Nofima MicroRAS facility

  • Engineering
  • Installation
  • MicroRAS
  • Norway
  • Salmon

Between the imposing Norwegian mountains lies the world renowned Nofima A/S Sunndalsora research facility. Here, LandIng built a research facility with 20 independent MicroRAS units where the effect of the RAS on the reared fish and vice versa can be researched. Every MicroRAS is a fully stand-alone functioning RAS system with a single fish tank, which enables Nofima to perform cutting-edge research into land-based aquaculture.

Each MicroRAS has a 500L fish tank, designed to hold up to 60kg/m3 fish under very strict water quality standards, including a maximal dissolved CO2 concentration of 10 mg/L. Every unit has a 60-micron drum filter unit, two-stage MBBR, full-flow degassing, low head oxygen cone and a temperature control system. Water quality and flow will be constantly monitored and controlled by sensors measuring oxygen, pH, temperature, water level and water flow. The fish tanks can be operated as single (bottom) drain tanks or Cornell dual drain tanks at varying water levels. This flexibility allows for conducting experiments with salmon in a variety of live stages.

The research facility was completed in the last quarter of 2021. At the moment of delivery this was one of the biggest RAS supply contracts for LandIng so far. Co-founder and managing director Rob van de Ven said: “This project shows that Landing Aquaculture not only has a strong engineering foundation, but that it has also matured as a company with manufacturing capabilities to handle turnkey projects of this size”.

Co-founder and innovation director at Landing, Carlos Espinal, said he sees this as the perfect opportunity to show how the RAS technology has matured over the last decade. He added: “We [Landing Aquaculture] take pride in working at the cutting edge of RAS engineering. To do this, it is essential to remain both creative and technically correct. This project showcases how design can meet operational demands if your engineering knowledge is robust.”

For more information on the MicroRAS look at our products page.