Thermal assessment of ecological tiles in physical models of poultry houses

In countries with tropical climates, such as Brazil, the high summer temperatures associated with high relative humidities are a stress factor in animal production. Excessive heat within a poultry facility causes a reduction in feed intake and production, and increased bird mortality. With the knowledge that about 75% of the radiant heat load within a facility comes from the roof, it is necessary to study alternatives that can minimize this radiation. Thus, the objective of the present work is to analyze the thermal environment inside physical broiler housing models constructed on a reduced scale (1:10), where the thermal comfort was evaluated by the black globe humidity index (BGHI) and radiant heat load (RHL). Five models built with different roofing materials were evaluated. Based on the results, it can be concluded that roofs constructed with the channel clay roofing tile (T B30), natural fiber tiles with their external side painted white (T FVP15) and tiles made of recycled long-life packaging (T LV15), provide better thermal environments within the models.