Process and facility for regulating the amount of oxygen supplied to animal drinking water

Abstract

The invention relates to a facility for farming animals, and in particular poultry and pigs, comprising means for supplying water to the animals for their drinking, said supply means comprising: - an injector (7, 8) making it possible to inject a gas into the water; - a water inlet line (20) and a gas inlet line (3, 4, 5, 6), reaching into the injector; and - a source (1) of oxygen or of a gaseous mixture comprising oxygen, for example an oxygen store, which is able to dispense oxygen into the gas line; - a water tank (17) at atmospheric pressure, the injector being supplied with water from the water located in this tank, which tank can additionally be supplied with fresh water (20); - a coil (10) able to receive water loaded with dissolved oxygen originating from the injector, which water reaches the coil by virtue of a pump (9), which coil makes it possible to create a water / oxygen contact time; - the water leaving the coil passing through a discharge spout (12) in order to be entirely directed towards the drinking water or else partially towards the drinking water and partially into the tank (17). The invention is characterised in that two simultaneous injections of oxygen or of a mixture comprising oxygen in the water are carried out: one (3, 5, 7) upstream of the pump and the other (4, 6, 8) downstream of the pump (9), the flow rate of the injection carried out upstream being lower than the flow rate of the injection carried out downstream of the pump.

Description

Method and installation for regulating oxygen doping in animal drinking water

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of animal breeding, and in particular poultry, pigs or even rabbits, and is particularly concerned with the question of their watering.

[0002] It can be recalled here, for example, that for a chicken to reach a weight of 1.5 kg, it took approximately 120 days in 1920, approximately 44 days in 1980 and only approximately 33 days in 1998.

[0003] According to various studies, experimental surveys in such farms show that at the same age (49 days), the average weight of a broiler chicken doubled between 1967 and 1996. Furthermore, in recent years, consumer demand has shifted towards less fatty animals and pre-cut poultry meat.

[0004] These production objectives were achieved thanks to the evolution of nutritional programs and breeding conditions, combined with the genetic selection of fast-growing animals, with a low feed conversion rate, low fattening and increased development of muscle mass.

[0005] Genetics, hygiene, prophylaxis and improved breeding conditions have, over the past twenty years, considerably reduced poultry mortality in farms.

[0006] And yet, it is necessary to take into account the following aspects that appear in all the studies launched on the subject: rapid body growth increases the need for oxygen and heat production. the increase in pectoral mass yield accentuates the imbalance between the development of muscle mass and that of other tissues such as the kidney, heart and lungs. In current breeding, the evolution of growth characteristics is sometimes accompanied by an increase in the frequency of failures of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, characterized by an increase in "heat stroke", "sudden death" syndromes and ascites (accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity).

[0007] Available studies in this area can be summarized by the fact that oxygen is a limiting factor that can help explain the frequency of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in broiler chickens. Comparison of genotypes with varying growth rates shows that the incidence of ascites and high growth rate are associated with low oxygen pressure and high CO2 pressure in venous blood. Insufficient oxygen availability therefore appears to be a major cause of cardiovascular and respiratory system dysfunction in fast-growing chickens.

[0008] The above demonstrates the need to restore a balance between the metabolic needs imposed by selection for rapid growth, and the ability of the respiratory system, the supplier of oxygen, to meet them.

[0009] One possible approach would be to increase the oxygen content in the environment of the farmed chicken. Unfortunately, intensive farming requires strong ventilation to evacuate the heat and humidity produced by the birds, and thus the oxygen consumption to go from 20.9 to 27% for example would be prohibitive and would definitely penalize the solution on an economic level.

[0010] The Applicant has carried out numerous studies on this issue, in particular reference may be made to document EP-3 709 793 (WO2019097142), which proposed a new installation allowing the oxygen boosting of the drinking water of such livestock.

[0011] One of the objectives of the present invention is then to propose improvements to the installation which was proposed in this prior document.

[0012] The annex illustrates the contents of an installation in accordance with the prior document WO2019097142 cited above.

[0013] The following elements are recognized on this: an injector 61, for example of the Venturi type, making it possible to inject a gas into water; on this injector 61 arrive a water inlet line (“WATER”) and a gas inlet line (“GAS”), gas line here connected in its upstream part to an oxygen storage (represented by a bottle), or a mixture of gases comprising oxygen, for example a mixture of 70% oxygen and 30% CO2.a regulator 62; a control valve 63 (gas control valve allowing, due to its calibration, to inject a chosen quantity of gas into the injector); - a coil 64: the length of the coil allows a chosen gas / water contact time, preferably greater than 10 seconds, and more preferably between 10 and 30 seconds; - a water circulation pump 65: the water pump allows high water speeds to be reached in the coil; a discharger 66; a float valve 67; a water tank at atmospheric pressure (68).

[0014] And this previous installation proposal had already in itself given quite advantageous results in limiting investments, since it avoids the (expensive) use of an oxygen analyzer.

[0015] The "WATER" line arriving from the right supplies the bath with "fresh" or new water, thus allowing the tank to be filled with water first before starting, the float valve 67 (for example of the toilet flush type) allows a constant water level to be maintained in the tank.

[0016] Using a water tank at atmospheric pressure allows both low pressure to be maintained towards the drinking network and high pressure to be maintained in the coil to dissolve the oxygen.

[0017] The pressure relief valve always maintains the same pressure in the circuit regardless of water consumption.

[0018] The oxygen injection system operates when the drinking water network is supplied with water, and in the event of a shutdown the system is cut off.

[0019] From the pond comes a "suction water" line which sends water from the pond to the injector, it is therefore a mixture of recycled water and fresh water. In other words, except when the animals are not consuming water the injector receives 100% recycled water (remember that the animals always consume water, to stop them you have to turn off the light).

[0020] Via the pump 65 and the dissolution coil 64, the water can be directed towards the watering zone, it passes outside the tank 68 as will have been understood, passing through the overflow 66. The overflow is also located outside the bath but it may happen that for reasons of space / accommodability the overflow can be positioned in the water of the tank.

[0021] As seen in the figure, the installation allows, if necessary, to discharge part of the water coming from the coil into the tank and the other part towards the drinking fountain.

[0022] The improvements proposed herein according to the present invention will now be explained in connection with the appended document.

[0023] The appendix provides a partial schematic view of an installation suitable for implementing the present invention and will allow a better understanding of the technical proposal of the invention from what follows.

[0024] The nomenclature of the elements present on the is as follows:1: gas bottle2: gas regulator (expand the gas to a pressure higher than the water network pressure)3: suction flow meter (allows the oxygen flow to be adjusted at the suction of pump 9)4: discharge flow meter (allows the oxygen flow to be adjusted at the discharge of pump 9)5: suction solenoid valve (controlled by the pump being started and by a flow detector)6: discharge solenoid valve (controlled by the pump being started and by a flow detector and by a level switch with time delay)7: suction venturi (allows a low flow of gas to be injected into the water at the pump suction without creating cavitation)8: discharge venturi (allows the gas to be injected into the water at the pump discharge, at the flow rate corresponding to the water in addition to the suction flow rate)9: pump (allows you to increase the water pressure and set up a water flow,preferably located between 1 and 2.5 m / s)10: coil (allows oxygen to dissolve in the water, with a water flow rate preferably located between 1 and 2.5 m / s and a contact time preferably located between 10 and 20 seconds11: water inlet solenoid valve (allows the water level in the tank to be maintained and oxygen injection to be triggered by activating the mark 6)12: overflow valve (allows the water flow rate and therefore the speed in the coil to be maintained, and thus provides the desired output pressure to the user site)13: solenoid valve (Normally Open (NO), allows the system to be bypassed in the event of the pump or control system stopping, and thus ensures that the animals will never be deprived of water)14: level switch (allows the water level in the tank to be managed and oxygen injection to be triggered at high flow rate, mark 6)15: water flow regulator,regulating the flow rate of fresh water inlet16: filter17: water tank20: fresh water inlet30: recirculation / bypass40: breeding site water network50: watering stations (pipettes),

[0025] And it is therefore proposed according to the present invention to implement TWO simultaneous injections of oxygen or of a mixture comprising oxygen: one upstream of the pump; and the other downstream of the pump;

[0026] the injection flow rate carried out upstream being lower than the flow rate carried out downstream of the pump.

[0027] The flow rate of gas injected upstream preferably represents between 5 and 25% of the pure oxygen saturation of the water under the conditions considered, 25% being considered as the limit which can generate a cavitation phenomenon, while the flow rate downstream of the pump represents the complement of the first injection to reach the desired value of overall content.

[0028] Let us illustrate in the following an example of flow rates to better understand the above.

[0029] Clear water saturates with pure oxygen (Henry's law) at 43.4 mg / l at 20°C.

[0030] Let's consider that we want to integrate the maximum amount of oxygen into the pump suction, for example 25% of 43.4, or 10.85 mg / l.

[0031] If we want to achieve a total of 35 mg / l in the drinking water, for example, we are missing:

[0032] 35 - 10.85 - the natural oxygen content present in the water (9.2 mg / l under the previous conditions (20°C)) or a requirement of 14.95 mg / l.

[0033] To this need it is necessary to apply the efficiency of the oxygenation equipment which is traditionally considered to be close to 80%.

[0034] We therefore obtain (14.95 x 1.2) 17.94 mg / l to add to the pump discharge.

[0035] As will be clear to those skilled in the art, an injection upstream of the pump is effective and advantageous because the injected gas is more "divided" and therefore more dissolved, however it can cause cavitation of the pump, its flow rate must therefore be limited. It is therefore proposed to implement a low flow rate injection upstream of the pump (suction), supplemented by a higher flow rate injection downstream of the pump (discharge), making it possible to achieve the desired flow rate (content) value in total.

[0036] And as will be clear to those skilled in the art, one of the additional advantages of this configuration is that when the installation rotates on itself via the bypass, this small injection can be maintained at the suction, and if the animals come to consume water, lowering the level in the tank, leading to the injection of oxygen at a higher flow rate on the discharge side.

[0037] It should also be mentioned that this injection configuration also allows the injection of oxygen from various sources, including an autonomous production source (on site) such as oxygen "concentrators", well known and used in the medical field (providing patients with oxygen-enriched air).

[0038] Since the suction flow rate of the pump installed according to the invention is relatively low, this concentrator technology proves to be very well positioned to provide such a supply.

[0039] Furthermore, according to the invention, one or each of the following implementation methods may be adopted: The operation of the pump is coupled with the level of light prevailing in the building where the animals are housed. Indeed, it is known that during the night, when the light is switched off, the animals stop eating and drinking.

[0040] It is therefore extremely advantageous to stop the injection of oxygen at night and to stop the continuous circulation of water to the animals: This allows a reduction in electricity consumption; And the fact that the water does not heat up during the night, it therefore remains appetizing in the morning, which is not the case when the water circulates continuously in the pump without the supply of fresh water.

[0041] In summary, at night, the animals no longer drink or eat, so it is crucial to turn off the pump to prevent the water from heating up.

[0042] But as previously stated, the presence of the by-pass 30 nevertheless allows, despite the pump being stopped, to maintain the circuit under pressure and to feed the animals at night in the event that an animal nevertheless wishes to drink at night and presents itself to the pipettes 50, the water then not being enriched with oxygen. A coupling is implemented (via a solenoid valve, 11 on the) of the oxygen injection with the arrival of fresh water. This mode clearly allows a reduction in oxygen consumption compared to the prior art which carried out the continuous injection of oxygen. A time delay, which is adjustable, of the oxygen injection (of the injections) is implemented, to be able to extend this injection for a desired duration beyond the stopping of the arrival of fresh water. This makes it possible to optimize the dissolved oxygen value.

[0043] As an illustration, the time delay can be calculated on the principle of renewal(s) of the volume of water in the installation, between 1 and 2 renewals.

[0044] For example, an installation that contains 600 liters of water (0.6m 3 ) equipped with a 3m pump 3 / h is characterized by a renewal time of 12 minutes.

[0045] The time delay will then be advantageously set between 12 and 24 minutes.

[0046] The present invention then relates to an installation for breeding animals and in particular poultry and pigs, comprising means for supplying water to the animals for their watering, supply means comprising: an injector for injecting a gas into water; a water inlet line and a gas inlet line, reaching the injector; and a source of oxygen or a gas mixture comprising oxygen, for example an oxygen storage, capable of delivering oxygen into the gas line, a water tank at atmospheric pressure, the injector being supplied with water from the water located in this tank, tank which can also be supplied with fresh water; a coil capable of receiving water loaded with dissolved oxygen from the injector, water which reaches the coil thanks to a pump, coil which makes it possible to create a water / oxygen contact time;the water from the coil passing through a device such as a spillway, so that it can be directed entirely towards the watering hole or partly towards the watering hole and partly into the tank;

[0047] characterized in that the installation comprises means for implementing two simultaneous injections of oxygen or a mixture comprising oxygen into the water, one upstream of the pump and the other downstream of the pump, the flow rate of the injection carried out upstream being lower than the flow rate carried out downstream of the pump.

[0048] According to one of the embodiments of the invention, said source is an oxygen concentrator supplying oxygen-enriched air.

[0049] The invention also relates to a method for supplying drinking water to livestock, characterized in that the water is supplied to the animals using an installation as previously described.

[0050] According to one of the embodiments of the method of the invention, the flow rate of gas injected upstream represents between 5 and 25% of the pure oxygen saturation of the water under the temperature conditions considered prevailing in the farm, while the flow rate downstream of the pump represents the complement of the first injection to reach the desired value of an overall oxygen content in the water reaching the animals.

[0051] According to one of the methods of implementing the method of the invention, the operation of the pump is coupled with the level of light prevailing in the building where the animals are housed.

[0052] According to one of the methods of implementing the method of the invention, a coupling of the injection of gas with the arrival of fresh water in the installation is implemented.

[0053] According to one of the embodiments of the method of the invention, a time delay, which is adjustable, is implemented for the injection of the gas, in order to be able to extend this injection for a desired duration beyond the stopping of the arrival of fresh water in the installation.

Claims

Animal breeding installation, in particular for poultry and pigs, comprising means of supplying water to the animals for drinking, supply means comprising: an injector (7, 8) for injecting a gas into water; a water supply line (20) and a gas supply line (3, 4, 5, 6), reaching the injector; and a source (1) of oxygen or a gaseous mixture containing oxygen, for example an oxygen storage, capable of delivering oxygen into the gas line, a water tank (17) at atmospheric pressure, the injector being supplied with water from the water in this tank, the tank which can also be supplied with fresh water (20); a coil (10) capable of receiving water charged with dissolved oxygen from the injector, water which reaches the coil by means of a pump (9), the coil which allows a water / oxygen contact time to be created;the water from the coil passing through a device such as a weir (12), so that it can be directed entirely to the drinking trough or partly to the drinking trough and partly into the tank (17), characterized in that the installation includes means for carrying out two simultaneous injections of oxygen or a mixture containing oxygen into the water, one (3, 5, 7) upstream of the pump and the other (4, 6, 8) downstream of the pump (9), the flow rate of the injection carried out upstream being lower than the flow rate carried out downstream of the pump.; Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that said source is an oxygen concentrator supplying oxygen-enriched air. Method of supplying drinking water to livestock, characterized in that the water is supplied to the animals using an installation according to claim 1 or 2. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the flow rate of gas injected upstream represents between 5 and 25% of the pure oxygen saturation of the water under the temperature conditions considered prevailing in the farm, while the flow rate downstream of the pump represents the complement of the first injection to reach the desired value of an overall oxygen content in the water reaching the animals. Method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the operation of the pump is coupled with the level of light prevailing in the building where the animals are housed. A method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the injection of the gas is coupled with the influx of fresh water into the installation. A method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that a timer, which is adjustable, is implemented for the injection of the gas, in order to be able to extend this injection for a desired duration beyond the stopping of the fresh water supply in the installation.

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