Effects of temperature probe orientation on the Purdue hog cooling pad data acquisition

Effects of temperature probe orientation on the Purdue hog cooling pad data acquisition

•Thermocouples provide a fastest reacting, accurate sensor for cooling pad work.•The digital thermal probes have significant lag associated with their responses.•A thermal ‘offset’ may be calculated for differences between sensors or placement.•The horizontal probe orientation was the fastest respon...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computers and electronics in agriculture Vol. 175; p. 105609
Main Authors: Seidel, Darren S., Field, Tyler C., Schinckel, Allan P., Stwalley, Carol S., Stwalley, Robert M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-08-2020
Elsevier BV
Subjects:
Agricultural engineering
Agricultural management
Animal cooling system
Animal husbandry
Bioengineering
Coils
Collection
Cooling effects
Heat
Heat stress
Heat transfer
Horizontal orientation
Investigations
Livestock
Research projects
Swine
Temperature effects
Temperature probes
Thermal sensing
Thermocouples
Thermal sensing
Heat stress
Animal cooling system
Swine
Heat transfer
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Summary:•Thermocouples provide a fastest reacting, accurate sensor for cooling pad work.•The digital thermal probes have significant lag associated with their responses.•A thermal ‘offset’ may be calculated for differences between sensors or placement.•The horizontal probe orientation was the fastest responding within the cooling pad. Heat stress in domestic animal production consistently alters several physiological, growth, and reproductive metrics within the livestock industry. To increase commercial productivity and general animal husbandry, the agricultural research community has been investigating technologies to combat the effects of heat stress for several decades. A hog cooling pad has been developed at Purdue University through a departmental collaboration between Agricultural & Biological Engineering and Animal Sciences. One of the main points of interest in the hog cooling pad research investigation is the accurate expression of the heat transfer from the sow to the copper coil coolant system. It is vital to obtain accurate temperature data in real time to properly manage the coolant flow in the device. This research project investigated the effect of the temperature probe orientation. Several cooling pad temperature probe orientations were proposed, while trying to keep every other operational aspect of the hog cooling pad the same. Temperature data from two separate collection systems were assessed using analyses that document differences in the selected probe’s responsiveness and accuracy. Three placement areas were examined: the blade, center, and ham locations. This research demonstrated conclusively that the type K thermocouple collection system maintained an accurate, rapid, and consistent performance as the calibrated system, and the Hilitchi® digital probes varied substantially in accuracy and responsiveness. Calibration offset values for digital probes were documented in the 4–5 °C range. This was completely unacceptable for the small ranges of interest in the hog cooling pad work. Horizontal orientations were shown to be the most responsive against 45° orientations with: (tH(37.8) = −14.09, p < 0.01), (tC(41.8) = −9.57, p < 0.01), and (tB(44.5) = −15.08, p < 0.01); and against 90° orientations with: (tH(56.0) = −28.46, p < 0.01), (tC(36.9) = −10.14, p < 0.01), and (tB(53.8) = −13.48, p < 0.01). However, none of the test results indicated that the Hilitchi® digital probes performed acceptably enough to be included in any commercial build of the hog cooling units.
ISSN:0168-1699
1872-7107
DOI:10.1016/j.compag.2020.105609