Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1710805 Biosystems Engineering 2016 11 Pages PDF
Abstract

•A new device was developed for direct and continuous pit fan measurement.•Laboratory calibration showed high correlation (R2 > 0.996) with standard method.•A 4-year field application demonstrated its easy installation and maintenance.

Manure pit ventilation is a common design in commercial pig-rearing buildings. However, determining accurate pit ventilation rates is technically challenging. A new pit exhaust airflow measurement assembly (PEAMA) was developed to directly and continuously measure airflow rates for tube-mounting variable-speed pit fans. The PEAMA consists of a PVC pipe, a flow straightener, and an impeller anemometer. A laboratory study revealed good linear correlations between the PEAMA signal outputs and the fan rotational speeds (R2 > 0.999). The ventilation rates measured with the PEAMA were calibrated against those with the standardised traverse measurement with a highly linear correlation (R2 > 0.996). In 2011, 24 PEAMA units were installed in twenty-four 250-mm diameter pit fans in a state-of-the-art pig research building. Multi-year field performance showed that the PEAMA greatly improved data quality during pit fan airflow monitoring compared with previously adopted techniques. This system enabled continuous and real-time ventilation outputs to be determined in volume time−1. It was easy to maintain due to the simple design and outdoor installation. The cost of the 24 units accounted for only a small portion of a comprehensive air quality monitoring setup at the pig research building.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Engineering Control and Systems Engineering
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