DEVELOPMENT OF SOLAR/WIND EVAPORATIVE COOLING SYSTEM FOR POULTRY HOUSING

In this research a poultry housing model was developed to study the possibility of using solar and wind energy to cool air inside the house. In this model the roof was heated by solar energy, creating negative pressure in a well insulated air cavity left under the roof. As a result, air convection from the air cavity generated suction force to pull air through evaporative cooling pads installed on the wind ward side. Direct wind force helped in enhancing cool air flow into the shed. An air cowl was installed at the outlet of roof cavity to assist in air suction from the shed. Daily readings of air temperature outside, inside the model and in roof air cavity were taken on hourly basis throughout the study period (October to December). Also, readings of relative humility and air speed were taken. The results obtained showed that, the adiabatic efficiency of cooling pads varied between (0.64 and 0.73), the average cool air temperature varied between (20.3 to 26.9 o C) during the peak thermal hours of the day. Cooling air velocity in the model varied between (0.23 to 1.21 m/s), while the air flow rates varied between (0.621 to 3.21 m 3 /s) .All these values were found to be within the acceptable range for poultry rearing. These results indicated that, there is a practical possibility for employing solar and wind power to cool air in the traditional poultry houses which are widely used in poultry production in the Sudan. This is especially important for the rural areas where electric power is not available. Solar energy may also be utilized to power the pump required for pads wetting.