{"id":4109,"date":"2015-11-05T15:07:36","date_gmt":"2015-11-05T15:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/informatech.energir.com\/?p=4109"},"modified":"2021-04-15T15:30:51","modified_gmt":"2021-04-15T20:30:51","slug":"innovation-in-the-agri-food-industry-and-poultry-farming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/informatech.energir.com\/?p=4109&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Innovation in the agri-food industry and poultry farming"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Québec agri-food industry, particularly greenhouses and poultry farms, is meeting major challenges to increase the energy efficiency of its facilities. From this perspective, since 2010, Gaz Métro, in partnership with Énergie Solutions et Associés<\/em> (ESA), has invested under its Innovations program, in the development of a heat exchanger adapted to the needs of local producers. In 2014, tests led to the development of a new heat exchanger technology capable of withstanding hostile environments.<\/span>
\nMajor heat recovery in poultry rearing facilities<\/span>
\n Poultry industry facilities have major heat recovery potential. The conditions required on meat chicken production floors are very precise to ensure the expected weight gain. To eliminate contaminants produced by animals, meat chicken farming requires high ventilation rates. However, to reach a temperature favourable to poultry growth, poultry farmers pay high heating costs. The industry’s standard control methods include approaches by minimum ventilation rate with compensation according to the CO2<\/sub>, H2<\/sub>O or temperature measurement. Generally, the building is dehumidified by reheating the fresh air infiltrating the building by means of incubators, fuelled by natural gas when the customer has access to the system.<\/span>
\nThis is the best possible combination of conditions to take advantage of the benefits of an air-air heat exchange-recuperator. However, high relative humidity, combined with a particularly rapid clogging rate, makes it difficult to implement conventional commercial exchange technologies.<\/span>
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\"Figure<\/a>
Figure 1 – Comparison of clogging at beginning and end of the rearing cycle<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe heat exchanger developed is thus a very robust technology capable of withstanding a combination of accumulated dirt and frost thicker than 10 mm on the exchange walls. Use of a filter is also avoided by increasing the space between the pipes. Through a simple exchange cassette, shown in Figure 1, the heat exchanger can be maintained by just one poultry farmer in less than 10 minutes. Furthermore, the exchanger cassette can easily be maintained and exchanged from the exchanger’s ventilation groups. Thus, the design provides for maintaining the exchanger’s operating conditions for the 37-day rearing cycle encountered for broiler chickens. Thus, no maintenance is required during the rearing period. This resilient technology means greatly simplified operations and major savings in operations management.  <\/span>
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\"Figure<\/a>
Figure 2 – Typical use of the exchanger developed<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFigure 2 illustrates a typical use of a heat exchanger in a poultry facility. Contrary to conventional negative pressure ventilation, a heat exchanger can be used to trigger fresh air circulation loops on the production floor. Air quality is thus improved locally by increased circulation.<\/span>
\nUnder the Innovations program, the tests began in winter 2015 at a poultry farming partner, Shur-Gain. During these tests, the following advantages were observed:<\/span><\/p>\n