15AGRITECHCAT3 WelChic - Welfare Enhanced Living Conditions for healthier Chickens

该项目的总体目标是开发和测试一种高效、环保、精密的制冷/制热工程解决方案，以改善室内空气质量和热舒适性，从而提高家禽舍的动物福利和生产力。该系统将使用一种新型的基于膜的露点蒸发技术，将水和空气作为工作流体，在夏季提供热调节并改善空气质量。此外，一个低成本的聚热交换器准备环路集成太阳能屋顶集热器将用于利用太阳能加热工作流体驱动热泵。这是满足鸡舍供暖需求的一种有效方法。太阳能集热器设计简单，直接集成在鸡舍屋顶上。该项目将包括设计、建造和测试一个原型冷却/加热系统。新系统将提供一个环保和经济的解决方案，以与传统的暖通空调系统竞争。“创新英国”基金的支持将确保这项技术在英国开发，在项目完成后的2-5年内，为英国创造20多个就业机会和税收，使“创新英国”投资回报达到20至30倍。

The overall aim of the project is to develop and test an efficient and environmentally-friendly, precision engineering solution for cooling/heating to improve indoor air quality and thermal comfort to promote better animal welfare and productivity in poultry houses. The system will use a novel membrane -based dew point evaporative technology using water and air as the working fluids to provide thermal regulation and improved air quality in the summer period. In addition, a low-cost poly heat exchanger ready loop integrated solar roof collector will be used to harness solar energy to heat working fluid to drive a heat pump. This is an efficient method for providing heating requirements in poultry houses. The solar collector has a simple design with direct integration in the poultry house roof. The project will involve the design, construction and testing of a prototype cooling/heating system. The new system will provide an environmentally friendly and economic solution to compete with traditional HVAC systems. The support from the Innovate UK grant will ensure this technology is developed in the UK creating over 20 UK jobs and tax revenue giving a 20 to 30 times return on the Innovate UK investment, over the 2-5 years after the project completes.