Identifier

etd-07072004-114606

Degree

Master of Science in Biological and Agricultural Engineering (MSBAE)

Department

Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

A process-control temperature system was designed and developed for facilitating somatic cell research on eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. The system consisted of sixteen independent tanks capable of individual temperature regimes controlled by a central computer. Food grade 250-L tanks were used to hold 60 oysters per tank. Each tank was equipped with heating and cooling mechanisms. Immersion heaters were used for heating and a pump and a stainless steel heat exchangers immersed in chilled water (~ 7°C) were used for cooling. Type-T thermocouples along with a CIOEXP32 multiplexer board (Measurement Computing Inc.) were used to measure water temperatures. Control was achieved via a pair of analog and digital (A/D) boards that actuated heaters and pumps through solid state relays. The performance of the system was evaluated in two experiments for studies on somatic cell proliferation in eastern oysters. In the first experiment, the system was programmed to maintain constant temperatures of 10, 15, and 20°C for a 20-day period. The system was able to maintain temperatures within ± 0.2°C. In the second experiment, diurnal fluctuations of 20 ± 1°C, 20 ± 5°C, 15 ± 1°C, 15 ± 5°C, and 15 ± 10°C were imposed. The system was able to simulate water temperatures within ± 0.2°C for regimes 20 ± 1°C, 20 ± 5°C, 15 ± 1°C. A computer program “Realwire” for measuring and simulating real-time water temperatures was developed using freely available public domain software called Python and GNUwget. The software was able to measure and simulate real-time water temperatures.

Date

2004

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Steven G. Hall

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.2299

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