Applied Sciences (Nov 2021)

Effect of a Geothermal Heat Pump in Cooling Mode on the Housing Environment and Swine Productivity Traits

  • Hong-Seok Mun,
  • Muhammad Ammar Dilawar,
  • Dhanushka Rathnayake,
  • Il-Byung Chung,
  • Chong-Dae Kim,
  • Sang-Bum Ryu,
  • Kwang-Woo Park,
  • Sang-Ro Lee,
  • Chul-Ju Yang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/app112210778
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 22
p. 10778

Abstract

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This study compared the effects of the cooling mode of a geothermal heat pump (GHP) system with those of a traditional cooling system (ventilation fans) inside a pig house on the internal house temperature, harmful gas emissions, and the growth performance of the pigs. During the 19-week experimental period, the temperature inside the house connected to the GHP cooling system was significantly lower (p p 3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) were also decreased significantly in the GHP-installed pig house (p 2.5) and formaldehyde (p > 0.05). The pigs reared in the GHP-equipped pig house gained significantly more weight (p < 0.05) by the end of the experiment. The GHP cooling system can therefore be implemented as a renewable, environmentally friendly energy source in pig farms for sustainable swine production without adversely affecting the productivity parameters.

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