Researchers in Turkey have tested an air-source heat pump for heating commercial poultry houses, combining experimental measurements with numerical simulations. The system reduced annual heating costs by approximately 44% compared with conventional coal-fired heating.
A research team in Turkey has assessed the potential of air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) to replace coal-fired heating in commercial poultry houses in cold climates. Combining experimental measurements, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and cost analysis, the researchers found that an ASHP system could reduce annual heating costs by approximately 44% compared with coal-fired heating, while maintaining suitable indoor conditions for broiler chickens.
“The main novelty of this research lies in its integrated experimental, numerical, and techno-economic evaluation of an ASHP as a direct replacement for conventional coal-fired heating in commercial broiler houses,” corresponding author Zekeriya Parlak told pv magazine. “This work combines real-world energy consumption measurements from three identical broiler houses on the same farm, analytical heat-demand calculations, experimentally validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and comparative heating-cost assessments.”
Parlak said his team also plans to investigate the integration of heat recovery units, PV panels, and battery storage with ASHPs in poultry houses. “The objective will be to evaluate the potential energy savings, system performance, and investment costs of these integrated technologies,” he said. “In particular, we aim to develop a calculation methodology for determining the appropriate heat pump capacity by considering the contribution of heat recovery systems to the overall heating demand.”
The researchers conducted the study at a commercial poultry farm in Sakarya, Turkey, using three identical broiler houses, each measuring 90.3 meters by 15 meters, with a wall height of 2.1 meters and a capacity of 21,000 chickens. Two houses were heated by coal-fired boilers, while the third used an ASHP connected to a hot-water storage tank and fan coil units (FCUs). During a production cycle that began in January 2024, the team measured indoor and outdoor temperatures, heating-system water temperatures, energy consumption, and ventilation parameters.
The researchers also calculated heating requirements and developed a CFD model using Ansys Fluent to simulate five FCU configurations featuring six or seven units. The simulations assessed temperature and airflow distribution at different heights and were validated against experimental measurements. “The analytical method predicted coal consumption with an error of only 0.14% and heat pump electricity consumption with an error of 2.21% compared with measured values,” said Parlak.
“Perhaps the most interesting numerical finding was that the number and operating mode of the fan coil units significantly affected thermal uniformity, even when the total heating capacity was kept constant,” Parlak said. “Operating all seven FCUs in heating mode produced the most homogeneous temperature and velocity distributions among the five investigated configurations, with standard deviations of 2.28 K for temperature and 0.28 m/s for air velocity. Moreover, the proportion of the cross-sectional area with air velocities below 0.1 m/s remained below 1% in all simulated cases. This indicates that appropriate air-distribution design is essential for minimizing stagnant zones and improving thermal conditions around the birds.”
The researchers also compared actual heating costs and estimated annual expenses over six production cycles. “The annual cost comparison showed a reduction from $15,506.26 for coal heating to $8,692.48 for the heat pump system, corresponding to approximately 44% lower annual heating costs,” Parlak said. “The comparative analysis also indicated that the heat pump offered additional cost savings of approximately 18% relative to coal, 42% relative to natural gas, 48% relative to fuel oil, and 65% relative to direct electric resistance heating under the evaluated conditions.”
The findings are presented in “Performance evaluation of an air source heat pump heating system in broiler houses: Experimental measurements, CFD analysis, and cost comparison,” published in Case Studies in Thermal Engineering. The research team included scientists from Sakarya University and ETA4 Engineering, both in Turkey.
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