Method and facility for oxygen-doping of waters for animal watering and in particular poultry watering

Abstract

An installation for rearing animals includes an injector; a water inlet line and a gas inlet line arriving in the injector; a source of oxygen or a gas mixture including oxygen, capable of delivering oxygen into the gas line; and a water recirculation loop including: a water tank, at atmospheric pressure, to supply the injector with fresh water; a coil capable of receiving water charged with dissolved oxygen from the injector through a pump, wherein the coil creates a water/oxygen contact time; and an overflow valve, to have the water resulting from the coil passed in order to be able to direct the water entirely to the animals' watering or partially to the animals' watering and partially back to the water tank. A method for rearing animals includes boosting water with dissolved oxygen up to saturation for animals' watering.

Claims

1. An installation for rearing animals having a water conveying system to provide water to said animals, in particular for rearing poultry and pigs, the installation comprising: an injector, configured and adapted to inject a gas into water; a water inlet line and a gas inlet line, both fluidically connected to the injector, respectively; a source of oxygen gas, or a source of a gas mixture comprising oxygen gas, fluidically connected to the gas line and capable of delivering the oxygen, or the gas mixture comprising oxygen, into the gas line; and a water recirculation loop including: a water tank, at atmospheric pressure, connected to the water inlet line, and configured and adapted to supply the injector with fresh water; a coil fluidically connected to a pump, the pump being fluidically connected to the injector, wherein the coil is capable of receiving water charged with oxygen gas from the injector through the pump, wherein the coil is configured and adapted to create a water/oxygen contact time; and an overflow valve, configured and adapted to direct a flow of an oxygenated water resulting from the coil to the animals for watering, or partially to the animals for watering and partially back to the water tank, and maintain the same pressure in the flow of the oxygenated water resulting from the coil to the animals for watering whatever the oxygenated water is consumed or not, wherein a pressure of the flow of the oxygenated water resulting from the coil to the animals for watering is lower than atmospheric pressure, wherein the oxygenated water is boosted with dissolved oxygen up to saturation.

2. The installation of claim 1, wherein no oxygen analyzer is installed.

3. A method for rearing animals through conveying an oxygenated water to animals for watering, in particular for rearing poultry or pigs, the method comprising the steps of injecting oxygen or oxygen-containing gas to water through an injector to charge the water with oxygen gas; pumping the water charged with the oxygen gas from the injector into and through a coil to create a water/oxygen contact time therein; and supplying the oxygenated water resulting from the coil to the animals, wherein the oxygenated water supplied to the animals is saturated with dissolved oxygen under ambient conditions, wherein a pressure of the oxygenated water is lower than atmospheric pressure and maintained the same whatever the oxygenated water is consumed or not.

4. The installation of claim 1, wherein the injector is a Venturi type injector.

5. The installation of claim 1, wherein the gas mixture comprise 70% oxygen and 30% CO.sub.2.

6. The installation of claim 1, wherein the water/oxygen contact time is greater than 10 seconds.

7. The installation of claim 1, wherein the water/oxygen contact time is between 10 and 30 seconds.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) For a further understanding of the nature and objects for the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are given the same or analogous reference number.

(2) The appended FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an installation suitable for the implementation of the invention, and the presence in this FIGURE of the following elements may be noted:

(3) an injector 1, for example of the Venturi type, making it possible to inject a gas into water; a water inlet line (“WATER”) and a gas inlet line (“GAZ”) arrive at this injector, which gas line is here connected in its upstream part to a store of oxygen (represented by a cylinder) or of a mixture of gases comprising oxygen, for example a mixture of 70% oxygen and 30% CO.sub.2; a pressure-reducing valve 2; a regulating valve 3 (gas-regulating valve which makes it possible, as a result of its calibration, to inject a chosen amount of gas into the injector); a coil 4; the length of the coil makes possible a chosen gas/water contact time, preferentially of greater than 10 seconds, and preferably located between 10 and 30 seconds; a water circulation pump 5; the water pump makes it possible to achieve high water in the coil; an overflow valve 6; a float valve 7; a tank of water at atmospheric pressure 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(4) This installation proposal is entirely advantageous for limiting capital costs, since it avoids the (expensive) use of an oxygen analyzer.

(5) The “WATER” line arriving from the right supplies the bath with “fresh” or new water, thus making it possible for the tank to be first filled with water before starting; the float valve 7 (for example of the WC water flush type) makes it possible to maintain a constant water level in the tank.

(6) In this instance, the use of a tank of water at atmospheric pressure makes it possible both to maintain a low pressure toward the watering network and to maintain a high pressure in the coil in order to dissolve the oxygen.

(7) An overflow valve always maintains the same pressure in the circuit whatever the water consumption.

(8) The oxygen injection system operates when the watering network is supplied with water; in the event of a shutdown, the system is shut off.

(9) A “suction water” line leaves from the reservoir, which line sends water from the reservoir to the injector; it is thus a mixture of recycled water and of fresh water. In other words, except when the animals are not consuming water, the injector receives 100% recycled water.

(10) (It should be remembered that the animals are always consuming water; in order to stop them, the light has to be switched off).

(11) The water can be directed, via the pump 5 and the dissolving coil 4, to the watering zone; it passes outside the tank 8, as will have been understood, passing through the overflow valve 6. The overflow valve is also located outside the bath but it may happen that, for issues of location/housability, the overflow valve can be positioned in the water of the tank.

(12) As seen in the FIGURE, the installation makes it possible, if necessary, to pour a part of the water originating from the coil into the tank and the other part to the watering.

(13) As will be clearly apparent to a person skilled in the art on reading the above, the installation provided here is noteworthy in that it gives: A residence time of the water/O.sub.2 mixture; A velocity of the water in the coil to guarantee a good dissolution of the water; A relatively high pressure in the coil; A relatively low pressure in the watering circuit.

(14) This is achieved by virtue of the system provided for recycling water comprising a pump, a coil, an overflow valve and an open tank which makes it possible to be at atmospheric pressure.

(15) Comparative tests were carried out under the following actual conditions: 2 strictly identical buildings; approximately 25,000 chickens per building; a 40-day rearing cycle; 3 series of tests.

(16) Initial content of the water: 5 to 8 mg of oxygen per liter of water (according to the temperature); Target targeted=30 to 40 mg of oxygen per liter of water.

(17) The average of the 3 repetitions shows an increase of 5% in ICE and an ADG of more than 2 g. ICE: Total amount of feed ingested divided by the number of kilos of poultry of economic value at the slaughterhouse; ADG: Average Daily Gain.

(18) A comparative autopsy carried out by a specialist body made it possible to demonstrate, with regard to the fowls examined, the presence of less abdominal fat (8%) on the animals which had consumed oxygen-enriched water. That is, an orientation of their metabolism in favor of the conversion into proteins rather than into fats:

(19) TABLE-US-00001 Without O.sub.2 With O.sub.2 Average weight 1.535 kg 1.735 kg Abdominal fat 25 g 23 g

(20) It will be understood that many additional changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangement of parts, which have been herein described in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments in the examples given above.