Articles
Considering plant activities in greenhouse climate models using computational fluid dynamics: current achievements and future perspectives
Article number
1425_19
Pages
137 – 148
Language
English
Abstract
Since the 1990s, Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling has made significant advancements in studying greenhouse climates.
The precision and effectiveness of these models largely depend on their capability to accurately replicate the dynamic interactions between crops and airflow, particularly the exchange of heat and mass.
Integrating plant activities into CFD-based greenhouse climate models enhances precision in simulating conditions inside the greenhouse and within crops.
This multi-scale approach ranges from the entire greenhouse to individual plant leaves, achieving high precision down to a few cubic centimeters.
The model considers air-crop interactions using porous media to represent crop rows, facilitating the exchange of momentum, heat, and mass with the air.
Specific terms for momentum, heat fluxes, and mass exchanges are assigned to each cell of the porous medium, incorporated into a user defined function (UDF) that acts as a crop submodel linked to the main CFD solver.
By simultaneously solving the conservation equations, the radiative transfer equation, and the crop submodel equations, the CFD model can directly simulate the local distributions of air velocity, temperature, humidity, and radiation within the greenhouse and in the crop rows.
These climate distributions enable the indirect estimation of variables such as CO2 distribution within the crop rows together with plant activity parameters such as transpiration and photosynthesis.
Still, to further improve the accuracy and applicability of the CFD models in greenhouses, advancements are needed in plant representation, plant-environment interaction, and multiscale modeling.
A better understanding of radiation transfers within crop stands, the development of virtual plants under CFD models, and the integration of other biotic and non-biotic interactions will contribute to more effective greenhouse design and management.
The precision and effectiveness of these models largely depend on their capability to accurately replicate the dynamic interactions between crops and airflow, particularly the exchange of heat and mass.
Integrating plant activities into CFD-based greenhouse climate models enhances precision in simulating conditions inside the greenhouse and within crops.
This multi-scale approach ranges from the entire greenhouse to individual plant leaves, achieving high precision down to a few cubic centimeters.
The model considers air-crop interactions using porous media to represent crop rows, facilitating the exchange of momentum, heat, and mass with the air.
Specific terms for momentum, heat fluxes, and mass exchanges are assigned to each cell of the porous medium, incorporated into a user defined function (UDF) that acts as a crop submodel linked to the main CFD solver.
By simultaneously solving the conservation equations, the radiative transfer equation, and the crop submodel equations, the CFD model can directly simulate the local distributions of air velocity, temperature, humidity, and radiation within the greenhouse and in the crop rows.
These climate distributions enable the indirect estimation of variables such as CO2 distribution within the crop rows together with plant activity parameters such as transpiration and photosynthesis.
Still, to further improve the accuracy and applicability of the CFD models in greenhouses, advancements are needed in plant representation, plant-environment interaction, and multiscale modeling.
A better understanding of radiation transfers within crop stands, the development of virtual plants under CFD models, and the integration of other biotic and non-biotic interactions will contribute to more effective greenhouse design and management.
Authors
H. Fatnassi, P.E. Bournet, T. Boulard, J.C. Roy, F.D. Molina-Aiz, R. Zaaboul
Keywords
CFD modeling, crop model, transpiration, photosynthesis, climate control
Groups involved
- Division Plant-Environment Interactions in Field Systems
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Working Group Modelling in Fruit Research and Orchard Management
- Working Group Modelling Plant Growth, Environmental Control, Greenhouse Environment
- Division Greenhouse and Indoor Production Horticulture
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