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Computational modeling of a conductive cooling system to alleviate heat stress in dairy cows

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  2012 Dallas, Texas, July 29 - August 1, 2012  121337904.(doi:10.13031/2013.41850)
Authors:   Mario R Mondaca, Fernando Rojano, Christopher Y Choi
Keywords:   Dairy, Dairy Housing, Modeling, CFD, Conduction Cooling

Methods for alleviating heat stress in dairy cattle are currently limited to convective and evaporative cooling. These methods are effective in hot, dry conditions, but their performance decreases as the relative humidity of the environment increases. A conductive cooling system that circulates water through bedding materials could serve as an efficient method for relieving heat stress because it would not be directly affected by the environmental conditions that reduce the effectiveness of convective and evaporative cooling. While a conductive cooling systems effectiveness is limited by water temperature, the conductivity of the bedding material, and the depth of the heat exchanger, the water used in such systems can be recovered and used for other applications or even recirculated through the conductive cooling system. This study uses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to evaluate the efficiency of the heat exchanger under various conditions. The studys comprehensive heat and mass transfer model is capable of simulating changes in humidity and temperature, as well as several physiological characteristics or responses, such as sweating, heat generation, and heat transfer through skin and hair. Results show that in very hot and humid conditions conductive cooling accounts for up to 70% of the body heat given off by a cow.

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