Desenvolvimento de protótipo eletrônico para manejo de cortina, ventilador e nebulizador em instalações para suínos

Abstract

The climate has a significant impact on swine production, being a decisive factor in achieving productivity and, consequently, the success of the activity. Environmental factors must be monitored to maintain favorable conditions; thus, it is necessary to develop accessible technologies to measure the microclimate of swine farms. The study aimed to develop a low-cost electronic prototype to assist in maintaining thermal comfort in small and medium-sized swine facilities. The prototype was developed using the Arduino Mega platform and combines the measurement of environmental variables (air temperature, relative humidity and black globe temperature) to calculate the dew point and ambience indices (Temperature and Humidity Index; THI and Black globe-humidity index; BGHI). The equipment classifies thermal stress and, through programming, indicates the decisions to be made regarding the activation of curtains, fans and nebulizers. The total cost to manufacture a sample was US$ 97.80 (in US dollars). The laboratory tests were conducted under three different conditions and their results confirmed the functionality, thus validating the prototype. In the indoor environment, in the shade, the stress was moderate and the management measures proposed by the prototype were the complete opening of the curtains, with fans on. In the outdoor environment, in the sun, the stress was severe and the measures proposed were the complete opening of the curtains, with fans and nebulizers on. In the outdoor environment at night, there was no heat stress, therefore, no type of management was proposed. In conclusion, the developed and validated prototype is configured as an efficient and low-cost technological tool to assist in maintaining thermal comfort in swine facilities, both for subsistence and on a commercial scale for small and medium-sized producers.