18 research outputs found
Thermal comfort assessment in a typological non-isolated maternity pig sheds with different types of farrowing systems
Received: February 1st, 2021 ; Accepted: May 8th, 2021 ; Published: May 19th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] facilities in tropical climates, especially the maternity, have worked with
typological systems that have been little studied to determine the influence of the type of
farrowing on microenvironmental conditions and its effect on both the sows and the piglets'
physiological parameters. Therefore, the aim of the research was evaluate the thermal
environment (Temperature Humidity Index - THI and Radiant Thermal Load - RTL) and its
influence on some physiological parameters (respiratory frequency - RF and rectal temperature -
TRectal) in the sows and piglets in two different types of farrowing systems (Traditional and
Slatted), in a typological swine facility located in tropical climates in Colombia. The findings
showed that in the two systems, both for sows and piglets, the type of farrowing system did not
generate significant differences in the physiological responses RF and TRectal. Also, the RTL
did not show significant differences in the two types of farrowing system at the piglets and the
sows’ level, without exceeding the maximum allowed levels. Temperature-Humidity Index was
above the threshold during all experimental time, being slightly higher at the piglets' level with
Slatted systems. These results show that the type of floor has little impact on the conditions of
animal thermal comfort at the sows and piglets’ level. However, variables like low-temperature,
low radiant energy exchange, and high humidity, which were found mainly at the piglets’ level,
could have the highest incidence for not achieving a suitable microenvironment. This means that
almost all Colombian pig farming facilities require a redesign of their farrowing system to
guarantee better thermal conditions for both piglets and sows
Measure of thermal transmittance of two different infill wall built with bamboo cultivated in Tuscany
ArticleBamboo is used in different scenarios of application, its physical and mechanical
characteristics guarantee a high flexibility of use especially in the buildings constructions. The
experience gained in civil constructions demonstrates that bamboo can be considered a
sustainable material able to replace wood in many constructive elements with structural functions.
The applications of bamboo aimed at carrying out structural functions are thoroughly studied. For
this reason the present research focuses on the thermal insulation performance. To ensure an
approach focused on the sustainability of potential exploitation, the research examined only local
material coming from three bamboo fields located in the Tuscany region (Italy). The material
harvested and suitably treated was utilized for the realization of two different kind of wall,
undergone later to experimental tests in compliance with the ISO 9869 standard for the
calculation of the transmittance values. The measure of transmittance enabled to know the
characteristics of thermal conduction of bamboo walls. The first wall was made of cut throw
longitudinal axis bamboo culms; the second one was made of cut throw longitudinal axis bamboo
culms coated in internal face with a sustainable mortar. The test was carried out using insulating
thermal box with internal temperature under control.
The calculation of the transmittance in place was compared with the images captured by thermal
camera. Thermal imagine allowed to highlight the behaviour of the material subjected to a thermal
stress induced by the experimental test
Decision three to predict respiratory rate of piglets submitted to cold conditions
Received: January 16th, 2021 ; Accepted: March 13th, 2021 ; Published: October 5th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] subjected to thermal conditions outside their comfort zones may show altered
physiological and behavioural responses, which may consequently cause productive losses. For
these reasons, the aim of this paper is to develop a decision tree for the prediction of respiratory
rate (RR, mov min-1
) of piglets exposed to different thermal situations. The experiment was
carried out in an experimental pig farm of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia Campus
Medellin, located at the San Pablo Agraria Experimental Station located in the eastern sector of
the department of Antioquia, during August 2019. A database containing the raw data for
dry bulb temperature - tdb (°C), and relative humidity - RH (%) as input variables, and
RR (mov min-1
) of six piglets were assessed every two hours as output variable for piglets was
generated. The experimental database was composed of 78 observed data. The decision trees were
developed to conditions of tdb between 19.2 to 29.5 °C and RH between 50.2 to 88.4%. In the
experimental period, RR of piglets submitted to tdb higher than 27.1 °C the RR was around
60 mov min-1
, tdb smaller than 27.1 °C the RR varied from 36 to 46 mov min-1
. These low values
of physiological responses may indicate that the piglets are not in a comfortable situation, so their
development, welfare and production can be affected. The decision tree developed can be useful
to provide a quick understanding of the piglet’s welfare condition based on the environmental
variables and physiological responses
Spatial distribution of thermal variables, acoustics and lighting in compost dairy barn with climate control system
ArticleThe main objective of this research was to evaluate the spatial distribution of the
thermal variables, acoustics and lighting in climate controlled compost dairy barn. The
experiment was conducted in October 2017, in a farm located in the west of Minas Gerais state,
Brazil. For the study, the interior of the animal facility was divided into 120 meshes equidistant
points, in which air temperature (tdb), relative humidity (RH), noise, illuminance, and air speed
(Vair) were manually collected. The technique of geostatistics was used to evaluate the distribution
and spatial dependence of variables. Spatial distribution maps showed the occurrence of high
variability of attributes and content within the animal facility. Thermal environment variables
showed alert situations throughout practically the entire facility. The noise and luminance levels
were within the recommended values
Compost-bedded pack barns in the state of Minas Gerais: architectural and technological characterization
ArticleCompost bedding pack (CBP) barns have been receiving increased attention as an
alternative housing system for dairy cattle. Thus, a systematic investigation of the primary
management practices of dairy cattle in CBP barns in the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil) has proven
to be of environmental and economic relevance. The aim of this research was to summarize the
compost bed data, barn dimension data and to determine the major interactive factors in the
success of bed composting from qualitative and quantitative methods. Data for this study was
collected from 16 CBP barns, distributed throughout the southern state of Minas Gerais (Brazil)
between March 2017 and July 2018. These data were used to describe the building layouts and
dimensions, to identify barn management practices, and to characterize the compost bedding
material concerning moisture content. The majority of these barns had feed alleys and driveways;
overshot ridges with frequent orientation from NE to SW; bedding process and aeration using
mechanical tillage. The average bedding moisture content was found to be 36.9 ± 5.2% (w.b.).
Based on the information found, it is possible to evaluate that there is still no defined construction
pattern, with a high variation of size and technologies employed
Comparative environmental analysis of soil sampling methods in precision agriculture for lime application in Paraná State, Brazil
Precision agriculture (PA) provides techniques that favour the localized application of
inputs allowing their rational use. This makes the PA a potential indicator of reduced operational
costs, input volume, and environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to evaluate and
compare the environmental effects of three different sampling methods used in PA for the lime
application. The first sampling method evaluated was the grid sampling (GS). It was performed
at a density of one sample per hectare in a 100×100 m georeferenced grid. The second method
was the directed sampling, that was performed after defining the management zones by soil
apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) using a soil electrical conductivity sensor. The lest
sampling method was the Altitude-based management zone (AMZ) sampling that was developed
based on altitude maps of the field. These sampling methods were tested in three different areas
in the south of Brazil. This study evaluated the spatial variability of the lime volume in the soil
and compared quantitatively and spatially the recommended application volumes achieved by
each sampling method. Results highlighted that the sensor-directed soil sampling method was the
alternative that would generate the lowest environmental impact
Preliminary study on the potential use of RPA images to quantify the influence of the defoliation after coffee harvesting to its yield
Received: January 24th, 2023 ; Accepted: May 22nd, 2023 ; Published: September 18th, 2023 ; Correspondence: [email protected] is an agricultural commodity with global commercial importance capable of
impacting the production chain. The quantification of defoliation at harvest is important for
monitoring crop yield because defoliation is one of the main types of damage caused by this
agricultural operation in coffee crops. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the
relationship between yield and defoliation obtained in the field and obtained through remotely
piloted aircraft (RPA) images. The experiment was conducted in a coffee plantation belonging to
the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. An RPA with a
rotary wing containing a multispectral camera was used in autonomous flight mode with a height
of 30 m, an image overlap of 80%, and a speed of 3 m s-1
. The images were collected before and
after the 2020 and 2021 harvest, defoliation data obtained in the field were measured in 2020 and
2021, and the yield was measured from 2019 to 2021. Image processing was performed in the
software PhotoScan, postimage processing was performed in QGIS, and statistical analyses were
performed using the software R. With the processing of the images in 2020, the crop showed
reductions of 17.3% and 18.4% in leaf area and volume, respectively, after harvest. In 2021, the
crop showed reductions of 12.8% and 9.8% in leaf area and volume, respectively, after harvest.
The leaf area and leaf volume of the coffee plantation after harvest could be quantified by means
of images obtained by RPA, which allowed the observation of the loss of area and volume of the
coffee plantation. Furthermore, it was possible to analyse the interactions between field data and
the yield of the same harvest year, which were directly proportional, and the interaction of image
data from one year with the previous yield, which were inversely proportional. In the year 2020,
there was a reduction of 17.3% in leaf area after harvest, and a reduction of 18.4% in leaf volume
after harvest in the plots under study.In the processing carried out in 2021, there was a 12.8%
reduction in leaf area after harvest, and a 9.8% decrease in leaf volume after harvest in the plots
under study
Building performance analysis of a dairy factory in South Iraq: appraisal of a local bio-based envelope
Received: February 4th, 2021 ; Accepted: April 24th, 2021 ; Published: April 29th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] have a relevant impact on the environment, and building materials cause
environmental impacts during all life cycle stages: production, utilization, management and
demolition. The global request for more efficient buildings with less environmental impacts has
grown during the last years. Among various technologies, thermal insulation has proven to be
helpful in reducing emissions by increasing energy conservation. This paper intends to show how
the Building Performance Analysis (BPA) supports the decision-making process in many areas
where common insulation materials are not available and there is a general reluctance to use local
natural materials. A building located in the city of Al Chubaish in Dhi Qar Province in Iraq is
examined as a case study. The construction is designed for processing buffalo milk. It was built
in the first decade of the century, during the Iraqi conflict, using only the materials available at
that time, most of which, concrete bricks, mortar and plaster. Currently, this dairy factory is a
very inefficient structure in terms of energy saving. But because its elementary form, it is a perfect
example to investigate how a simple exterior wall insulation can improve building performance
in extreme environmental conditions. Accordingly, two different models have been created. One
is the replica of the real building without any upgrading. The second instead presents a thermal
insulation realized with reed bio-based material locally available. Through advanced simulation
engines and building performance analysis data integrated into Autodesk Revit, each model has
been tested to identify significant improvements in terms of energy savings in this particular
stressed background
Thermal analysis of cement panels with lignocellulosic materials for building
The use of lignocellulosic material residue in cement composites can be considered as
a good option because they allow good thermal behaviour. This paper aimed to compare three
kinds of cement panels reinforced with different lignocellulosic materials (Coffee husk, Coconut
shell, and Banana pseudostem) based on their thermal properties. To produce each panel, the
methodology suggested by Souza (1994) was used. Six replicates of each lignocellulosic panel
with dimensions of 7.0×7.5 were evaluated. The thermal analysis was performed in a chamber
composed of MDP (medium density particleboard). The chamber contained the heat source
(incandescent lamp) connected to a thermostat that maintained the temperature at 48.0 °C. The
porosity and thickness of the panels and the thermal behaviour of each sample panel (thermal
conductivity, resistivity, resistance, and transmittance) and the difference in temperature of both
sides of the panel were evaluated. The temperature difference to stabilization was obtained after
a sampling time of 200 minutes, with 1,000 readings of 12 s each. Although all the panels were
submitted under the same temperature, the inner and external superficial temperatures of the
coffee husk panels reached smaller values. Besides, coconut and banana pseudostem panels
presented the best results of thermal transmittance and thermal resistance. Thus, coconut shell
panels present the best thermal performance, which means that this panel might be an attractive
alternative building material, in terms of heat insulation for indoor applications
Comparison between the thermal properties of cement composites using infrared thermal images
The use of agribusiness residual lignocellulosic fibres can be a good alternative in the
development of lignocellulosic composites. The current work aimed to investigate the thermal
performance of cement-based composites with lignocellulosic materials: Eucalyptus, sugarcane
bagasse, coconut fibre in comparison with commercial gypsum board to be used as internal
partitions of the building using infrared thermal images. Three repetitions for each kind of
lignocellulosic material were made, and three commercial gypsum boards were used. In the
production of the panels, the following parameters were applied: material and cement ratio,
1:2.75; water and cement ratio, 1:2.5; hydration water rate of 0.25; additive, 4% (based on cement
mass). The calculations were performed for a nominal panel density of 1,200 kg m-
³. The thermal
analysis was performed in a chamber composed of MDP (Medium-Density Particleboard) and
with an internal layer of rock wool and the heat source (thermal resistance). For the superficial
temperature measurement, a FLIR E75 camera was used to capture the infrared images. When
the internal temperature of the chamber stabilized at 50 °C, an infrared thermal image was
collected from each side of the composite. Thermal properties were analysed: thermal
conductivity, resistivity, resistance, and transmittance. Based on the results, sugar cane cement
composites were characterized by higher values of thermal conductivity. Related to thermal
resistivity, thermal resistance, and thermal transmittance, only the coconut panel presented
similar behaviour to the commercial gypsum board. Thus, cement composite using coconut can
be a potential alternative that might solve energy and environmental concerns simultaneously