces. SeaChem states, for at least one of these products, that a requirement for the anaerobic conditions is a low flow rate. Thus, I want to figure a way to slow down the flow rate. I'm thinking about making a giant box, like in example #2, which is fed at the bottom and either overflows into the tank, or has a pump at the top, if it's gravity fed. Kmuda got great results, so I know I'm on the right track.
For example, I connect the 3/4" pipe to a 4" pipe, which is 5' long, and then connect the other end of the 4" pipe to another 3/4" pipe that returns to the tank. In GPH, how fast is the water moving through the 4" pipe? I would guess that the right way to solve this would be to calculate the volume of water in 5' of each of the two pipes, divide the larger by the smaller, and then divide the 1300 GPH by the quotient. In other words, I figure the flow loss will be proportionate to the increased pipe size and this relationship could be calculated as such.
Another example. I build a 130 gallon tank that is 7' x 0.5' x 5'. I put a 7' spray bar at the bottom of the tank, which acts as the inlet and does not slow down the water. Since the tank holds 130 gallons and the pump moves 1300 GPH, the water must be moving up the tank at 10 GPH, correct? That makes sense to me, but I have a nagging feeling that it's wrong...
This is for my denitrator project. My idea was to have a length of pipe, filled with Pond Matrix, which is capable of cultivating anaerobic conditions for bacteria to break down nitrates into harmless nitrogen gas. Recently, I was informed that Kmuda, over at oscarfish.com, has already done this with a product that is very similar. DeNitrate is basically the same thing as Pond Matrix, except smaller pieces. SeaChem states, for at least one of these products, that a requirement for the anaerobic conditions is a low flow rate. Thus, I want to figure a way to slow down the flow rate. I'm thinking about making a giant box, like in example #2, which is fed at the bottom and either overflows into the tank, or has a pump at the top, if it's gravity fed. Kmuda got great results, so I know I'm on the right track.
