Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Convective Heat Transfer in a Tunnel Greenhouse

Abstract

Numerically and experimentally results concerning internal convective flows generated in a closed greenhouse by thermal buoyancy forces were presented, analyzed and discussed. Experiments were performed in an experimental arc type tunnel greenhouse with a tomato crop, which was heated by a network of heating pipes or by an air heater or by its combination according to the outside climate conditions. A three dimensional (3D) sonic anemometer and fast response sensors for air temperature and humidity were used in order to map climate variables in different locations inside the greenhouse. For the numerical part of the study a commercially available computational fluid dynamics code was used after its customisation. A 3D model was built and average values form experimental data was used in order for boundary conditions. The crop was modelled by means of the concept of porous medium approach. In general a good quantitative and qualitative agreement was found between experimental and numerical obtained results. Afterwards the numerical code was used in order to study the influence of the heating pipes location on greenhouse microclimate.
Copyright © 2016 Praise Worthy Prize - All rights reserved.