Good air distribution is needed in livestock buildings to remove moisture and pollutants without chilling animals during cold weather and to assist in evaporative and convective cooling during warm weather. Passively automatic inlets are intended to provide nearly constant air velocity into buildings as ventilation air flow rates are automatically adjusted. the air flow rate, average exit air velocity, and velocity profile of eight commercially available ceiling and wall ventilation inlets were tested under various configurations and static pressures. Only one inlet supplied the air flow rate claimed by the manufacturer, and only one wall inlet developed a nearly constant exit air velocity.

KEYWORDS: year 1995, testing, performance, passive, automatic, air inlets, farm animal housing, air flow rate, air, speed, ceilings, walls, constant, ventilation