Abstract
The conditioning system studied in this paper consists of underground pipes laid horizontally which act as “air-ground” heat exchangers. Ambient air inside the greenhouse is forced through the pipes and subsequently expelled once more into the former. The system exploits the thermal inertia of the soil whose temperature at a certain depth is virtually constant. Two models simulating respectively the greenhouse and the underground pipes were modified and integrated so as to simulate the operation of the system. The heat and mass balance equations that constitute the resulting model are given. With the aim of finding the optimal characteristics of the system from the technico-economic point of view, this model was used to compute the heating of a typical greenhouse in the region (Humid Pampa zone, Argentina). The results obtained for different temperature requirements are given, together with the temperature gradients of the air inside the greenhouse on a typical day in winter, both with and without the conditioning system. Finally a comparison was made between the cost of running the system and a conventional one.
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