An open circuit respiration unit for calorimetric studies with small animals

Two open-circuit respiration chambers for small animals (rats, poultry and rabbits) have been built at the Estación Experimental del Zaidín. The respiration facility is air-conditioned, the temperature and the relative humidity in the chambers can be regulated from about +15 to +30 degrees C and from 60 to 90%, respectively. The air flow is determined by the differential pressure principle, CO2 measurement is by the infra-red technique and O2 analyser is of the paramagnetic type. The present work describes the technical details of the respiration plant and the calibration procedures of the whole system.