Background
When embarking on the design and construction of his original four broiler sheds, farmer – Rob Timmis – researched the market for an innovative way to generate heat for his buildings. Rob wanted a cost-effective, energy efficient and reliable source of heat that would guarantee the performance of his chicken crop.
Rob opted for an industry first – a 1.3MW ground source heat pump installation – working in conjunction with underfloor heating and overhead fan coil units to ensure an even distribution of heating and cooling throughout his sheds.
Following the success of this installation, the opportunity arose to expand the site further by building two more broiler sheds to house another 100,000 birds.
As Rob was keen to limit ammonia and odour emissions, whilst also ensuring optimum bird welfare and performance, he turned to IPT Technology Ltd for a design solution.
IPT recommended combining GeoCube with VentMax – an all-in-one air scrubber, ventilation and heating & cooling system. This technology would reduce emissions by up to 90%, whilst also ensuring precision control over the temperature and humidity of his new broiler sheds.
Project factfile
Project:
Broiler poultry farm
Location:
Near Newport, Shropshire
Requirement:
Expansion of existing 200,000 bird site to a total of 300,000 birds
Size:
Existing 1.3MW with an additional 200kW GeoCube unit
Equipment:
VentMax, GeoCube with underfloor heating
Energy output:
2,400MWh per year (heat pump) for the entire site
The solution
Following analysis of the thermal capacity of the farm’s ground and a number of site surveys, IPT recommended extending the existing 1.3MW ground source heat pump system with an additional 200kW GeoCube unit.
Instead of installing air handers, eight VentMax units would be installed externally on each shed to filter and control the in and outgoing air and ensure total climate control within the sheds, regardless of outdoor ambient conditions.
The onsite preparation took eight weeks and our team prepared the ground piping and installed the underfloor heating at the same time to reduce installation times and costs.
We manufactured and pre-assembled the GeoCube and VentMax units at our production site near Bromsgrove. The equipment was then installed on site, plugged-in and commissioned.
Ammonia and odour emission reduction
70% waste heat recovery
Improved litter quality, reducing hockburn
Consistent house temperatures +/- 0.5°C
System performance
GeoCube and VentMax have been operating through three full crop cycles. Already the poultry management team are reporting significant improvements in the sheds’ internal environmental control capabilities.
VentMax delivers a constant, regulated indoor temperature with fluctuations no higher than +/- 0.5 degrees, even in challenging weather conditions. Indications show that feed conversion ratios and bird crop performance will be higher in comparison to the farm’s other sheds.
“We’re very impressed with the level of control we have over the temperature and humidity in our sheds with VentMax. We’re already seeing improvements in the internal environment and there’s potential to optimise our crop performance further.”
Rob Timmis
Farm Owner
