WARMING OF PIGLETS RESTING PLACES BY AIR HEAT PUMP IN DEPENDENCE ON OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE

Abstract. Alongside with traditional energy resources such as fossil fuel in all its variety – coal, wood, petroleum products, fuel gas – interest is raising about low temperature heat source usage, when heat pump is transforming it to the required higher temperature. The aim of the research is to ascertain in the conditions of production the suitability of the use of the outside air heat pump for providing energy for heating resting places of piglets. Researches were made in conditions of production during the period June 2009 till December 2009 in the pigsty with 96 farrowing pigpens, where in the resting places of piglets panels (heated with the warm water) are built-in. During the experiments amount of used heat energy for heating the floors was counted with ultrasonic heat meter, amount of electric energy needed for driving the compressor and electric boiler was registered with electric energy meters. Results of the experiments showed that energy demand depends on lactating-farrowing period of a sow and on outside air temperature. At outside air temperature below +10°C the surface of the evaporator intensively becomes covered with hoarfrost and to ensure required amount of heat energy electric boiler is being switched on, as result efficiency of the use of heat pump decreases. Decrease of intensive hoarfrost coverage is achieved by directing warm air of pigsty to the evaporators of a heat pump