The Heat Transfer Properties of a Stainless Steel Sow Cooling Pad Variant

Abstract

Highlights A stainless steel tubing variant of the Purdue hog cooling pad has been designed with identical dimensions as the original copper-tubed design. Thermal capacity testing demonstrated a longer time constant for the pad with stainless steel tubing than the pad with copper tubing. The stainless steel tubing pad compared to the copper unit had a diminished heat transfer rate, Biot number, and coolant use effectiveness based upon laboratory bench testing for heat transfer properties. Abstract. The modern commercial pork industry is facing a dilemma with the thermal management of its farrowing facilities. The choice between sow comfort and piglet health plays a huge role in strategic decisions due to the different desirable temperature ranges for sows and piglets, resulting in thermal stress within the sows. Purdue University researchers have devised a simple conductive floor cooling unit that utilizes copper tubing to transport heat from the sow into coolant circulating through the device. Pad longevity issues created by the introduction of copper into the harsh environments found within swine facilities are major concerns. Potentially, this might be alleviated by utilizing stainless steel tubing as an alternative to copper. The thermal profile of these new stainless steel cooling pad systems, in comparison to their original copper tubing variant, will be presented in this paper. Tests were conducted to determine the effectiveness of the pad at transferring its own internal heat into the coolant and the ability of the pad to remove heat from a sow. The stainless steel variant had slightly more thermal capacity, but it was much less efficient at transferring heat from a simulated animal than its copper counterpart. Further testing would be needed to determine if the longevity provided by the stainless steel was worth the apparent decrease in cooling efficiency. Keywords: Cooling pad, Copper, Durability, Heat transfer, Stainless steel, Swine, Swine equipment, Thermal capacity, Thermal efficiency.