Energy efficiency optimization of combined ventilation systems in livestock buildings

Good ventilation system in livestock buildings is necessary for removing excess moisture and heat and for improving building environment in general. Natural ventilation does not require energy consumption and on the other hand, animals would not be affected by electrical power failures. Because natural ventilation depends largely on temperature difference between inside and outside air and wind velocity and direction it is very important in early stages of building design to provide orientation and accurate opening areas. Numerical simulation of natural ventilation and computation of fluid dynamics in livestock buildings can be usefully integrated in whole ventilation system optimization and related energy consumption decrease. Even in mechanical system ventilation, from flow field obtained in numerical simulation it is possible to optimize these systems. CFD analysis is generally restricted to the study of buildings' environment flows and space study, and the designer must supply boundary conditions in the form of external and internal buildings' envelope/wall surface conditions. Finally, the needs for further research and engineering development are outlined. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.