Comparative evaluation of infrared radiant and forced-air convection heating systems for hog barns

The overall goal of this study was to compare a gas-fired infrared radiant heating system with a conventional forced-air convection heater for supplying supplemental heat to pig production rooms. Forced-convection air heaters that are widely used in commercial barns typically heat the air near the ceiling, and in turn the heated air had to be physically moved using fans and inlets to the animal occupied zones. A radiant heater transmits heat to surfaces (i.e. floor, pen wall, animals, etc) through radiation heat transfer, thus facilitating the heating process at the pig’s level and at the same time the heated surfaces serve as a thermal reservoir that help maintain the setpoint conditions in the room. Because of this difference in mode of heat transfer, it is hypothesized that infra-red radiant heating could help reduce heating costs in pig production rooms.

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