Numerical Simulation of Airflow Distribution in a Pregnant Sow Piggery with Centralized Ventilation

Featured Application In this study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed for a pregnant sow piggery with centralized ventilation to reveal the distribution of temperature, humidity, and airflow velocity. After verifying the CFD model, the location of the air outlets and the velocity at the air inlets was also examined to obtain the optimal structure and control parameters. The average values, non-uniformity coefficient, and comfort levels were used to evaluate the performance of the piggery under these different parameters. (1) Background: The thermal environment in a pregnant sow piggery is affected by physical parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity, and airflow velocity. However, it is challenging to conduct experimental studies due to the high cost. (2) Methods: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to study the distribution characteristics of airflow in a pregnant sow piggery with centralized ventilation. (3) Results: The results show that the maximum difference between the simulated and experimental temperature was less than 1.54 degrees C, and the simulated and tested relative humidity difference was less than 10% RH. Incorporation of a middle air outlet is beneficial for increasing the uniformity of temperature distribution, as studied by comparing the temperature and humidity uniformity coefficient of the two air outlet locations, but the uniformity of humidity distribution will be reduced. With an increase in velocity, the temperature shows a downward trend and the relative humidity shows an upward trend. (4) Conclusions: The most suitable position for the outlet is the middle, with an associated airflow velocity of 0.5 m/s. This study revealed the variation in flow field distribution and air distribution in the pregnant sow piggery as a consequence of changes in ventilation structure, which has certain significance as a reference for the optimization of airflow in intensive pregnant sow piggeries.