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i-Wobs Used for Cattle Cooling
The drop in milk production in the summer causes significant economic losses in the dairy industry. That decrease in production is brought on by heat stress, and studies have documented that cooling lactating cows increases their milk production.
Heat stress to cattle is brought on by solar radiation, high air temperatures and high relative humidity. This is further aggravated by heat production from the cow’s own body. Generally, the more milk a cow produces, the more heat her body produces from digestion and metabolism. Cattle respond to heat stress by panting and sweating. If these do not alleviate the heat load, the body temperature will rise, which in turn will reduce feed intake, increase the maintenance requirement and decrease fertility, immune system function, growth, milk production and productive ability.
Sprinkling the cow with water to fully wet her body and using fans to evaporate the water cools her and encourages her to take in more feed and produce more milk. Another contributor to heat stress is a high protein content in their feed. It tends to make cattle lethargic. Cattle cooling results in higher energy and more milk production.
System Design
Senninger low angle blue deflector i-Wobs are installed on flexible hose drops over the holding pen. They are set to cycle on and off to apply the water intermittently allowing for evaporative cooling. Natural air movement or the use of fans increases the evaporation rate.
Implications
Due to the unique off-center rotary design, the i-Wobs deliver water in a gentle rain-like manner uniformly over the entire herd. They are designed for low pressure operation which saves energy. The i-Wob has three deflector geometries based on the desired droplet size and trajectory. The unique design of the i-Wob provides relatively uniform-sized droplets that are adequate in size to resist wind distortion from the cooling fans. The i-Wob is designed for flexible drop installations. (Some installations have also had success with the Senninger Xi-Wobs on rigid drops.)
i-Wob Features
Models:
- LA6 – low-angle 6-groove (white deflector); largest droplets;
- SA9 – standard-angle 9-groove (black deflector); medium droplets;
- LA9 – low-angle 9-groove (blue deflector); medium droplets
• Unique off-center rotary action for extremely uniform coverage
• Only one moving part for longer life
• Built for strength and durability using high-impact engineering grade thermoplastics, no metal parts
• Flows: 0.78 - 7.64 gpm (177 - 1735 L/hr)
• Low pressure operation saves money and energy: 10 - 20 psi (0.69 - 1.38 bar)
More info: Wobblers Used for Udder Washing
Download our Cattle Cooling Case Study
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