Methodology of Determining the Intensity of Heat Exchange in a Polytunnel: A Case Study of Synergy Between the Polytunnel and a Stone Heat Accumulator

Sławomir Kurpaska, Paweł Kiełbasa, Jarosław Knaga, Stanisław Lis and Maciej Gliniak ()
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Sławomir Kurpaska: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Energy and Automation, Faculty of Production Engineering and Power Technologies, University of Agriculture in Krakow, ul. Balicka 116, 30-149 Krakow, Poland
Paweł Kiełbasa: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Energy and Automation, Faculty of Production Engineering and Power Technologies, University of Agriculture in Krakow, ul. Balicka 116, 30-149 Krakow, Poland
Jarosław Knaga: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Energy and Automation, Faculty of Production Engineering and Power Technologies, University of Agriculture in Krakow, ul. Balicka 116, 30-149 Krakow, Poland
Stanisław Lis: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Energy and Automation, Faculty of Production Engineering and Power Technologies, University of Agriculture in Krakow, ul. Balicka 116, 30-149 Krakow, Poland
Maciej Gliniak: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Energy and Automation, Faculty of Production Engineering and Power Technologies, University of Agriculture in Krakow, ul. Balicka 116, 30-149 Krakow, Poland

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-20

Abstract: This paper presents the results of laboratory tests on the intensity of mass and heat exchange in a polytunnel, with a focus on the synergy between the polytunnel and a stone accumulator. The subject of study was a standard polytunnel made of double polythene sheathing. In the process of selecting the appropriate working conditions for such a polytunnel, the characteristic operating parameters were modeled and verified. They were related to the process of mass and energy exchange, which takes place in regular controlled-environment agriculture (CEA). Then, experimental tests of a heat accumulator on a fixed stone bed were carried out. The experiments were carried out for various accumulator surfaces ranging from 18.7 m 2 to 74.8 m 2 , which was measured perpendicularly to the heat medium. To standardize the results obtained, the analysis included the unit area of the accumulator and the unit time of the experiment. In this way, 835 heat and mass exchange events were analyzed, including 437 accumulator charging processes and 398 discharging processes from April to October, which is a standard period of polytunnel use in the Polish climate. During the tests, internal and external parameters of the process were recorded, such as temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind speed and air flow speed in the accumulator system. Based on the parameters, a set of empirical relationships was developed using mathematical modeling. This provided the foundation for calculating heat gains as a result of its storage in a stone accumulator and its discharging process. The research results, including the developed dependencies, not only fill the scientific gap in the field of heat storage, but can also be used in engineering design of polytunnels supported by a heat storage system on a stone bed. In addition, the proposed methodology can be used in the study of other heat accumulators, not only in plant production facilities.

Keywords: polytunnel; heat and mass exchange; solar radiation; rock-bed accumulator (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: 2025
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