Abstract
In the 21st century, the poultry sector is a vital concern for the developing economies including Pakistan. The summer conditions of the city of Multan (Pakistan) are not comfortable for poultry birds. Conventionally, swamp coolers are used in the poultry sheds/houses of the city, which are not efficient enough, whereas compressor-based systems are not economical. Therefore, this study is aimed to explore a low-cost air-conditioning (AC) option from the viewpoint of heat stress in poultry birds. In this regard, the study investigates the applicability of three evaporative cooling (EC) options, i.e., direct EC (DEC), indirect EC (IEC), and Maisotsenko-cycle EC (MEC). Performance of the EC systems is investigated using wet-bulb effectiveness (WBE) for the climatic conditions of Multan. Heat stress is investigated as a function of poultry weight. Thermal comfort of the poultry birds is calculated in terms of temperature-humidity index (THI) corresponding to the ambient and output conditions. The heat production from the poultry birds is calculated using the Pederson model (available in the literature) at various temperatures. The results indicate a maximum temperature gradient of 10.2 °C (MEC system), 9 °C (DEC system), and 6.5 °C (IEC systems) is achieved. However, in the monsoon/rainfall season, the performance of the EC systems is significantly reduced due to higher relative humidity in ambient air.
Highlights
Air-conditioning (AC) is the process of controlling temperature and humidity of ambient air to achieve thermal comfort for a range of occupants [1,2]
The indirect EC (IEC) system resulted in a temperature range of 10.8 °C to 35.5 °C, of which led birds is accounted for by integrating
Maisotsenko-cycle EC (MEC) systems resulted inobtained relativelyfor higher effectiveness when of compared
Summary
Air-conditioning (AC) is the process of controlling temperature and humidity of ambient air to achieve thermal comfort for a range of occupants [1,2]. Sci. 2020, 10, 4445 ambient air, which includes cooling, heating, humidification, dehumidification, and ventilation [3]. Applications of the AC are limited to humans’ thermal comfort and to agricultural products’ storage and livestock applications [4]. Livestock sector as a part of agriculture sector is of prime importance for any growing economy [5]. It includes animal farming for meat and milk production as well as poultry farming for meat and egg production [6].
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