COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS MODEL OF AIR VELOCITY THROUGH A POULTRY TRANSPORT TRAILER IN A HOLDING SHED

The configuration of cooling systems in commercial holding sheds, where live broilers gait in cage modules for slaughter, varies between processing plants, with cooling system efficacies largely unknown. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to simulate airflow through cage modules in a poultry trailer in a typical holding shed configuration. Three alternative design configurations were simulated in order to better understand the air velocity profiles and to explore potential improvements for better cooling performance. Experimental data were collected within modules in a poultry trailer, parked in an existing commercial holding shed during warm summer conditions. Results from the CFD model had reasonable agreement with measured field data. Simulated air velocities were mostly within one standard deviation of measured values. Simulation of airflow through modules in the base configuration showed that less than 32% of airflow from the fans actually penetrated through the bird-occupied space. Module tiers experienced different airflow penetration due to the ad hoc positioning/alignment of the fans relative to the modules. In the base industry configuration, fans were in fixed positions and the number of fans and their centerline discharge axes did not align with the modules on the trailer. Regions not aligned with the faces of the fans, such as the uppermost and bottommost tiers, and horizontal locations offset from the fans, received the least airflow through the modules. Sections of modules experienced lower air velocity with increasing distance from the fans. Simulation of Design Alternative 2 (which added additional fans so that a fan was centered on each row) predicted an improved fan airflow of 3.08 and 3.05 kg s(-1) through the cages in two adjacent rows, compared to 1.52 and 2.15 kg s(-1) predicted for the original configuration. The increased air velocity using the alternative design illustrates the potential improvement and need to further optimize the design of these holding sheds. This research showed that a CFD model is an effective tool to simulate airflow conditions on poultry trailers in holding sheds to explore various holding shed cooling configurations and strategies.