PSYCHROMETRIC CHART - AN IDEAL TOOL FOR ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT IN SILKWORM REARING HOUSES

摘要

The mulberry silkworms are reared indoor as they need specific environmental conditions for good growth and production of uniform quality of silk. During initial stages, the silkworms must be provided with 27-28 degrees C temperature and 75-85% relative humidity whereas for,late stages, temperature around 25 degrees C and 75% relative humidity should be maintained. The silkworm rearers often find difficulty in creating and maintaining optimal environmental conditions in the rearing house as most of the time they are unable to determine exactly the air conditioning needs in a silkworm rearing house. In this article, application of a Psychrometric Chart, a simple design tool used generally by refrigeration and air conditioning engineers for design of an air conditioning system for a building, has been explained for creating and maintaining favourable environment for silkworms in a rearing house. A psychrometric chart illustrates air conditioning procedures such as heating, cooling, humidifcation and dehumidification in a very simple way. With help of simple measurement of dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperatures of air inside the rearing house, a silkworm rearer can easily decide what to do to achieve optimal environmental conditions for silkworms. Illustrations have been made for achieving optimal environment for silkworms under various atmospheric conditions. The calculations for determining the size of various air conditioning equipments viz, air conditioner, heater, humidifier, dehumidifier etc. for air conditioning in silkworm rea ring houses is also illustrated. Hence, the procurement of over and undersized equipment can be avoided leading to saving in cost and energy.