Greenhouse

Cooling
Concepts
Why Cool Greenhouses?
Most places have a summer climate
that requires greenhouse cooling
even Vermont
A greenhouse must be capable of
cooling in the winter and summer
With passive cooling greenhouses
can reach temperatures of 20F
greater (or more) than the air
temperature

Too HOT!!
Loss of stem strength
Reduction of flower size
Delay of flowering
Bud abortion
SUMMER COOLING
Active
Fan-and-pad
cooling
Fog
Passive
ventilators
HAF fans
Convection tube
cooling
WINTER COOLING
Passive Cooling
Percent of roof space ventilated has
increased over time with design
improvements
Success is very crop specific
Even fully retractable roof designs are
now available
Cheaper to operate than active cooling
systems, but construction costs arent less
expensive
Acta Hortic. 443: 31-38
http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~horteng/OPENROOF3.HTM
Effectiveness of Summer Cooling
Fan and pad cooling can lower to
80% of the difference between the
wet and dry bulb temperatures
Fog cooling can lower the
temperature by nearly all of the
difference
Both of these systems are most
effective at low humidity

Evaporative Cooling
Works well in most climates; where
might it not function effectively?
Based on heat absorption during the
evaporation of water
Relatively inexpensive compared to
other types of cooling

http://www.munters.com/home.nsf/FS1?ReadForm&content=/products.nsf/ByKey/OHAA-55GSWH
http://okfirst.ocs.ou.edu/train/meteorology/HeatTransfer.html
Pad and Fan Cooling
Available for almost 50 years
Most common system for summer
cooling
Originally the pad was composed of
wood shreds
Today it is composed of cellulose
Exhaust fans are placed on the opposite
wall
Active Summer Cooling System
Calculations (Basics)
Fan-and-Pad system
Rate at which warm air must be
removed from the greenhouse
Types of pads used
Fan placement
Path of the airstream

Pad Types and Specifications
Excelsior pads (wood fiber) had to be framed in
wire mesh for support; required annual
replacement
Cross-fluted cellulose is the most popular today,
can last up to 10 years
Should be kept from heavy rains
Only move if dry
Other types of pads include aluminum fiber, glass
fiber, and plastic fiber
Why are pads thick? and why do they have a
cross fluted design?

Cross-fluted cellulose pads
Come in height increments of ft
Available in 2, 4, 6, and 12 inches thick
A 4-inch-thick pad will handle an air
intake of 250 cfm/ft
2
; a six inch 350 cfm/ft
2
By way of comparison excelsior pads can
only support an airflow rate of 150 cfm/ft
2
You want vents over the exterior of the
pads to seal the external air source off
when active cooling isnt needed
More Details
Water must be delivered to a 4-inch pad at the
rate of 0.5 gpm per linear foot of pad
For a 6-inch thick cellulose pad a 0.75 gpm
per linear foot is required
Longest recommended delivery pipe is 60ft for
the 4 inch system and 50 ft for the 6 inch
system1/8 inch holes every three inches are
required for both systems
Holes point upward and release water into an
impingement cover water drips down onto a
distribution pad
Rate of Air Exchange
Measured in cfm (cubic feet per minute)
NGMA uses 8 cfm/ft2 of floor space as a
standard
In warmer climates 1 volume per minute
recommended roughly 11-17 cfm/ft2
As elevation increases so must the rate of
air removal. Why?

Other factors:
Light Intensity
Temperature rise across the
greenhouse
Pad-to-fan distance

Calculating Air Removal Rate
1. Calculate the standard cfm = Greenhouse
area X 8 cfm/ft
2. Correct for the standard rate of air removal
using the larger of F
house
or (F
vel
)
3. F
house
= F
elev
X F
light
X F
temp
4. Total cfm = standard cfm X (F
house
or F
vel
)
5. Select the fans to install

Exhaust Fan Placement Rules
Should not be more than 25 ft apart
If the end of the greenhouse is 60 ft wide you will
need at least 3 fans
Fans should be evenly spaced at plant height
Place fans on leeward side of the greenhouse
Rules change with multiple houses
Protect fans from weather and provide screening on
both sides to protect workers, visitors, and wildlife
Air movement can cause special problems in larger
houses

Fog Cooling
20-year-old technology
High pressure water
delivery system
generates a fog of very
fine water particles (<10
microns)
Drops evaporate in the
air
Even dispersal of the
particles means cooling
of throughout the
greenhouse

http://www.valproducts.com/Air/EvapFog.html
Fog Cooling
Initial cost usually close to that of fan and pad
cooling
systems (water quality determining factor)
Operating cost less than fan-and-pad cooling
Dispersion of water particles in the greenhouse air
where they extract heat from the air as they
evaporate.
Rate of cooling increases proportionately as water
droplet size decreases.
Systems allow near 100 percent cooling efficiency
and wet bulb temperatures can essentially be
obtained

Fog Cooling II
Exhaust fans still used
Fog nozzles installed just inside the inlet
ventilators
Roughly half the exhaust fan capacity of fan-
and-pad cooling systems is necessary
High water quality is critical
Can also be used with plant propagation systems

Disease occurrence much lest than with a mist
system. Why?

Fog Cooling Advantages
There is less electrical consumption
Heat rise across the greenhouse is
controlled
Cooler average temperatures can be
achieved across the greenhouse
System is good substitute for mist systems
on propagation benches.

Effectiveness of Winter Cooling
Ventilators used to be the only
way to winter cool problems
Convection-tube and HAF
eliminate horizontal temperature
gradient problems
Both modern systems circulate air
in the greenhouse

Active Winter Cooling
Convection tube cooling
Exhaust fan turned on
A louver opens in the gable
A pressurizing fan in the end of the
polyethylene tubes turns on
Cool air mixes with greenhouse warm air
and galls to the
floor cooling the plant growing area

Pressurizing fan must move as much
air as the exhaust
fan.
2 cfm required

HAF fans
Similar to convection-tube-system
Requires HAF fans in the place of
convection tubes
HAF fans can be used for air
circulation when neither heating nor
cooling is in operation

Integrating of Heating and
Cooling Systems
Remember: there are some spring and
fall days when you may have to use,
summer heating, winter cooling and
summer cooling systems all on the
same day

BRING
CALCULATORS
and
TEXTBOOK on
Thursday !!!!