Improve biosecurity with air filtration
Case from China

Air as a disease carrier

There are several potential sources for spreading viruses in pig production – ventilation air is one of them. Viruses in ventilation air are primarily spread via insects or dust particles. Fly screens on the air intakes have shown effective in keeping insects out of the pig house. Dust particles, on the other hand, are more comprehensive to keep out.
Diseases such as PRRS are known for spreading over long distances via particles in the air. Research from The University of Minnesota has shown that the virus can spread up to 9.2 km through the air.
Air filtration has proven to be very effective in preventing infection. Studies show that herds without filter systems are over five times more likely to be infected with PRRS than herds where the air intake is protected by quality filters (MERV 15 and 16 rating).

Air filtration at CHWIN Farm in China

In the summer of 2021, CHWIN Farm in Huai'an in the Jiangsu Province in China installed a positive pressure air filtration system from SKOV. CHWIN Farm Division has 20,100 sows and a total of 44 houses.

At the CHWIN Farm Division, they take biosecurity very seriously, here explained by Pony Chen, General Manager of CHWIN Farm Division: "Biosecurity management is the key point of disease prevention and control in every pig farm – but also difficult and complex – many details need attention, any negligence of details, can bring catastrophic disease damage to pig farms, resulting in huge economic losses."

With the farm's high biosecurity standards, they felt that an air filtration solution was the best way to minimize the risk of diseases. "The health level of the boar station is essential for the smooth operation of the whole farm. The air filtration system prevents the transmission of airborne diseases like PRRS, PED, swine fever, PR, and other diseases. It helps us maintain the boars and semen negative and improve the production performance of the sow herd – we feel that it is well worth investing in the air filtration system," says Mr. Chen.

Mr. Chen explains that the investment in an air filtration system has been carefully considered: "We have previously found that SKOV has mature products and rich experience in climate control systems for pig farms. After careful comparison, we found SKOV is a trustworthy supplier and chose to cooperate with SKOV."

How an air filtration system works

Fans on the outside blow air through filters to clean it before entering the attic space of the house. The air is distributed from the attic space into the livestock house via ceiling inlets to create optimal and uniform airflow. The air is let out through the exhaust units or wall fans, without blades and motors, as the positive pressure pushes the air out. The positive pressure in the house ensures that there is no false air intake in terms of unfiltered air slipping through leaks in the house structure.

The solution can be used with chimneys or wall fans as exhaust units and can typically be used in the same areas where we offer our LPV and LPV+ system solutions.

Read more about air filtration or download our brochure.

Chimneys for exhaust air

The air is forced into the livestock house and passes through cooling pads and air filters. The air is distributed in the livestock house via ceiling inlets. The positive pressure in the livestock house ensures that the air is led out via exhaust chimneys.

Wall fans for exhaust air

The air is forced into the livestock house and passes through cooling pads and air filters. The air is distributed in the livestock house via ceiling inlets. The positive pressure in the livestock house ensures that the air is led out via wall fans (without motors and fan blades). The air outlet is protected against external wind action.

SKOV air filtration provides you with the following:

Minimized risk of all types of airborne viruses
A positive pressure system that prevents unfiltered ventilated air from entering the livestock house
Optimal distribution of air in the house section via ceiling inlets - the same good growth conditions for all animals
Possibility to divide the livestock house into sections in the traditional manner
An overall system solution from one supplier - dimensioning, installation, and operation

Improve biosecurity with air filtration Case from China