Page 137 - Nutrient Management Planning Guide

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Chapter 4.1

Estimating Volume in Tapered Prism Storage Facilities

To calculate the volume of a tapered prism storage facility the following dimensions are needed:

Top length and width • Slope of storage facility walls • Length of sloped wall of the facility • Length of freeboard •

These measurements are used to estimate the dimensions required to calculate volume of manure in the facility (Figure 4.1.11).

Estimating height (depth) of manure in a storage •

facility Width and length of the facility base • Width and length of the manure surface in storage •

Figure 4.1.11 Estimating Volume in a Tapered Prism Storage Facility.

Top Length and Width »

Measure the length and width of the top of the storage facility by marking the corners with wooden stakes and using a tape measure.

Slope of Storage Facility Walls »

Slope on the wall of the storage facility (expressed in degrees) is used to estimate base length and width and height (depth) of manure in the facility. It is only necessary to determine the slope on one wall because all walls of professionally designed facilities should be the same. If this is not the case, measurements will need to be collected for each wall.

To calculate the slope, the following materials are needed:

minimum 2 m length of un-warped lumber •

(e.g., 2 × 4) carpenter’s level • pencil • protractor from a school geometry set •

tip

The ideal time to measure length is when a facility is empty; however, this is not always possible or practical. Verify measurements made when the facility was full once the facility has been emptied out.

tip

Before taking measurements, consult the producer, the contractor who built the facility, or any facility design documents to see if the storage facility dimensions are available. This can save considerable time and will eliminate the element of personal risk associated with these facilities.