AP3.3 - Real-time Air-Sense Module for Monitoring Enclosed Livestock Housing
- Event
- 17th International Meeting on Chemical Sensors - IMCS 2018
2018-07-15 - 2018-07-19
Vienna, Austria - Chapter
- Applications 3 - Indoor Gas Sensing
- Author(s)
- M. Beshay, L. Zhang, M. Lav - Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc., Torrance, California (USA), R. Christenson - CTB, Inc. (Chore-Tronics), Milford, Indiana (USA)
- Pages
- 384 - 385
- DOI
- 10.5162/IMCS2018/AP3.3
- ISBN
- 978-3-9816876-9-9
- Price
- free
Abstract
Animal barns need ventilation systems that effectively measure temperature, humidity, ammonia, and other gases. Reliable sensors that accurately measure these parameters will contribute to a healthy environment for the animals and the workers, while not wasting energy and money on over-ventilation. Current systems are either state-of-the-art instruments for field use that are precise and accurate but limited by their cost, size, and demands on power and labor; or inexpensive test kits and point sensors that perform single measurements with acceptable accuracy and sensitivity, but are unsuited to livestock operations. In addition to the costs of both over- and under-ventilation-overuse of energy, and adverse effects on animal health and productivity, respectively-there are important effects on worker health. This extends to residential areas near livestock facilities, which can be exposed to gas levels that cause not only discomfort but also long- and short-term health damage, including eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Long-term effects, usually the result of extended, cumulative exposure, can include respiratory disease, heart disease, and cancer, and can be severely debilitating or even fatal. Building on the successful results of our prior development, we have continued advancing the Air-Sense modules by: (1) finalizing signal processing to model the sensor hysteresis resulting from long-term aging in livestock environments, including exposure
to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as potential interferents; (2) designing the communication software to meet the target signal output for a ventilation system interface; and (3) integrating multiplexed temperature and humidity measurement into the unit output.