Evaluating Radiant Heater Performance Using Chick Thermal Preference and Spatial Analysis

Abstract

HighlightsRadiant heaters from different manufacturers with the same power output do not produce the same radiant distribution.Heater net usable area is influenced by heater elevation and chick preferences for radiant flux.Radiant heaters should be operated at manufacturer specified elevations to minimize potential reductions in performance.Abstract. Radiant heaters are the most common method of providing supplemental heat in broiler houses, but little is known about how efficiently they create a suitable thermal environment for brooding chicks. This study investigates the net usable area (NUA), or the total floor area within the range of radiant flux preferred by chicks, for six round radiant heaters with a nominally rated power output of 11.72 kW. NUA was calculated for all heaters at three manufacturer specified heights 1.52, 1.83, and 1.98 m and at a distance 0.3 m below manufacturer specified height (1.22 m). NUA ranged from 11.6 ± 0.7 m2 to 59.4 ± 19.7 m2 and increased with heater mounting elevation. Results indicate that radiant heaters from different manufacturers with the same power output do not produce the same NUA. NUA was also shown to be higher at 8 d than 1 d for all heaters and was attributed to the decrease in chick preference for level of radiant flux during the first week of brooding. NUA gross radiant coefficient (GRC), or the proportion of the heat energy in the fuel that reached the floor and was within the thermal comfort range of the chicks, did not exceed 0.37 for any heater and decreased with heater elevation. Operating a heater below the manufacturer specified mounting elevations led to reduced NUA and an overall less efficient use of fuel. Keywords: Broiler chicks, Brooding, Net usable area, Radiant heaters, Thermal preference.