DETERMINATION OF INCUBATOR VENTILATION INTENSITY BY THE DYNAMICS OF WATER FLOW RATE IN THE HUMIDIFIER

It is known that the air composition in the incubator chamber is critically important for the development of bird embryos, since the embryo consumes oxygen and produces carbon dioxide during development. High embryonic mortality is observed with insufficient ventilation of the incubator chamber, however, excessive ventilation leads to unreasonable costs of electricity and water in the humidification system. Gas analyzers that allow precise regulation of gas exchange between the incubator chamber and the surrounding air are not used in tabletop incubators, and the problem of determining the optimal ventilation parameters for tabletop incubators remains relevant at present. The possibility of interpreting data on water consumption by humidification systems of tabletop incubators in order to determine the characteristics of oxygen and carbon dioxide gas exchange between the air in the incubator chamber and the environment was studied. Grumbach tabletop incubators, a carbon dioxide detector based on the ZGm053UK IR sensor, and an AT-8100 electrochemical oxygen detector were used. It was established that the dynamics of water consumption of the incubator humidification system correlates with the volume of gas exchange between the incubator and the environment. The danger of stopping the respiratory activity of embryos occurs in sealed incubators, while the marker of the absence of gas exchange is a constant water level in the humidification system. With the rate of water evaporation by the evaporator of at least 3 cm3 / day per 1 chicken egg, the difference in relative humidity in the incubator room and the incubator chamber of at least 10% and the difference in temperatures in the incubator and the incubator room of at least 10 ° C, the gas exchange of the incubator with the room provides a carbon dioxide level of no more than 3000 ppm, and an oxygen level of at least 20.6%. The air composition in the incubator room has a direct effect on the air composition in the incubator, however, the required ventilation level of the incubator room, providing satisfactory air quality, can be determined organoleptically.