51 / 2025-04-11 15:47:00

Analysis of Multiphysics Interactions in Droplet Dynamics within Mist Cooling Systems: A CFD-Driven Optimization Framework for Heat Stress Mitigation in Dairy Cow Barns

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Droplet Dynamics, Multiphysics Interactions, Heat Stress Mitigation, Misting Fan Systems

2. 畜禽设施养殖工艺与装备系统 > （3）数字化和智慧养殖设施设备

Heat stress in dairy cows leads to reduced milk production and increased disease susceptibility. Misting fan systems, as a promising cooling method, can be used to cool cows in freestalls. However, the issue of excessive droplet sedimentation on bedding increases the risk of bacterial growth and related diseases, such as mastitis. Proper optimization on the misting fan system can potentially solve the issue while maintaining the cooling performance. This study aimed to investigate the interactions of fan driven airflow, droplet transport, and heat-mass transfer in dairy barn environments by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. A transient Eulerian-Lagrangian multiphase coupling approach was implemented to simulate droplet trajectories, phase change dynamics, and their interactions with the thermal microenvironment in the freestall zone. Results showed that the droplet size and airflow velocity significantly affected the evaporation efficiency and spatial distribution of droplets, and small droplets exhibited increased susceptibility to airflow deflection, indicating the necessity of adjusting the nozzle arrangement, tilt angles of nozzles and fans, as well as airflow velocity to minimize bedding wetting. These findings advance the understanding of droplet-airflow-thermal coupling mechanisms in misting fan cooling system and can be further applied into the automatic control system development.