Open AccessDevelopment of a solar heat assisted egg incubation system
Author(s) -
Fernando O. Paras
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.179
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/475/1/012014
Subject(s) - incubator , payback period , process engineering , environmental science , renewable energy , energy consumption , solar energy , efficient energy use , environmental engineering , production (economics) , engineering , electrical engineering , biology , economics , macroeconomics , microbiology and biotechnology
This study is an attempt to provide the poultry industry with an appropriate technology suited for small to medium scale production. The main strategies implemented to enhance energy efficiency were solar assisted heating of the incubation space and intermittent operation of the ventilation device. The study revealed that 72.6% of electrical energy was conserved by using the proposed system. If the prototype was used for balut production, payback period for initial investment is just 10.5 month and annual income would be 3.3 times compared with the income from a conventional system. Response surface methodology was used to characterise the incubation system using a Box and Behnken Design. Response variables were electrical energy consumption and evaporation of water in the incubator. Parameters used in the modelling work were incubator temperature setting, tank water temperature and ventilation port opening. Mathematical models that were generated by the statistical software, Design Expert ®, had a good fit and were validated and was found to be 94% and 98% accurate for predicting electrical energy consumption and evaporation of water, respectively. Numerical optimisation revealed the ideal region of operation for system for incubating duck eggs was at 0% ventilation port opening, incubator temperature setting of 37.5-38°C and tank water temperature of 47.5-60°C. The solar heat collector assisted egg incubation system promotes energy efficiency, utilizes a renewable energy resource, and can also be considered an environmentally sound technology. This study presents tremendous potential for adoption not just for balut production but also for the entire poultry industry.