Date of Graduation
8-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Biological Engineering (MSBE)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Costello, Thomas A.
Committee Member
Liang, Li
Second Committee Member
Roe, Larry
Keywords
Alternative energy; Energy; Poultry; Solar-powered absorption chiller; Sustainability
Abstract
This paper investigates the economic feasibility of utilizing a solar-powered absorption chiller to provide cooling for poultry houses in northwest Arkansas. An existing thermodynamic model of a poultry house was modified to account for cooling. A simulation was performed using actual weather data from Fayetteville, Arkansas for 26 flocks of broilers at four cooling capacities for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 calendar years. Based on the simulation, the savings from reduced electricity use for ventilation and the cost of the required absorption chiller and solar thermal array for an 8-house farm were calculated. While providing cooling was found to reduce the electricity use and improve the thermal comfort for the birds, the capital cost to provide that cooling with a solar-powered absorption chiller would make such an installation uneconomical.
Citation
Kelly, M. J. (2024). Feasibility Study for the Application of a Solar Powered Absorption Chilling System for Cooling Poultry Houses in Northwest Arkansas. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/5477