Study of the Effects of Vent Configuration on Mono-Span Greenhouse Ventilation Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Abstract

The rise in the human population, its density and scarcity of resources require cost-effective solutions for sustainable energy and water resources. Smart and sustainable agriculture is one important factor for future green cities to tackle climate change as a cost-effective solution to save energy and water. However, greenhouses (GH) require consistent ventilation due to their internal temperatures, and this can be an energy-intensive operation. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse the potential factors involved. In this study, the effect of vent configuration of a mono-span greenhouse with roof and side vents at low wind speeds was investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The validated simulations were then performed on different models to analyse the effects of the vents’ locations on the ventilation requirements. The side vents were found to contribute most to the ventilation. The position of the side vent was found to affect the convection loop in the greenhouse and the air velocity at the plant level. The humidity was shown to be highest under the windward side vent. The roof vent was found to affect the temperature and air velocity in the roof of the greenhouse but had very little effect on the distributions at the plant level.

Towards a Sustainable Greenhouse: Review of Trends and Emerging Practices in Analysing Greenhouse Ventilation Requirements to Sustain Maximum Agricultural Yield

“…Therefore, the countries in this region have invested heavily in desalination technologies, which have the potential to be coupled with GHs and solar power to produce a free-standing solar-powered GH using water produced from desalination technologies, such as a zero-liquid discharge (ZLD), membrane distillation (MD) or solar still (SS) [12]. Previously, both experimental and computational studies have been performed to research the effects of ventilation, humidity, and solar intensity, on the indoor environment quality of different built environments [13], including GHs [14][15][16]. CFD (computational fluid dynamics) has been used to replicate GH conditions and study the effect of ventilation arrangements, air velocities, and other parameters on the conditions inside the GH [15].…”

“…Previously, both experimental and computational studies have been performed to research the effects of ventilation, humidity, and solar intensity, on the indoor environment quality of different built environments [13], including GHs [14][15][16]. CFD (computational fluid dynamics) has been used to replicate GH conditions and study the effect of ventilation arrangements, air velocities, and other parameters on the conditions inside the GH [15]. However, all these depend on the type, location and direction of greenhouse and also the technologies that allow automated monitoring of greenhouse crops [17].…”

Availability and Feasibility of Water Desalination as a Non-Conventional Resource for Agricultural Irrigation in the MENA Region: A Review

“…Recently, desalination technologies have been developed and utilised with improved technology and lower costs. Moreover, their application has been extended to the agriculture sector worldwide [36,37]. The determination of desalinated water costs must consider three factors: (i) energy requirements, (ii) feed water quality, and (iii) water quality of the product.…”

Evaluation of airflow pattern and thermal behavior of the arched greenhouses with designed roof ventilation scenarios using CFD simulation

“…To overcome the limitations of cost and labor consumption problems, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology has been used in the present study to provide detailed information about the distribution of microclimates. This simulation method has made it possible to accurately evaluate and interpret ventilated condition within a virtual environment [26][27][28][29][30]. Benni et al [11] conducted an optimization configuration for the roof and side vents of greenhouse natural ventilation.…”