Performance and Evaluation of Swine House Heating with a Solar Energy Intensifier-thermal Energy Storage System

The urgency for energy independence in the United States is unprecedented in its history. The demand for energy is reflected in rising fuel costs which affects every segment of the economy. Among the most severely affected sectors is the agriculture industry, whose fossil fuel consumption is crucial to its efficient production of food and fiber. Solar, one of several alternative energy sources being developed nationwide has unique possibilities in the U.S. agriculture system. Large areas are available for locating collector units, and the energy requirements in the farm are low compared with the available radiation falling on the area. Drying of harvested crops and space heating of farm buildings can efficiently utilize low quality heat which can be generated with simple, inexpensive, solar equipment. Consequently, the agriculture industry has excellent opportunities to develop widespread application of solar energy systems. At least three serious problems exist in the development of a successful agricultural solar system. First, the seasonal variability of solar radiation, in the Great Plains region, is such that when the demand for energy on the farm peaks during the fall and winter, the amount of available radiation is at its lowest level. Second, thermal energy collection ceases during nighttime hours when the coldest temperatures occur. The third problem is the design and construction of an economical and reliable system that can be used for more than one application to increase its annual utilization. A contractor system can be used to intensify low level solar radiation onto a small collector and thereby achieve the required temperature range for agricultural applications. A thermal energy storage unit can be used to allow nighttime delivery of energy collected during the day. Finally, by producing air temperatures that are compatible with both grain drying and preheating of ventilation air, a single system can be utilized for a greater number of days during the year. A solar energy intensifier-thermal energy storage (SEI-TES) system was designed to incorporate all three of the aspects and to enhance the feasibility of solar energy for agriculture use. A unique location for the thermal energy storage unit in the system was included in the design to reduce heat losses and improve performance. To investigate the feasibility of the multiple-use SEI-TES system, research was conducted with the following objectives: 1. Test the SEI-TES for preheating swine house ventilation air under actual operating conditions. 2. Evaluate the performance and operating characteristics of the SEI-TES system

Dust, odor and gas control in swine finishing barns through oil sprinkling

AGRICULTURALMU GuidePUBLISHED BY MU EXTENSION, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIASwine ManagementThe odors and gases produced by pigs raised in confinement buildings are a concern for producers working inside the buildings and for their neighbors living nearby. Poor air quality inside the building is a health and wellness issue for workers as well as the animals living in the buildings, while emissions of odors and gases can lead to complaints and nuisance lawsuits by neighbors. Research has shown that sprinkling vegetable oils on the floor and other pen surfaces in swine barns can significantly reduce airborne particulate matter (dust) concentrations. In a study recently conducted in northern Missouri, sprinkling soybean oil once a day in a swine finishing barn significantly reduced total suspended particulates (TSP) and particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10). At an overall operational cost of about $1.00 per pig space (about$0.40 per finishing pig) for the basic oil sprinkling system, this technology appears to be cost-effective for swine producers.Amy M. Schmidt (Extension Agricultural Engineer, Food Science and Engineering Unit and Commercial Agriculture Program), Albert J. Heber (Extension Agricultural Engineer, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department, Purdue University)New November 2018 -- websit

Improving Data Quality for a Dairy Pollutant Emissions Study

The National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) was sanctioned by the EPA to determine the characteristics of airborne pollutant emissions from confined broiler, egg, pork, and dairy housing. Fifteen representative monitoring sites were selected around the U.S., at which influent and effluent pollutant concentrations were measured in conjunction with airflow and climatic data. Due to the monumental nature of this study and the potential ramifications of its findings, it is of vital importance that the data collected by the researchers and utilized by the EPA be as complete and accurate as possible. To improve the validity of the data collected at a dairy facility in New York, it was necessary to review the work of previous data analysts while studying the field notes that were logged by scientists onsite during data collection. This allowed for the correction of perceived errors in the handling of the data. When sensor data were deemed invalid or missing, redundant data were substituted. Any unnecessarily flagged out data were restored. The use of these strategies led to a significant improvement in data quality. For example, data completeness for ambient temperature and relative humidity were increased by over 6%, while atmospheric pressure data saw an improvement of more than 18% after substituting data from the nearest NWS weather station. These and other improvements to this data set will allow EPA to develop more accurate dairy facility emissions models that will have substantial, wide-ranging effects for both producers and consumers in the U.S. dairy industry

Improving Ammonia Emission Modeling and Inventories by Data Mining and Intelligent Interpretation of the National Air Emission Monitoring Study Database

Ammonia emission is one of the greatest environmental concerns in sustainable agriculture development. Several limitations and fundamental problems associated with the current agricultural ammonia emission modeling and emission inventories have been identified. They were associated with a significant disconnection between field monitoring data and knowledge about the data. Comprehensive field measurement datasets have not been fully exploited for scientific research and emission regulations. This situation can be considerably improved if the currently available data are better interpreted and the new knowledge is applied to update ammonia emission modeling techniques. The world’s largest agricultural air quality monitoring database with more than 2.4 billion data points has recently been created by the United States’ National Air Emission Monitoring Study. New approaches of data mining and intelligent interpretation of the database are planned to uncover new knowledge and to answer a series of questions that have been raised. The expected results of this new research idea include enhanced fundamental understanding of ammonia emissions from animal agriculture and improved accuracy and scope in regional and national ammonia emission inventories

Improving Ammonia Emission Modeling and Inventories by Data Mining and Intelligent Interpretation of the National Air Emission Monitoring Study Database

Ammonia emission is one of the greatest environmental concerns in sustainable agriculture development. Several limitations and fundamental problems associated with the current agricultural ammonia emission modeling and emission inventories have been identified. They were associated with a significant disconnection between field monitoring data and knowledge about the data. Comprehensive field measurement datasets have not been fully exploited for scientific research and emission regulations. This situation can be considerably improved if the currently available data are better interpreted and the new knowledge is applied to update ammonia emission modeling techniques. The world\u27s largest agricultural air quality monitoring database with more than 2.4 billion data points has recently been created by the United States\u27 National Air Emission Monitoring Study. New approaches of data mining and intelligent interpretation of the database are planned to uncover new knowledge and to answer a series of questions that have been raised. The expected results of this new research idea include enhanced fundamental understanding of ammonia emissions from animal agriculture and improved accuracy and scope in regional and national ammonia emission inventories

Air Quality Measurements at a Laying Hen House: Particulate Matter Concentrations and Emissions

Particulate matter (PM) was measured in the ventilation exhaust air of a caged layer house using three tapered element oscillating microbalances (TEOMs). Diurnal patterns of PM concentration and emission were observed during 6 days in June 2002. The average daily mean (±95% c.i.) concentrations and emissions were 39±8.0, 518±74, and 1887±563 .g/m3 and 1.1±0.3, 16±3.4, and 63±15 g/d-AU for PM2.5, PM10, and total suspended particulates (TSP), respectively. Daytime (lights on) PM2.5, PM10, and TSP concentrations were 151, 108, and 136% higher (P\u3c0.05) than at night. Emissions peaked during the day when birds were most active and ventilation rates were the highest. Wide diurnal variations in PM concentration and ventilation were observed. PM emission was correlated to ventilation, ambient and exhaust temperatures, and relative humidity (P\u3c0.05)

Comparison of Direct vs. Indirect Ventilation Rate Determination for Manure Belt Laying Hen Houses

Direct measurement of ventilation rate in livestock housing can be a formidable task due to uncontrollable variations in fan and system performance as caused by factors such as operation static pressure, fan belt condition, and dust accumulation on shutters and blades. Indirect, CO2-balance method offers a potentially viable, more flexible alternative to estimating ventilation rate. The reliability of CO2 balance method depends on the validity of relationship between CO2 production and metabolic rate of the animals and the knowledge of CO2 generation by the housing environment. Metabolic rates of modern laying hens have recently been quantified in intensive large-scale laboratory measurements. However, performance of the indirect method remains to be evaluated under field production conditions. This paper compares ventilation rates of a commercial laying hen house with manure belt (manure removed daily) obtained from direct measurement based on in-situ fan performance and runtime vs. indirect determination based on CO2 balance. The results indicate that indirect determination based on CO2 balance was well in agreement with that of direct measurement. Application of the CO2-balance method to evaluate building ventilation rate can improve the affordability and versatility of poultry emission studies

Comparison of Direct vs. Indirect Ventilation Rate Determinations in Layer Barns using Manure Belts

Direct measurement of building ventilation rate in livestock housing is a formidable task due to uncontrollable variations in fan and system performance that are caused by factors such as building static pressure, fan belt slippage, and dust accumulation on shutters and blades. Estimating building ventilation rate by an indirect method based on a CO2 balance offers a potentially viable alternative to direct measurement. The validity of the CO2 balance method depends on the validity of relationship between CO2 production inside the building and metabolic rate of the animals and the knowledge of CO2 generation by the housing environment. Metabolic rates of modern laying hens have recently been quantified in intensive large-scale laboratory measurements. However, performance of the indirect method remains to be evaluated under field conditions. This article compares building ventilation rates obtained by direct measurement and by a CO2 balance. The test was conducted at a commercial laying hen house that used manure belts with daily manure removal. The results indicate that ventilation rates estimated by the indirect method were not significantly different (P \u3e 0.2) from those as determined by the direct measurement when the averaging or integration time interval was 2 h or longer. Careful application of the indirect method could greatly improve the affordability and versatility of endeavors toward quantifying air emissions from confined animal housing

Laboratory Evaluation of a Manure Additive for Mitigating Gas and Odor Releases from Layer Hen Manure

Manure additives are widely used to mitigate gas and odor emissions from manure or improve manure properties. However, the reported effectiveness of some manure additive products has been mixed and most of the studies on poultry manure have been on chemical additives. A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate an enzyme-based commercial manure additive for its potential reductions of ammonia (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and odor releases from layer hen manure. Eight 122-cm tall and 38-cm diameter reactors, four treated with the additive and four control, were studied for 38 days with manure from commercial layer hen houses. The reactors were initially filled with 66-cm height manure followed by weekly additions of 5 cm each. Ventilation air was supplied to the reactor headspace to simulate winter ventilation rates in layer hen houses. Concentrations of NH3, CO2, and H2S in the reactor exhaust air were measured with gas analyzers for 10 minutes, six times daily. Odor intensity was assessed by a trained odor panel. Open-headspace tests were also conducted to corroborate the observations in the reactor study. Study results showed that the average 4-reactor group mean release rates ± standard deviations of NH3 were 17.5 ± 14.3 and 20.1 ± 12.6 µg s–1 from the control and treated groups, respectively. Those of CO2 were 1091 ± 149 µg s–1 from the control and 1143 ± 217 µg s–1 from the treated groups. Release of H2S from the reactors could not be detected. The odor intensities were 3.5 ± 0.3 and 3.4 ± 0.3 before and after the additive spray, respectively. Application of the additive onto the manure did not demonstrate an effect on the releases of NH3 (P = 0.41), CO2 (P \u3e 0.23), and odor (P \u3e 0.71)

Large Scale Application of Vibration Sensors for Fan Monitoring at Commercial Layer Hen Houses

Continuously monitoring the operation of each individual fan can significantly improve the measurement quality of aerial pollutant emissions from animal buildings that have a large number of fans. To monitor the fan operation by detecting the fan vibration is a relatively new technique. A low-cost electronic vibration sensor was developed and commercialized. However, its large scale application has not yet been evaluated. This paper presents long-term performance results of this vibration sensor at two large commercial layer houses. Vibration sensors were installed on 164 fans of 130 cm diameter to continuously monitor the fan on/off status for two years. The performance of the vibration sensors was compared with fan rotational speed (FRS) sensors. The vibration sensors exhibited quick response and high sensitivity to fan operations and therefore satisfied the general requirements of air quality research. The study proved that detecting fan vibration was an effective method to monitor the on/off status of a large number of single-speed fans. The vibration sensor itself was $2 more expensive than a magnetic proximity FRS sensor but the overall cost including installation and data acquisition hardware was$77 less expensive than the FRS sensor. A total of nine vibration sensors failed during the study and the failure rate was related to the batches of product. A few sensors also exhibited unsteady sensitivity. As a new product, the quality of the sensor should be improved to make it more reliable and acceptable