Design, Construction, and Performance Evaluation of a Liquified Petroleum Gas Incubator.
ABSTRACT
Studies showed that the use of an automated incubator powered from the mains electricity, a solar-powered incubator or the kerosene type incubator for the production of day-old chicks is either very expensive to manage or ineffective in operation.
Hence, this research work is aimed at designing, fabrication, and testing an automated incubator powered by energy generated from the burning of Liquified Petroleum Gas with the use of a micro-controller device.
A micro-controller device was developed in order to achieve a timed automated sparking mechanism for a Liquified Petroleum Gas burner and egg crates turner. The micro-controller, which has a screen display of temperature and humidity readouts, has the sole responsibility of maintaining a steady temperature and humidity inside the incubator chamber.
A 3D model of the designed incubator was produced using the Solidworks software package. Performance evaluation carried out on the incubator revealed that seventy-nine (79) eggs hatched successfully out of one hundred and twenty (120) eggs set for hatching.
This represents about 65% of the eggs set. Also, fifteen kilograms (15 kg) of LPG was consumed during the incubation process. This cost about four thousand and eighty naira (N4,080:00). Since only seventy-nine (79) eggs hatched successfully after incubation, this translates to an incubating cost of fifty-one naira sixty-five kobo (N51:65k) per chick.
Finally, the incubator was able to maintain the optimum temperature and humidity of 37.5 0C and 45% respectively during the performance evaluation test.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover page……
Title Page…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. i
Declaration……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ii
Certification……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. iii
Dedication……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… iv
Acknowledgment……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. v
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. vi
Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… vii
List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ix
List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… x
List of Plates…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… xi
List of Appendices………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. xii
Abbreviations and Nomenclature……………………………………………………………………………………………… xiii
Chapter One…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1
- Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1
- Background of the Study……………………………………………………………………………………………… 1
- Statement of the Problem……………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
- Present Work………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
- Aim and Objectives of the Work……………………………………………………………………………………. 6
- Significance of the Study……………………………………………………………………………………………… 6
- Justification for the Work…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
- Scope of Study……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 7
Chapter Two……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
- Literature Review………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8
- Incubators………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 9
- Classification of Incubators………………………………………………………………………………………… 10
- Natural incubation………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 11
- Artificial incubation………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12
- Incubating Conditions………………………………………………………………………………………………… 13
- Design Theories………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 17
- Theory of heat exchange…………………………………………………………………………………………. 17
- Optimum incubation temperature……………………………………………………………………………… 19
- Past Research work on Incubator Fabrication………………………………………………………………….. 20
Chapter Three………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 22
- Materials and Methods……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 22
- Description of the Cabinet Incubator……………………………………………………………………………. 22
- Research Materials, Tools and Equipment……………………………………………………………………… 27
- Control Design………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 28
- Design Considerations………………………………………………………………………………………………… 31
- Design Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 33
- Definition of Terms………………………………………………………………………………………………… 33
- Egg rotation illustration……………………………………………………………………………………………. 34
- Design Calculation…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 35
- The calculation for crate number……………………………………………………………………………………. 35
- The calculation for shear stress and bending moments……………………………………………………….. 35
- The calculation for heat requirement………………………………………………………………………………. 37
- Fabrication of the Incubator………………………………………………………………………………………… 39
- Cost Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 45
- Experimental Procedure……………………………………………………………………………………………… 46
Chapter Four………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 50
- Results and Discussion……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 50
- Results…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 50
- Discussion of Results…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 60
Chapter Five………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 64
- Conclusion and Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………………. 64
- Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 64
- Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 65
- Contribution to Knowledge…………………………………………………………………………………………. 65
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 66
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Poultry production forms an important component of Nigeria’s livestock sub-sector. As a provider of employment and income, poultry production constitutes an important form of livelihood for rural and urban dwellers.
Poultry farmers who are well spread all over the different geographical zones of the country engaged in the production of meat, eggs, day-old chicks, poultry manure, etc. for rural, urban and suburban populations. An egg incubator is an equipment that provides an opportunity for farmers to produce chicks from eggs without the consent of the mother hen. There are majorly two types of incubation viz; natural and artificial incubation.
The most important difference between natural and artificial incubation is the fact that in natural incubation mother hen provides warmth by contact rather than surrounding the egg with warm air as it is in artificial incubation. An Egg Incubator is an enclosure that has controlled temperature, humidity, and ventilation for the hatching of poultry eggs such as chicken eggs, turkey eggs, quail eggs, guinea fowl eggs, etc. (University of Illinois, 2014)
The study of the chicken egg and its development from the un-incubated stage to the emergence of the chick from the shell has been interesting. The developing chick in an egg is called an embryo, and a careful study of the different stages of embryonic development uncovered many interesting facts.
Incubation of eggs shows the effects of heat, air, and moisture on hatchability. It shows how an egg is formed, its different parts and their functions, and how a chick embryo develops. (University of Illinois, 2014)
REFERENCES
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Abraham, N. T., Mathew, S. L., and Kumar , C. A. (2014, February). Design and Implementation of Solar PV Poultry Incubator. International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT), 3(3), 289-291.
Agidi, G., Liberty, J. T., Gunre, O. N., and Owa , G. J. (2014). Design, Construction and Performance Evaluation of an Electric Powered Egg Incubator. IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology, 3(3), 521-526.
Ahmadu, T. O., Folayan, C. O., and Yawas, D. S. (2009). Comparative Performance of Cow dung and Chicken droppings for Bio-gas production. Nigerian Journal of Engineering vol. 16, (1) 154- 164.
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