Aerodinâmica de caixas de transporte de aves

Abstract

Poultry transportation presents a significant challenge to animal welfare, particularly when birds are exposed to thermal stress during travel, a condition that can compromise physiological stability, performance, and survival. Despite the relevance of this issue, research on engineering improvements in poultry transport crates remains limited. In this study, four poultry transport crates models were evaluated to determine their potential to improve thermal comfort and internal airflow conditions. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed at three transport speeds, complemented by wind tunnel experiments using reduced-scale prototypes manufactured by additive manufacturing. The CFD simulation results demonstrated that alternative crate model 3 (AC3) exhibited higher average internal airflow velocities (IAFV) at all speeds, including a 32.85% increase compared to the conventional Brazilian crate (CC) at 60 km/h. Wind tunnel tests confirmed significant differences between the crates. AC3 presented lower air temperature than AC1 and reduced relative humidity compared to CC and AC2. Bioclimatic indices corroborated these results, with AC3 presenting the lowest THI and enthalpy, indicating a less stressful microclimate. In terms of airflow, AC2 and AC3 achieved higher IAFV (19.27 ± 8.49 m/s and 19.30 ± 4.80 m/s) than AC1 and CC. AC3 also presented the lowest dynamic pressure, suggesting less resistance to airflow and more efficient aerodynamics. Therefore, the improved geometry of the boxes and the increase in ventilation surface area may improve airflow distribution, potentially reducing heat accumulation and improving animal welfare. However, further studies involving live birds, realistic stocking densities, and full-scale trailer simulations are needed to validate these benefits under commercial transport conditions.