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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Nutrition, Growth and Physiology » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #328093
Title: Evaluating ventilation rates based on new heat and moisture production data for swine production

Author
item LU, YANXI - University Of Illinois
item HAYES, MORGAN - University Of Illinois
item STINN, JOHN - Iowa Select Farms
item Brown-Brandl, Tami
item XIN, HONGWEI - Iowa State University

Submitted to: Transactions of the ASABE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/24/2016
Publication Date: 2/1/2017
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5801881
Citation: Lu, Y., Hayes, M.D., Stinn, J.P., Brown-Brandl, T.M., Xin, H. 2017. Evaluating ventilation rates based on new heat and moisture production data for swine production. Transactions of the ASABE. 60(1):237-245. doi:10.13031/trans.11888.

Interpretive Summary: Forced airflow through a housed animal facility is needed in order to maintain the proper temperature and humidity. Recently, a study was published that documented that the engineering standards used to calculate the airflow in a building were underestimated. The same publication subsequently provided data to update the engineering standards to ensure that fans chosen for a particular swine facility could provide the appropriate level of airflow both in the winter and in the summer. The current paper used those engineering standard values to predict the airflow and provides tables to predict airflow needs at various temperature and humidity combinations. The results showed that the old ventilation rate (VR) for moisture control was 54.2%, 30.0%, 69.34%, 31.4% and 52.8% lower than the new VR in gestation, farrowing, nursery, growing and finishing stages, respectively. Updated recommendations for ventilation are necessary for designing and managing modern swine facilities.

Technical Abstract: Heat and moisture production (HMP) rates of animals are used for calculation of ventilation rate (VR) in animal housing. New swine HMP data revealed considerable differences from previously reported data. This project determined new design VR and evaluated differences from previously recommended VRs. The swine production stages evaluated included gestation, farrowing, nursery, growing, and finishing. The ranges of ambient temperature and ambient relative humidity (RH) evaluated for VR were -25°C to 15°C in 10°C increments and 15% to 75% at 15% increments, respectively. Indoor set points for temperature and RH were, respectively, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C and 60%, 70%, 80% for all five ambient stages. The results showed that the old VR for moisture control was 54%, 30%, 69%, 31%, and 53% lower than the new VR for the gestation, farrowing, nursery, growing, and finishing stages, respectively. Updated recommendations for ventilation are necessary for designing and managing modern swine facilities.