Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling of Ammonia Concentration in a Commercial Broiler Building

Abstract

In the present study, a numerical model was developed to predict the flow pattern inside a broiler building. The model was intended to predict the velocity fields inside the domain and the ammonia (NH3) emitted or released by litter from poultry housing. The numerical model was developed in computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) commercial code and intended to represent a commercial broiler building and to simulate the 3D and heat transfer in steady-state flow. The evaporative cooling pads were also included in the model. The validation of the model was based on experimental measurements obtained in previous studies. The simulations were focused on the summer, winter, and mid-season conditions. Numerical measurements of NH3 concentration were compared with the experimental measurements, and a quite good agreement was verified. The numerical results allowed the characterization of: the inside flow pattern developed for the summer and winter periods and the NH3 and velocity field distributions inside the broiler building. It was found that NH3 concentration increased along the tunnel, as a result, especially, of the low flow rate of the exhaust fan. It was verified that the low velocities inside domain were not sufficient to remove the gaseous pollutants.

Modeling Environmental Conditions in Poultry Production: Computational Fluid Dynamics Approach

“…Some studies have analyzed the spatial distribution of NH 3 concentration in poultry houses [80,81]. Gonçalves et al [17] developed a numerical model to accurately forecast the velocity fields within the domain and estimate the dispersion of NH 3 emissions from the poultry litter in the housing. Six different situations were simulated to replicate summer, winter, and mid-season periods, including the day and night periods.…”

“…In these models, heat and mass balance equations are solved to determine the factors, including animal species and age, building characteristics, and indoor and ambient conditions. These equations, which cannot be solved directly using analytical methods, are effectively tackled through numerical methods, such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) [17,18].…”

Design of an Automatic Ground Cleaning Machine for Dedusting Rooms of Chicken Houses

“…Most dust particles settle on the ground inside the dedusting wall, so the amount of dust particles in the exhaust gases is greatly reduced, and odor compounds and pathogenic microorganisms attached to the particles are removed [21][22][23][24][25]. The dedusting room effectively solves the problem of exhaust gases from chicken houses impacting on the surrounding environment; however, the continuous accumulation of air pollutants in dedusting rooms increases the concentration of pollutants in the dedusting room, making it much higher than in other segments of chicken houses [26][27][28][29]. Thus, dedusting rooms need to be cleaned in a timely manner; otherwise, the atmosphere of chicken houses may be affected by gases, consequently influencing the growth and egg production rate of chickens.…”