Study on the Drip Cooling System in Farrowing House

A new type of drip cooling system with positive ventilation was developed to provide separate environment for the sow and the newborn piglets. The drip emitters and ventilation duct were installed about 1.2 m above the feeding height and 0.3 m behind the front headgate of the stall. The system drips water droplets at a rate of 2 L per hour on neck and shoulders of sow while high velocity air is supplied to the area around head. The results of field experiment showed that when the environment temperature is 32.5 ℃, the sow has body temperature of 39.9～40.2 ℃, sow's body temperature can reduce 0.5 ℃ after the system operated while the mean air velocity in the area around head was 0.6～0.8 m/s. The new type zone cooling system assures a suitable condition for both sows and small pigs and reduces initial investment of 30% for the producer compared with the traditional cooling method.