Abstract

Aim: The study was conducted to develop, validate and apply a steady state analytical model based on mass balance principle to predict optimum temperature distribution of a commercial poultry house equipped with fan and pad cooling system in five climate zones of Sudan.

Materials and Methods: The model considers poultry house as a heat exchanger to simulate heat and mass transfer under poultry house structural characteristics, external and internal climatic conditions, pad efficiency, ventilation rate and poultry biological characteristics The temperature and humidity of incoming air, the operational characteristics of exhaust fans and the temperature drop occurring in the along the house length, insulation material, and roof and wall characteristics were specified to set up the model. The main model outcome was the prediction of the optimum air temperature distribution inside the poultry house. These air temperatures were validated by experimental measurements obtained at a height level of 1.2 m above the ground in the middle of poultry house.

Results: The correlation coefficient (R^2) between computational results and experimental data was at the order of 0.77 for the analytical model, with average percentage error of 7.6%. The analytical model proved to be a useful evaluation tool, for air flow in the poultry house showing that fan and pad evaporative cooling system could be effectively parameterized in numerical terms, in order to improve system’s efficiency. Sensitivity analysis was made by quantifying the effects of changing model inputs of outside temperature and its changes, relative humidity (RH), and air seepage by 20% increment and decrement on some model outputs (internal mean temperature, RH and fan discharge).

Conclusion: It was concluded that the difference between inside and outside air temperature was strongly related to the ventilation rate as well as to the incoming solar radiation.

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