Modelling of ventilation rate and airflow patterns of naturally ventilated pig barns with outdoor exercise yards (MNVBOYs)

• Applicant: Qianying Yi, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Plant Cultivation, Plant Nutrition, Agricultural Technology ; Fluid Mechanics ; Animal Breeding, Animal Nutrition, Animal Husbandry
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 467000790

Naturally ventilated pig barns with outdoor exercise yards (NVPBOYs) are receiving increasing attention worldwide. The air exchange between outside and inside a NVPBOY is poorly understood which prevents estimation of emissions and aerosol dispersion from such systems. The objectives of the proposal are to obtain fundamental insights into the influence of opening size, wind speed, wind direction, temperature, pig live weight and the actual location of the pigs within the barn on the ventilation rate (VR) and indoor airflow pattern of NVPBOYs. The three-pillar model method that consists of wind tunnel experiments, on-farm measurements and computational fluid dynamics is used in this project. Response surface methodology is used for modelling the VR of NVPBOYs.The project will provide fundamental insights into the interaction between VR, indoor airflows and their influencing factors for NVPBOYs. This permits to accurately quantify VR in dependence of the structural and climatic boundary conditions, as well as the animal behaviour. The expected research findings are a basis for providing good indoor environment, for estimating emissions and for understanding gas and aerosol transport for housed animals under different boundary conditions.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Thomas Amon; Dr. Sabrina Hempel