ACADEMIA Letters

Towards the development of energy-efficient poultry air

conditioning system
Muhammad Aleem, Bahauddin Zakariya University
Muhammad Sultan, Bahauddin Zakariya University

The poultry industry, which plays a significant role in food security, is the fastest-growing
agricultural sub-sector, particularly in developing countries. It is believed that factors such as
the increase in population, and urbanization will substantially contribute to the growth of the
sector in the future. The poultry meat production throughout the world reached 133.3 million
tonnes by 2020 but scored the lowest growth rate since 1960, because of disease outbreaks
in some European countries [1]. The stipulation of an adequate environment within poultry
houses is a critical requirement for the success of the poultry industry, as the thermal environ-
ment has a significant impact on the welfare of the birds. The poultry birds are homeothermic
and able to persist body temperature within the thermoneutral range of 25.5-37.7℃ [2,3].
High temperature causes a rise in body temperature because of less heat dissipation, thereby
create heat stress. Heat stress has significant effects on the birds which are involving less
feed intake, more water consumption, panting, an exaltation of wings, decrease growth rate,
and increase immunosuppressant as well as mortality [4,5]. Similarly, high humidity causes
various fungal diseases including aspergillosis, candidiasis, mycotoxins, dactylariosis, favus,
cryptococcosis, rhodotorulosis, and mucormycoses. These fungal diseases produced severe
morbidity and mortality particularly in young birds as well as stunted growth and fatal en-
cephalitis [6]. Ideal ranges of temperature and relative humidity within such houses var-
ied between 20-34℃, and 50-70% throughout their growth period [7,8]. In addition, the
temperature-humidity index, which can be calculated from both temperature and relative hu-
midity combinations should be less than 30℃ [9].
Conventional practice to maintain such temperature and humidity conditions in poultry
houses is pad-type evaporative cooling. The evaporative cooling pads work on the principle

Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Muhammad Sultan, muhammadsultan@bzu.edu.pk

Citation: Aleem, M., Sultan, M. (2021). Towards the development of energy-efficient poultry air conditioning
system. Academia Letters, Article 2938. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2938.

1
of a direct evaporative cooler, thereby increases the inside air humidity of the poultry house
[10]. However, vapor compression-based air-conditioning systems could be a satisfactory op-
tion, but such systems are costly as they consume an excessive amount of primary energy.
Furthermore, such systems utilize hydrofluorocarbons, and hydrochlorofluorocarbons as re-
frigerant, favoring environmental degradation [11]. Alternatively, dew point indirect evapo-
rative cooler has received attention in recent years and has proven to be an effective substitute
for direct evaporative cooling. Such a system can cool the temperature of air sensibly without
the addition of moisture, thereby shows promising results to control temperature and humid-
ity conditions inside the poultry house [12–14]. Despite such favorable improvements, the
dewpoint indirect evaporative cooling performance was still limited in June and July due to
high humidity [14,15]. To overcome the aforementioned limitations, an energy-efficient tem-
perature and humidity control (i.e., desiccant dehumidification cooling system) could be a
potential air-conditioning option for poultry houses.
The desiccant dehumidification cooling system deals with both sensible and latent load at
the same time, making it suitable for humid climates [16,17]. The standalone desiccant dehu-
midification system consists of a desiccant block/wheel having desiccant material, a sensible
heat exchanger, and a heat source. The desiccant system requires a desiccant material that
can adsorb a significant volume of water vapors while also desorbing quickly at low regenera-
tion temperatures [18]. The desiccant material is commonly classified in three ways including
solid, liquid, and composite desiccants. The solid desiccants include silica gel, synthetic zeo-
lites, and activated alumina. The liquid desiccants include lithium chloride, lithium bromide,
and calcium chloride [11]. During the dehumidification process, process/ambient humid air
passes through a desiccant block/wheel that selectively takes water vapors from the air [17].
In the regeneration process, hot air is passed through the desiccant block/wheel which desorbs
the water vapors. Such systems are regenerated with thermal energy that could be available
via low-grade waste heat as well as renewable energy options e.g., solar thermal heat and
biogas/biomass, etc. In poultry house, the poultry birds generate sensible heat in their body
due to digestion of feed constituents and produces latent heat because of water consumption.
Some portion of the sensible and latent heat is utilized by the birds to maintain their body
temperature of about 41℃. The remaining sensible and latent heat loss by the poultry birds
to surrounding/ambient air. High ambient temperature creates difficulty for emission of the
sensible heat by birds that cause heat stress, and death. The latent heat loss increases due to
high ambient temperature that results in suffocation for the birds. Therefore, the desiccant
air-conditioning system is mandatory to deal with sensible and latent loads produced by the
poultry birds.
The performance of the standalone desiccant dehumidification cooling system is depen-

Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Muhammad Sultan, muhammadsultan@bzu.edu.pk

Citation: Aleem, M., Sultan, M. (2021). Towards the development of energy-efficient poultry air conditioning
system. Academia Letters, Article 2938. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2938.

2
dent on the efficiency of each component as well as operating parameters such as regeneration
temperature, and air mass flow rate [19]. Therefore, once the performance of the standalone
desiccant dehumidification cooling system is assured by its optimum operating parameters, the
system can be modified for better results. In literature, the two most prevalent modifications
of the system including hybrid, single-stage [20], and multi-stage desiccant dehumidification
[21] systems have been discussed. It has been concluded that the overall performance of the
system could be enhanced by using hybrid and multi-stage dehumidification. The hybrid sys-
tem (one stage desiccant dehumidification) has potential in total energy savings of 1167 kWh,
which is equivalent to 19% of the total energy utilized by a conventional air-conditioning sys-
tem [11]. Furthermore, when compared to a conventional vapor compression air-conditioning
system, the electric power consumption by two stage desiccant dehumidification system was
reduced to 34%. Ghali et al., [22] numerically calculated a hybrid desiccant air-conditioning
system for a typical workplace of 150 m2 in Beirut’s climatic conditions. The regeneration
heat was provided by an auxiliary gas heater and condenser dissipated heat. The hybrid sys-
tem replaced the 23kW vapor compression system with a 15kW unit at peak load. According
to the results with a payback period of 5 years, the yearly savings on operating costs were
found to be 418.39 USD. Hirunlabh et al., [23] conducted a feasibility study on the hybrid
desiccant air-conditioning system for Thailand’s tropical environment. The setup included a
silica gel bed and a split type of air conditioner with a 1.5 tones capacity. The hybrid system
was determined to be feasible for Thailand’s climate, resulting in a 24% reduction in electric-
ity use. Results also showed that for split type and central air-conditioning, the system can
achieve payback periods of roughly 12 and 4 years, respectively. For two different climatic
cities, Berlin and Shanghai, Ge et al., [24] compared the performance of a solar-operated two-
stage desiccant air-conditioning and a standard vapor compression air-conditioning system.
When compared to the vapor compression air-conditioning system, the desiccant system re-
sulted in higher air quality and energy savings in both regions. Due to a 10% increase in
cooling load, the needed regeneration temperature in Shanghai was found to be 30°C higher
than in Berlin, resulting in payback periods of 4.7 and 7.2 years, respectively. However, few
kinds of literature are available which used the dew point evaporative cooling integrated des-
iccant dehumidification system to control optimum temperature and humidity conditions for
the poultry houses [25,26].
Studies regarding the hybrid technology for poultry welfare are limited in literature to
make it a sustainable commercialization option for the poultry industry. The leading scientists
and researchers should explore this research gap for poultry welfare and report their findings
in reputed journals to strengthen the poultry industry. Furthermore, multi-stage dehumidifi-
cation technology should be investigated for the poultry houses as it reduces the electricity

Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Muhammad Sultan, muhammadsultan@bzu.edu.pk

Citation: Aleem, M., Sultan, M. (2021). Towards the development of energy-efficient poultry air conditioning
system. Academia Letters, Article 2938. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2938.

3
consumption and desiccant regeneration temperature which are important aspects for the sys-
tem economy.

References
[1] FAO. Meat Market Review. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations;
2021.

[2] Yahav S. Chapter 37 - Regulation of Body Temperature: Strategies and Mechanisms.

In: Scanes CGBT-SAP (Sixth E, editor., San Diego: Academic Press; 2015, p. 869–905.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-407160-5.00037-3.

[3] Kampen M Van, Mitchell BW, Siegel HS. Thermoneutral zone of chickens as deter-
mined by measuring heat production, respiration rate, and electromyographic and elec-
troencephalographic activity in light and dark environments and changing ambient tem-
peratures. J Agric Sci 1979;92:219–26. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1017/S0021859600060664.

[4] Felver-Gant JN, Mack LA, Dennis RL, Eicher SD, Cheng HW. Genetic variations al-
ter physiological responses following heat stress in 2 strains of laying hens. Poult Sci
2012;91:1542–51. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.2011-01988.

[5] Bekele G. Review on the Effect of Heat Stress on Poultry Production and Productivities.
Food Sci Nutr Technol 2021;6:1–9. https://doi.org/10.23880/fsnt16000260.

[6] Dhama K, Chakraborty S, Verma AK, Tiwari R, Barathidasan R, Kumar A, et al. Fun-
gal/mycotic diseases of poultry-diagnosis, treatment and control: A review. Pakistan J
Biol Sci 2013;16:1626–40. https://doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2013.1626.1640.

[7] Cassuce, Déborah C., Tinôco, Ilda de F. F., Baêta, Fernando C., Zolnier, Sérgio, Cecon,
Paulo R., & Vieira M de FA. Thermal comfort temperature update for broiler chickens up
to 21 days of age. Eng Agrícola, 2013;33(1):28–36.

[8] Cândido MGL, Tinôco I de FF, Pinto F de A d. C, Santos NT, Roberti RP. Determination
of thermal comfort zone for early-stage broilers. Eng Agric 2016;36:760–7. https://doi.
org/10.1590/1809-4430-Eng.Agric.v36n5p760-767/2016.

[9] Purswell JL, Dozier WA, Olanrewaju HA, Davis JD, Xin H, Gates RS. Effect of temperature-
humidity index on live performance in broiler chickens grown from 49 to 63 days of age.

Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Muhammad Sultan, muhammadsultan@bzu.edu.pk

Citation: Aleem, M., Sultan, M. (2021). Towards the development of energy-efficient poultry air conditioning
system. Academia Letters, Article 2938. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2938.

4
 ASABE - 9th Int Livest Environ Symp 2012, ILES 2012 2012;7004:41–9.

[10] Rozenboim I, Tako E, Gal-Garber O, Proudman JA, Uni Z. The Effect of Heat Stress on
Ovarian Function of Laying Hens. Poult Sci 2007;86:1760–5. https://doi.org/https://doi.
org/10.1093/ps/86.8.1760.

[11] Sultan M, El-Sharkawy II, Miyazaki T, Saha BB, Koyama S. An overview of solid
desiccant dehumidification and air conditioning systems. Renew Sustain Energy Rev
2015;46:16–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.02.038.

[12] Al Assaad DK, Orabi MS, Ghaddar NK, Ghali KF, Salam DA, Ouahrani D, et al. A
sustainable localised air distribution system for enhancing thermal environment and indoor
air quality of poultry house for semiarid region. Biosyst Eng 2021;203:70–92. https://doi.
org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2021.01.002.

[13] Raza HMU, Sultan M, Bahrami M, Khan AA. Experimental investigation of evaporative
cooling systems for agricultural storage and livestock air-conditioning in Pakistan. Build
Simul 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-020-0678-2.

[14] Shahzad K, Sultan M, Bilal M, Ashraf H, Farooq M, Miyazaki T, et al. Experiments

on energy‐efficient evaporative cooling systems for poultry farm application in Multan
(Pakistan). Sustain 2021;13:1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052836.

[15] Raza HMU, Ashraf H, Shahzad K, Sultan M, Miyazaki T, Usman M, et al. Investigat-
ing applicability of evaporative cooling systems for thermal comfort of poultry birds in
Pakistan. Appl Sci 2020;10. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10134445.

[16] Sultan M, Miyazaki T, Saha BB, Koyama S. Steady-state investigation of water vapor
adsorption for thermally driven adsorption based greenhouse air-conditioning system. Re-
new Energy 2016;86:785–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2015.09.015.

[17] Sultan M, Miyazaki T, Koyama S, Khan ZM. Performance evaluation of hydrophilic

organic polymer sorbents for desiccant air-conditioning applications. Adsorpt Sci Technol
2018;36:311–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263617417692338.

[18] La D, Dai YJ, Li Y, Wang RZ, Ge TS. Technical development of rotary desiccant dehu-
midification and air conditioning: A review. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 2010;14:130–47.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2009.07.016.

[19] Enteria N, Yoshino H, Satake A, Mochida A, Takaki R, Yoshie R, et al. Experimental

Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Muhammad Sultan, muhammadsultan@bzu.edu.pk

Citation: Aleem, M., Sultan, M. (2021). Towards the development of energy-efficient poultry air conditioning
system. Academia Letters, Article 2938. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2938.

5
 heat and mass transfer of the separated and coupled rotating desiccant wheel and heat
wheel. Exp Therm Fluid Sci 2010;34:603–15. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
expthermflusci.2009.12.001.

[20] Baniyounes AM, Rasul MG, Khan MMK. Experimental assessment of a solar desiccant
cooling system for an institutional building in subtropical Queensland, Australia. Energy
Build 2013;62:78–86. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.02.062.

[21] La D, Dai Y, Li Y, Ge T, Wang R. Case study and theoretical analysis of a solar driven
two-stage rotary desiccant cooling system assisted by vapor compression air-conditioning.
Sol Energy 2011;85:2997–3009. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2011.08.
039.

[22] Ghali K. Energy consumption and feasibility study of a hybrid desiccant dehumidifica-
tion air conditioning system in Beirut. Renew Energy Power Qual J 2007;1:136–9. https://
doi.org/10.24084/repqj05.234.

[23] Hirunlabh J, Charoenwat R, Khedari J, Teekasap S. Feasibility study of desiccant air-

conditioning system in Thailand. Build Environ 2007;42:572–7. https://doi.org/https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.09.022.

[24] Ge TS, Ziegler F, Wang RZ, Wang H. Performance comparison between a solar driven
rotary desiccant cooling system and conventional vapor compression system (performance
study of desiccant cooling). Appl Therm Eng 2010;30:724–31. https://doi.org/https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2009.12.002.

[25] Aleem M, Hussain G, Sultan M, Miyazaki T. Lab-Scale Study of Desiccant Dehumidi-

fication System for Poultry Shed Air-Conditioning in Pakistan. Proc Int Exch Innov Conf
Eng Sci 2020;6:85–91. https://doi.org/10.5109/4102470.

[26] Harrouz JP, Katramiz E, Ghali K, Ouahrani D, Ghaddar N. Comparative analysis of

sustainable desiccant – Evaporative based ventilation systems for a typical Qatari poultry
house. Energy Convers Manag 2021;245:114556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.
2021.114556.

Academia Letters, August 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Muhammad Sultan, muhammadsultan@bzu.edu.pk

Citation: Aleem, M., Sultan, M. (2021). Towards the development of energy-efficient poultry air conditioning
system. Academia Letters, Article 2938. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2938.