W.LIV.2002 - Independent Pen Air Turnover Audits
Previously, Heat Stress Risk Assessment (HRSA) has relied on ship owners providing valid pen air turnover (PAT) values to be used for calculation of risk estimates.
| Project start date: | 01 January 2019 |
| Project end date: | 26 January 2021 |
| Publication date: | 06 November 2023 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Grain-fed Cattle, Grass-fed Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | National, International |
Summary
Pen Air Turnover (PAT) is a measure of the rate of air moving through livestock pens on export vessels and is critical in ensuring the safety and welfare of the animals on a livestock export ship.
Regulations introduced in 2018 require independent auditing of the pen air turnover data for livestock ships travelling from Australia across the equator.
Information obtained from the audits will also be used to update the industry’s Heat Stress Risk Assessment (HSRA) model. This adjusts the number of sheep allowed on each ship depending on factors such as time of year and the ability of the ventilation systems to remove heat from the pens.
Objectives
This project aimed to:
- conduct independent PAT audits on all livestock export vessels travelling to the Middle East from Australia to meet industry and regulatory requirements
- provide a framework and specifications of the independent verification of ventilation systems on livestock export ships
- provide data that allows assessments of the risk of animals experiencing heat stress during planned voyages on any particular vessel.
Key findings
The ventilation arrangements on the current livestock carrying fleet are many and varied. There is no standard ventilation arrangement, with almost as many ventilation configurations as vessels.
In moving around the livestock spaces, additional heat sources increasing the temperature in those spaces were noted more commonly than expected.
PAT assessments require suitably skilled mechanical engineers with experience in fluid flow and measurement techniques. However, they also need critical thinking about sources of error and how to independently check the data to ensure complete confidence in the result.
Benefits to industry
Independent audits of the pen air turnover on livestock export vessels will ensure ventilation systems operate at the standard required by regulation. It will also ensure that mechanical air flows on vessels function appropriately and positively impact animal welfare outcomes.
Future research
The HSRA software is modified to incorporate information on additional heat sources influencing PAT, and measurements of this data are included in audits.
The heat from additional heat sources be calculated from drawings and regularly checked by the vessel’s crew. The calculations should be based on heat transfer coefficients calibrated from existing detailed measurements.
On-going supervisory checks of PAT measurements be required to ensure that the appropriate level of engineering rigour is being applied.
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For more information Contact Project Manager: Sharon Dundon |
