title: A correct enthalpy relationship as thermal comfort index for livestock.
abstract: Researchers working with thermal comfort have been using enthalpy to measure thermal energy inside rural facilities, establishing indicator values for many situations of thermal comfort and heat stress. This variable turned out to be helpful in analyzing thermal exchange in livestock systems. The animals are exposed to an environment which is decisive for the thermoregulatory process, and, consequently, the reactions reflect states of thermal comfort or heat stress, the last being responsable for problems of sanity, behavior and productivity. There are researchers using enthalpy as a qualitative indicator of thermal environment of livestock such as poultry, cattle and hogs in tropical regions. This preliminary work intends to check different enthalpy equations using information from classical thermodynamics, and proposes a direct equation as thermal comfort index for livestock systems.
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. vcrodrig@esalq.usp.br
authors.forename: Valéria Cristina
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Iran José Oliveira
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Frederico Márcio Corrêa
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Sheila Tavares
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Nascimento
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D002417:Cattle; D006358:Hot Temperature; D058751:Livestock / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D011200:Poultry; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013552:Swine; D013816:Thermodynamics; D013697:Thermosensing / Q000502:physiology*