Articles
Comprehensive CFD analysis in the main Mexican horticulture producing states
Article number
1426_57
Pages
411 – 418
Language
English
Abstract
Mexico has significantly increased crop production using protected cultivation systems because of strategic governmental policies to augment high quality of the produce as well as to maintain throughout the year such produce in the market.
Crop production in greenhouses requires knowledge about management of both the crop and its environment.
In this sense, it is essential to know availability of the local natural resources to make the greenhouse an advantageous agricultural production system.
For several regions of Mexico favorable weather for horticultural production have been identified, such as, mild weather either on winter or summer with thermal jumps lower than 10 degrees and high radiation.
Notwithstanding these advantages, it is still necessary to rely on low-tech greenhouses capable to handle the great variability of weather conditions as result of the national geography.
Then, the cost of production can vary considerably since some regions demand heating and/or cooling to cover environment requirements.
To have an insight about this issue, the objective of this work was to perform a benchmarking of a typical greenhouse using numerical results derived from computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This investigation is focused in a greenhouse with a chapel cross-view shape.
Then, the internal environment of a greenhouse is analyzed by considering temperature.
Given that this type of greenhouse is often found in different regions of Mexico, this research evaluates the influence of weather conditions and find out impact of them by means of energy efficiency assessment.
Also, this study looks for analysis of thermal gradients that could be observed.
Processing all these outcomes derived from a series of simulations, useful information can be proposed on the planning and management of the crop cycle, considering local climatic factors to predict better planting dates, mechanical conditioning and ancillary systems for the greenhouse.
Crop production in greenhouses requires knowledge about management of both the crop and its environment.
In this sense, it is essential to know availability of the local natural resources to make the greenhouse an advantageous agricultural production system.
For several regions of Mexico favorable weather for horticultural production have been identified, such as, mild weather either on winter or summer with thermal jumps lower than 10 degrees and high radiation.
Notwithstanding these advantages, it is still necessary to rely on low-tech greenhouses capable to handle the great variability of weather conditions as result of the national geography.
Then, the cost of production can vary considerably since some regions demand heating and/or cooling to cover environment requirements.
To have an insight about this issue, the objective of this work was to perform a benchmarking of a typical greenhouse using numerical results derived from computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This investigation is focused in a greenhouse with a chapel cross-view shape.
Then, the internal environment of a greenhouse is analyzed by considering temperature.
Given that this type of greenhouse is often found in different regions of Mexico, this research evaluates the influence of weather conditions and find out impact of them by means of energy efficiency assessment.
Also, this study looks for analysis of thermal gradients that could be observed.
Processing all these outcomes derived from a series of simulations, useful information can be proposed on the planning and management of the crop cycle, considering local climatic factors to predict better planting dates, mechanical conditioning and ancillary systems for the greenhouse.
Publication
Authors
J. Flores-Velazquez, C.E. Aguilar-Rodríguez, E. Villagran, A. Rojano
Keywords
CFD, simulation, weather, warm period, cold period
Groups involved
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Greenhouse and Indoor Production Horticulture
- Working Group Nettings in Horticulture (subgroup of Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climates)
- Working Group Light in Horticulture
- Working Group Organic Greenhouse Horticulture
- Working Group Vegetable Grafting
- Working Group Modelling Plant Growth, Environmental Control, Greenhouse Environment
- Working Group Protected Cultivation, Nettings and Screens for Mild Climates
- Working Group Computational Fluid Dynamics in Agriculture
- Working Group Design and Automation in Integrated Indoor Production Systems
- Working Group Mechanization, Digitization, Sensing and Robotics
- Working Group Greenhouse Environment and Climate Control
- Division Landscape and Urban Horticulture
- Commission Agroecology and Organic Farming Systems
- Division Vegetables, Roots and Tubers
- Working Group Vertical Farming
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