Development of a VR simulator for educating CFD-computed internal environment of piglet house

Abstract

In terms of maintaining an optimum micro-climates in livestock facilities, many problems exist. In particular, many consultants, as well as farmers, have misunderstand the process and often made wrong judgements on ventilation. Airflow is the main mechanism of internal environmental distribution. However, airflow is invisible and difficult to predict and measure. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have been used to analyse the aerodynamics of livestock building micro-climates. CFD-computed results can be used to educate farmers and consultants. However, they can be of limited use when providing education via a two-dimensional screen. This could be improved by visualising the computed results in a three-dimensional space rather than on a two-dimensional surface. This could be accomplished using virtual reality (VR). In this study, CFD-computed results were combined with VR technology to develop an educational simulator. Firstly, an extensive review was carried out of research papers, reports, journals, and publications on the livestock industry, to find seasonally representative problems that occurred at piglet rearing houses in Korea. Then, a CFD simulation model was designed for computing the micro-climate of a piglet house according to its external climate and ventilation type. These CFD models were designed based on a 2009 Korean standard for piglet houses using validation results of a previous study (Kim et al., 2017). The CFD-computed results, such as internal airflow, air temperature, humidity, and gas, were then applied to a VR simulator for educating farmers and consultants. Finally, a user interface was developed to maximise accessibility and usability for VR users.