THERMAL SIMULATION OF A FLAT PANEL SOLAR INCUBATOR FOR HEN EGGS

Abstract

Incubators are increasingly used in Burkina Faso in the field of poultry farming in rural and urban areas. They allow poultry farmers to hatch many eggs while minimizing losses. However, the incubators are powered by the electrical network or the photovoltaic system which converts electrical energy (whether alternative or continuous) into thermal energy for heating the eggs. In order to compensate for this conversion of electrical energy into thermal energy, we decided to design a flat panel solar incubator operating using solar radiation since our country, Burkina Faso, has good sunshine during the year. Both physical parameters such as temperature and humidity are very important in egg hatching. This work presents the model of the solar incubator with flat plate collector and the temperature profile within it thanks to the resolution of the heat transfer equations with the COMSOL software.