3869 — Infiltration Rates for a New Swine Building

There is a lack of data on air leakage for livestock buildings and a need to normalise and standardise the air tightness of these types of buildings for design engineers. The infiltration rates of five different rooms in a large, newly built swine building are reported. The measurement was conducted at pressure differences from 0 to 50 Pa. Infiltration rates were measured and normalised for each individual component (e.g., structures and doors). Infiltration rates from this building were compared with existing air leakage data for other types of buildings. Although the newly built livestock building was much tighter than old buildings, infiltration rates still ranged from 1 to 1.4 air changes per hour (ACH) at a pressure difference of 20 Pa. This infiltration rate represented approximately 50% of the minimum ventilation requirement during a heating season. Air leakage reduces ventilation effectiveness. Special attention should be paid to minimise infiltration sources when designing a ventilation system for a livestock building.

KEYWORDS: year 1995, air infiltration, leaking, farm animal housing, piggeries, air tightness, measuring, pressure difference, comparing, air change rate, ventilation, heating season, wind speed, pressure drop, pressurisation, designing