HVAC DESIGN FOR INDOOR GROWING ROOMS

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.9732122223092

• Palavras-chave: HVAC, Design, Temperature, Farm, Indoor

• Keywords: HVAC, Design, Temperature, Farm, Indoor

• Abstract:

  On vertical farms, food is grown in vertical layers in closed, fully controlled environments, where environmental conditions are artificially recreated to increase crop yields. In addition to lighting and irrigation, temperature, humidity and ventilation need to be adjusted according to the needs of each plant. Therefore, it is essential to understand these needs and the biological phenomena of plants to develop HVAC systems that can provide adequate control of temperature, humidity and ventilation. The calculation of the thermal load is the first step in the design phase and this article aims to develop a specific calculation methodology for this type of environment.Definition of temperature and humidity setpoints, generation of sensible and latent heat, influence of lighting and ventilation, strategies for controlling temperature and humidity are the topics covered. In addition, a case study is presented in which the total thermal load for the period with the lighting on was 109.48 kW with a sensible heat factor of 0.476, resulting in a density of 1.00 kW/m². For the period with the lighting off, the thermal load was -3.60 kW (heating) and 6.00 kW of latent heat (dehumidification), representing a sensible heat factor of -1.532. The most suitable system was the chilled water system with water condensation chillers to enable the use of part of the condensation water flow in the heating coils, improving the energy efficiency of the system.