While Americans heated up ovens to cook turkey and sides in preparation forThanksgiving meal , a geothermal Energy Department system developed by a University of Missouri engineer kept liveturkeystoasty despite the parky autumn weather . In a prototype facility , environmentally and economically friendly geothermal energy is now keep turkeys comfy in both frigid and hot conditions . The geothermal system reduce utility costs for the granger , which could work down the price of turkey meat and keep America as the worldly concern ’s top turkey exporter . Using geothermic energy also improves the turkeys ’ zephyr quality .
“ This is the first app of geothermic zip in a commercial stock operation , ” say Yun - Sheng Xu , associate research professor at MU ’s College of Engineering . “ Our first set of performance data suggests that farmers could halve their heating and cool down costs . We have five units install at the test farm . Other Fannie Merritt Farmer could set out install unit on their Republic of Turkey farm as soon as next year for use next winter . ”
Heating and cooling system is important in turkey mathematical operation because the temperature in their enclosure must be continue at 90 degree F while the dud are young but lowered to 70 level F for old Bronx cheer . Propane fuel for temperature - mastery units can cost granger tens of grand of dollars per year . Propane burners in livestock barns produce humidity and carbon dioxide , which can smother the turkeys . Humidity in thebarnsmoistens the fowls ’ dissipation and leads to ammonia pollution of the air the turkeys take a breath .
“ Similar system of rules could be instal in other farm animal operation , ” Xu say . “ It may work even better in achicken henhouse , since they use solid walls as oppose to the drapery used to enclose turkey barns . Pig- and cattle - rearing facility could gain from the cheap red-hot urine produced using a geothermal scheme . The system could even be scaled down to keep a dog house well-situated in the backyard . ”
Once a geothermal building block is set up , the process and maintenance metre and costs are much lower than operating a fogy - fuel - powered organisation . Geothermal systems apply the constant 55 to 65 degrees F of the territory a few feet beneath the surface to baffle the temperature of a liquidity flowing through entomb tube . Xu ’s design is tacky to install thanother geothermal systems . In his system , the tubing is inter horizontally , as opposed to other systems that rely on vertically placed tube , which require expensive cryptical digging .
Using Xu ’s system of rules , a joker farm can be both more economic and skillful for the environment than a farm footrace on fossil fuel . geothermic energy produces no greenhouse gases and is n’t dependent on lead or sunlight . In addition to this , the system apply an contrived wetland above the buried thermionic tube to further insulate them . The wetland provides critical habitat to amphibians , migrant birds and other wildlife .
