Thermofluid Modelling of Large-Scale Orchards for Optimal Design and Control of Active Frost Prevention Systems

Ercan Atam, Se-Woon Hong and Alessia Arteconi
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Ercan Atam: Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
Se-Woon Hong: Department of Rural and Biosystems Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
Alessia Arteconi: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e Scienze Matematiche, Università Politecnica delle Marche, DIISM, via Brecce Bianche 1, 60131 Ancona, Italy

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Accurate modelling and simulation of temperature dynamics in large-scale orchards is important in many aspects, including: (i) for the calculation of minimum energy required to be used in optimal design of active frost prevention energy systems (fully renewable or partially renewable) to prevent freezing of fruit flowers, buds, or leaves; (ii) for testing frost prevention control systems before real-implementation which regulate active heating systems inside orchards targeted to prevent frost. To that end, in this study, first, a novel and sophisticated parametric computational thermofluid dynamics (CTFD) model for orchard air thermal dynamics for different orchard parameters (such as fruit type, climate, number of trees, their sizes, and distance between them) and boundary/initial conditions was developed and validated with field data from the literature. Next, the use of the developed parametric CTFD model was demonstrated through a case study to calculate the minimal thermal energy required to prevent frost under different frost levels in a test Prunus armeniaca orchard located in Malatya, Turkey, which is the world capital for dry apricot production.

Keywords: fruit orchards; frost prevention systems; air thermal dynamics modeling; optimal sizing; control system design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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