Algae and fungi do not care whether the crop grown in a grower's greenhouse is 'big' or 'small'. When conditions are right, they strike. To a greater or lesser extent, growers have to deal with them sooner or later. Or again and again. To prevent exactly that, professional water treatment is necessary, says CEO André van der Stoel on behalf of the Industrial Product Solutions team.
Industrial Product Solutions (IPS) produces original and innovative technological solutions for growing plants. IPS uses the latest technologies in cultivation, harvesting and packaging. Its systems achieve maximum yields with minimum input of natural resources and labour.
Broadly applicable unit
One of the systems in IPS' range is the Mi Flow. Mi Flow, a mixing unit for A and B nutrient solutions, acid and/or lye and oxygen, is known as 'a high-quality solution for smaller capacities that is not inferior to the results of larger water units at a proportionate cost'. The fully automated unit is 'at home in all markets'.
To illustrate this, André gives a list. "You will come across growers with a DFT or NFT system for growing on water who are looking for a water unit, growers who want to make their feed water more automated and also growers who want to start a new small crop. We offer the Mi Flow for all these situations. We saw that the market, especially for small crops, was still lacking a unit that meets the grower's demand and has a proportionate cost."
Three standard capacities
The Mi Flow is available in three standard flow capacities, namely 1.5 m3, 5.5 m3, and 12 m3 per hour. The Mi Flow is equipped as a pre-mix system. "This guarantees a perfect mixing of the nutrients with the water," says André. Installation is easy, as the system is 'plug-and-play.' "This is the current standard. It also manifests itself in the ease of operation."
Mixing in oxygen
Besides mixing nutrients for feed water, it is also possible to add dissolved oxygen to the water. "Dissolved oxygen is indispensable for plants to absorb nutrients," André points out. "Our oxygen dispenser makes it possible to create oxygen naturally and mix it into the water via the Mi Flow to create dissolved oxygen."
Remote control as an option
The unit can optionally be equipped with a remote control. "We then place a computer with an internet connection on the unit." This gives the grower access to additional control functionalities. "The grower can use the control screen and has access to the feeding schedules, switching times and all alarms. The grower can also adjust all settings and create historical overviews in the online design."
Feeding greenhouse sections separately
Mi Flow can also be expanded with outgoing electrical valves. André explains that this is for growers who want to supply water to different sections of the greenhouse separately. "With this extension, the software is also extended, and the grower can make their own choices for settings about section and time." The valves are controlled by the Mi flow and supplied with power.
Adding incoming electric valves to the Mi Flow is also possible. "In DFT systems, the water is pumped around from the pond to the Mi Flow. The water is pumped around periodically, taking into account as much possible calmness around the plants. As the pumping is done periodically and at a specific time, there is the option of using several sections in succession. With this option, the software also offers the possibility of selecting the incoming and outgoing valves in the desired time slot." The Mi Flow controls the valves and supplies them with power.
Special frame
The incoming and outgoing valves can be mounted on a stainless-steel frame if required. This Mi Split is screwed directly to the Mi-Flow via a flange connection, André explains. "The incoming and outgoing valves are provided with a flange connection so that the grower can easily connect his own piping. All valves are connected to the Mi-Flow through a central cable and set via the software."
With the Mi Flow, IPS is mainly targeting growers with small cultivation areas or growers who want to set up a small test. If that goes well, upscaling is in the picture. The IPS product range will then include the Mid Flow and Hi Flow, which are bigger brothers of the Mi Flow. "With these units, we build a bridge to larger crops and even more functionality," concludes André.
For more information:
André van der Stoel
Industrial Product Solutions BV
Mob: +31 (0) 646 713 208
Tel: +31 (0) 783 040 000
Email: info@industrialproductsolutions.nl
Website: www.industrialproductsolutions.nl