COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR MEASURING CONDUCTIVE HEAT LOSSES FROM LIVESTOCK BUILDINGS.

CONDUCTIVE HEAT LOSSES FROM A LIVESTOCK BUILDING MAY BE CALCULATED THROUGH THE USE OF DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS ACROSS VARIOUS STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS. THE THREE TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS THAT CAN BE MEASURED EASILY, AND WERE COMPARED IN THIS STUDY, ARE THE INSIDE-OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE GRADIENT, INSIDE-OUTSIDE SURFACE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT AND THE INSIDE-AIR TO INSIDE-SURFACE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE AIR-BOUNDARY LAYER. THE USE OF THE AIR-BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPERATURE GRADIENT WAS FOUND TO BE THE MOST INFORMATIVE FOR HOURLY HEATLOSS EVALUATION AND, IN ADDITION, MEASURED THE SAME HEAT FLOW AS THAT MEASURED WITH A HEAT FLUX PLATE. MEASURING HEAT FLOWS WITH HEAT FLUX PLATES WAS CONCLUDED TO OFFER ADVANTAGESOVER THE AIR-TO-AIR AND SURFACE-TO-SURFACE TECHNIQUES SINCETHE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT ACROSS A STRUCTURAL COMPONENT AND THE THERMAL RESISTANCE OF THE STRUCTURAL COMPONENT DO NOT HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED.