Analysis of Inlet Configurations on the Microclimate Conditions of a Novel Standalone Agricultural Greenhouse for Egypt Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Mohammad Akrami, Can Dogan Mutlum, Akbar A. Javadi, Alaa H. Salah, Hassan E. S. Fath, Mahdieh Dibaj, Raziyeh Farmani, Ramy H. Mohammed and Abdelazim Negm
Additional contact information
Mohammad Akrami: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Can Dogan Mutlum: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Akbar A. Javadi: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Alaa H. Salah: City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
Hassan E. S. Fath: Ex-Environmental Engineering Department, School of Energy Resources, Environment, Chemical and Petrochemical Engineering, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, Alexandria 21934, Egypt
Mahdieh Dibaj: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Raziyeh Farmani: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Ramy H. Mohammed: Department of Mechanical Power Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
Abdelazim Negm: Water and Water structures Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-23

Abstract: Water shortage, human population increase, and lack of food resources have directed societies towards sustainable energy and water resources, especially for agriculture. While open agriculture requires a massive amount of water and energy, the requirements of horticultural systems can be controlled to provide standard conditions for the plants to grow, with significant decrease in water consumption. A greenhouse is a transparent indoor environment used for horticulture, as it allows for reasonable control of the microclimate conditions (e.g., temperature, air velocity, rate of ventilation, and humidity). While such systems create a controlled environment for the plants, the greenhouses need ventilation to provide fresh air. In order to have a sustainable venting mechanism, a novel solution has been proposed in this study providing a naturally ventilating system required for the plants, while at the same time reducing the energy requirements for cooling or other forced ventilation techniques. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to analyse the ventilation requirements for different vent opening scenarios, showing the importance of inlet locations for the proposed sustainable greenhouse system.

Keywords: greenhouse; computational fluid dynamics; airflow; temperature; humidity; sustainable agriculture; horticulture; Zagazig; Egypt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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