Abstract
ABSTRACT Thermal comfort inside broiler husbandry facilities is essential in obtaining good results in the production activity. Assessment of adequate thermodynamic conditions requires measurement and control, usually implying costs and specialized maintenance. The objective of this research was to monitor the temperature, relative humidity and air speed distributions by a developed low-cost, open-source and easy-to-use measurement system, using Arduino (hardware) and Scilab (software) for real-time data acquisition. Sensors were installed in a real facility (Cianorte, PR), with measurements for internal ambient (20 sensors for temperature/relative humidity, and two sensors for differential pressure, respectively 0.5 and 1.5 m high) and external ambient (pressure and wind speed, 1.5 m high). Data acquisition system has enabled communication with sensors which are easily read by the computer and stored in a data file. The developed data acquisition system proved to be efficient when applied in a commercial broiler husbandry facility, enabling real-time monitoring for thermal comfort parameters.
Highlights
In confined environments, typical for breeding, thermal comfort monitoring and control are essential to ensure the health and growth; as well as proper ergonomics and human health (Carvalho et al, 2014)
The developed data acquisition system proved to be efficient when applied in a commercial broiler husbandry facility, enabling real-time monitoring for thermal comfort parameters
relative humidity (RH) saturation (2nd day measurements) are due to climate changes which resulted in rainy weather
Summary
Typical for breeding, thermal comfort monitoring and control are essential to ensure the health and growth; as well as proper ergonomics and human health (Carvalho et al, 2014). Typical parameters for determining the thermal energy flow (heat or cold) include: dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures (T, °C), relative humidity (RH%), air speed (v, m s-1), internal and differential pressures (Pi and ΔP, Pa), enthalpy (kJ kg-1); and others of specific interest: contaminants concentration and odors (air quality, e.g. ammonia and CO2), brightness (sunlight/natural or artificial) and ambient noise (noise pollution). Combining experimental and numerical results makes it possible to evaluate any modifications, constructive or operational, to provide a better thermal comfort condition (Hernandez et al, 2016); quantitatively (lower energy consumption) and qualitatively (animal health)
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