The effect of side ventilator positions on a single span, naturally ventilated greenhouse – A CFD Study

Many practical applications encountered in engineering involve natural air ventilation. A typical example is heating/cooling of indoor environments such as greenhouses. Naturally ventilated greenhouses can be utilized to control the indoor microclimate in areas where the ambient conditions are not too extreme. The indoor environment of greenhouses is of vital importance, as the quality and quantity of the crop production are directly affected. In this study, natural ventilation in a two-dimensional single-span greenhouse containing both a roof and side ventilator is numerically investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The floor and roof are kept at different constant temperatures, promoting buoyancy driven flow within the cavity. The side walls are kept adiabatic. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of side wall ventilators on the natural convection inside the greenhouse. Results are compared for a cavity containing various sizes roof ventilators. Results of the study reveal that the performance of a single-span naturally ventilated greenhouse is considerably influenced by the addition of a side ventilator. The importance of using CFD as a tool in the design phase to investigate the influence of side ventilators on the indoor climate in greenhouses is also illustrated.