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.

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