To get the same amount of energy from this battery heater as from a 230V AC heater, current flowing through the battery heater is scaled up to 19 times.
Mechanical system. Tray tilting is achieved using a linear actuator. The tilting system avoids vibrations and uses less power (20W). The tray tilting setup is made with wheels. Connections for power and feedback are provided through a single connector. The linear actuator is also mounted on the setup. Incubator walls are insulated using proper material to avoid any thermal leakage.
Prototype
The prototype was tested with around 5000 eggs. Though it cannot be looked upon as a permanent alternative to the diesel generator, it is definitely a much more economical solution for scheduled power cuts of around eight hours (10-12 hours with a 200Ah battery). During a scheduled power cut of two hours in morning, two hours in the afternoon and two hours in evening, it is, without doubt, a very apt solution as the battery also gets ample time to recharge itself.
“During our prototype test, we achieved almost 90 per cent hatch rate. We were also successful in lowering the electricity bill down by 50 per cent,” said Sakthi.
Future additions
Right now, Karthik and Sakthi are working on getting this system patented. Talking about their future plans, they reveal, “We have got some excellent feedback. For the future, we have the idea of using all the data collected to get an insight into the hatching process. Maybe that’s something we would like to do much later.”
