Automatic Fan Control to Reduce Fan Run Time During Warm Weather Ventilation

Abstract

Every summer in the southeastern U.S., many broilers die from heat stress due to a combination of high temperature and high humidity. Managers tend to ventilate open-sided broiler houses during summer primarily with large fans that use a large amount of electricity. In theory, if the wind velocity in the houses exceeds 2.0 miles per hour (mph), broilers receive adequate natural ventilation and can be reared safely without fans. However, a system is needed to activate fans when wind speed and direction are inadequate to remove metabolic heat and moisture production. Research was initiated to develop a system for summer rearing that could automatically turn fans off when the wind velocity exceeded 2.0 mph. Two separate wind monitoring devices were interfaced with fans of a curtain-sided broiler house that turned fans off when sufficient wind was present for natural ventilation. Proper interior conditions (monitored continuously during testing) were maintained while the recorded average fan run-time was reduced by as much as 50%.