Field Estimation of Ventilation Capacity Using FANS

TLDR

Instrumentation and procedures were developed to characterize mechanical ventilation system capacity in commercial poultry houses, including a hydraulic lift cart to streamline FANS positioning and measurements under typical static pressure differences. The AFANS anemometer array unit showed ~1% repeatability, and field tests revealed that taping gaps increased airflow measurements by ~6%, using a duct improved performance by 2.5%, while manufacturer data overestimated fan performance by 2–13%.

Abstract

Instrumentation and procedures have been developed to characterize mechanical ventilationsystem capacity as part of an evaluation of ammonia emissions from commercial poultry housing. AFANS anemometer array unit, developed at the Mississippi USDA center, built and refined atUniversity of Kentucky, and calibrated at the BESS laboratory, was found to have repeatability in therange of about 1% between two traverse readings performed one after the other. The unit was used tomeasure broiler house fans under typical system static pressure differences. A hydraulic lift cart wasfabricated to streamline FANS positioning and movement through the large poultry houses. Taping allgaps between the FANS unit and fan housing improved airflow measurements about 6% versus nottaping. Using a duct to transition down to 36-inch fans resulted in a 2.5% improvement versus notusing a duct. Fan manufacturer performance data was 2 to 13% higher than actual field performance.