Greenhouse Ventilation and Cooling

J. Raymond Kessler, Jr.

Fan and pad cooling systems must be properly designed to obtain maximum
evaporative efficiency during periods of intense hot weather. This requires a non-
turbulent potential flow through the greenhouse to avoid mixing the cooled air at
plant level with warmer air in the top of the greenhouse.
Exhaust Fans
The fan and pad cooling system consists of large volume exhaust fans and a
correctly sized continuous wet pad system, both properly located with respect to
the greenhouse layout. The fans exhaust the air and develop a slight vacuum or
negative pressure throughout the entire house because it is substantially air tight.
This slight vacuum draws air in through the cooling pad system and causes
cooled air to move smoothly through the growing region of the crops absorbing
heat. The warmed air is then expelled by the exhaust fans in the opposite wall. This
system produces a potential type airflow that moves a cool layer of non-turbulent
air through the plants for best cooling efficiency.
Pad System
The pad system requires a sufficient flow area to accommodate the large air
volume needed to remove the intense solar heat. It is composed of wettable, fibrous
material, in the form of self-supporting special fluted cellulose cooling cells. It is
kept wet by water recirculating through it. The pad system also distributes the air
uniformly and by virtue of its resistance, restricts the turbulence from the outdoor
air, delivering a smooth, laminar flow of cool air into the house.
Rate of Air Exchange
Because the solar heat comes into a greenhouse on a ground surface area
basis, the air flow rates for ventilation are always determined on a cubic feet per
minute (cfm) for each square foot of floor area. The basic air flow rate of 8 cfm per
square foot has been determined to be sufficient for moderately shaded
greenhouses having a maximum interior light intensity of about 5000 foot candles.
However, in warm climates and houses with tall gutters (>12 feet), 11-14 cfm per
square foot is advisable. This basic airflow rate is then adjusted for elevations over
1,000 feet above sea level, the expected interior light intensity, the allowable
greenhouse temperature increase, and the distance from the pad to the fan.
Exchange Rate Adjustments
Elevation: The heat removal capacity of air depends on its weight and not on its
volume. Because air is less dense at higher altitudes, the elevation of the
greenhouse must be considered in design calculations. At higher elevations, a
greater volume of air is needed to provide the equivalent weight of air required at
normal elevations. Corrections for elevations (FElev) greater than 1000 feet are in
table 1.
Light Intensity: The interior light intensity, which depends on the location of the
greenhouse and the amount of shading, determines the amount of heat input into
the greenhouse. The interior light intensity, measured in foot candles (FC),
corrections (FLight) are in table 2.
Temperature Increase: The greenhouse temperature increase from pad to fan is a
design factor. It is inversely proportional to the air flow rate and can be adjusted to
any value desired. Usually a 7F rise in temperature is tolerated. If it is important
to hold a more constant temperature across the greenhouse, it will be necessary to
raise the velocity of air movement through the greenhouse. Corrections for pad-to-
fan temperature increase (FTemp) are in table 3.
This completes the adjustment and design factors necessary for a heat balance.
Combining all these factors determines the house adjustment factor (FHouse) as
follows:
Pad-to-fan Distance: The pad and fans should be located on opposite walls. The
preferred pad-to-fan distance ranges from 100 to 200 feet. This distance is an
important design consideration. Distances greater than 200 feet can result in
unacceptable temperature increases across the house. For very long houses (>200
feet), consider installing pads in each end and roof-mounted fans at the midpoint.
For short pad-to-fan distances (<100 feet) the cross sectional air flow velocity
within the house becomes too low and the house feels clammy or stuffy even
though the air flow rate is technically correct. This can be compensated for by
increasing the size of the fans which increases the cost of the system. The
correction for several distances less than 100 feet (FVel) is in table 4.
Total Air Flow Required
The correct factor FVel is ignored for pad-to-fan distances of 100 feet or
greater. For pad-to-fan distances less than 100 feet, calculate BOTH FHouse and
FVel and use the LARGER of the two to complete the total air flow requirement
where,
TOTAL CFM = L W 8 cfm/ft2 FHouse (unless FVel is > FHouse)
Next select the size and number of fans that collectively equal or exceed the rate of
air movement required and should be rate to do so at a static water pressure of 0.1
inches. If slant-wall fans are used, the fans should be rate to do so at a static water
pressure of 0.5 inches. The static pressure rating takes into account the resistance
encountered by drawing air through the pad and the fan itself. Fans should not be
spaced more than 25 feet apart and should be evenly spaced.
Pad Design
The size of the pad system is determined by adding the total cfm for each
exhaust fan selected and dividing the cfm that can be moved through one square
foot of pad per minute. Cross-fluted cellulose pads, 4 inches thick can move 250
cfm/ft2 and cross-fluted cellulose pads, 6 inches thick can move 400 cfm/ft2 (6-inch
pad flutes are designed differently than 4-inch pads). This area is then divided by
the length of the wall on which the pads will be mounted to determine the actual
pad height (not including hardware).
Pump Capacity
Water must be delivered to the top of a 4-inch thick pad at the rate of 0.5 gpm
per linear foot of pad. For pad lengths of 30 to 50 feet, a 1-inch water-distribution
pipe is required, while for lengths of 50 to 60 feet, a 1-inch pipe is needed. Sixty
feet is the longest recommended pipe length. A 120-foot pad length could be
serviced from a water supply at the midpoint supplying two 60-foot distribution
pipes. At every 3 inches, 1/8-inch holes should be made in the pipe.
The flow rate for a 6-inch thick pad is 0. 75 gpm per linear foot of pad. A 1-
inch distribution pipe is used for pads 30 feet and shorter, while a 1-inch pipe is
used for 30- to 50-foot pad lengths. The longest pipe length recommended is 50 ft.
Again, 1/8-inch holes are spaced 3 inches apart in these distribution pipes.
Sump Tank Volume
The sump tank volume should be at least 0.75 gal/ft2 of 4-inch thick pad and
1.0 gal/ft2 of 6-inch thick pad. These sump volumes are designed to operate at half
the depth of the tank and will provide room to accommodate water returning from
the pad when the system is turned off.
Example: Design a pad-and-fan system for a detached, glass-covered greenhouse
that is 100 feet long and 50 feet wide at an elevation of 3000 feet above sea level.
The pads and fans will be mounted on opposite walls over the 100 foot distance
(50 foot width). The greenhouse has a moderate covering of shade cloth with a
maximum interior light intensity of 5,000 FC. A 7F rise in temperature can be
tolerated. Assume a design air flow rate of 8 cfm/ft2 and 4-inch cross-fluted
cellulose pads.

1. Determine FElev, FLight, and FTemp from tables 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

Calculate FHouse.
2. Look up the FVel for a pad-to-fan distance of 100 feet in table 4. Because the
pad-to-fan distance is 100 feet or greater, FVel = 1.0, this factor can be ignored.

3. Calculate the TOTAL CFM required for the greenhouse.

TOTAL CFM = 100 50 8 cfm/ft2 1.12 = 44,800 cfm

4. Determine the number of fans required. Because fans should not be over 25
feet apart and will be mounted on a 50 foot wall: 50 feet / 25 feet = 2 fans.

5. Determine the minimum size for each fan by dividing the TOTAL CFM by
the number of fans found in step 4: 44,800 cfm / 2 fans = 22,400 cfm per fan.

6. Next determine the pad area. Divide the capacity of all fans by the capacity
of the 4-inch pads per square foot: (22,400 cfm 2 fans) / 250 cfm = 179.2
square feet.

7. Divide this value by the length of the wall to get the required pad height:
179.2 / 50 = 3.6 feet

8. The pump capacity for a 4-inch thick pad is 0.5 gpm per linear foot of pad
and 1-inch water-distribution pipe. The pad length is 50 feet: pump capacity
= 0.5 gpm 50 ft = 25 gpm
9. The sump tank is 0.75 gal/ft2 of 4-inch thick pad. Multiply this value time the
total square feet of pad area found in #6: 0.75 gal/ft2 179.9 ft2 = 134.4
gallons

Table 1. Factor used to correct rate of air removal for elevation above sea level.
feet < 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
1000
FElev 1.00 1.04 1.08 1.12 1.16 1.20 1.25 1.30 1.36

Table 2. Factor used to correct rate of air removal for interior light level.
FC 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000 6500 7000 7500 8000
FLight 0.80 0.90 1.00 1.10 1.20 1.30 1.40 1.50 1.60

Table 3. Factor used to correct rate of air removal for pad-to-fan temperature rise.
F 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
FTemp 1.75 1.40 1.17 1.00 0.88 0.78 0.70

Table 4. Factor used to correct rate of air removal for pad-to-fan distance.
Feet 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Fvel 2.24 2.00 1.83 1.69 1.58 1.48 1.41 1.35 1.29

Feet 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Fvel 1.24 1.20 1.16 1.12 1.08 1.05 1.02 1.00
Two-Stage Evaporative Cooling
Water that leaves a direct evaporative cooler at the bottom of the unit has a
temperature close to that of the wet bulb temperature of the outgoing airstream.
In the two-stage evaporative cooling setup, that chilled water is then led
through an air-to-water heat exchanger to pre-cool the hot air before it is
cooled down further by the direct
evaporative cooler.
In terms of energy balance, nothing has changed compared to the standard
direct evaporative cooling principle; overall, it is still an adiabatic cooling
process. However, whereas the direct evaporative cooler has a uniformly distributed
temperature profile at the side of the outlet air, the two-stage evaporative cooler shows
a vertical temperature gradient: further down the air temperature gradually decreases.
Typically, the lower 60% of the outgoing air has a specific enthalpy lower than that of
the inlet air. Whereas the temperature of the outlet air from a direct
evaporative cooler is restricted to the wet bulb temperature, in this case, when taking
only the lower 50% of the outlet air from the two-stage evaporative cooler the
temperature can even be lower than the initial wet bulb temperature. The
corresponding wet bulb efficiency will then be higher than 100%.

Comparative calculations supply temperature

The figure below shows the cooling process of a standard direct evaporative cooler.

Figure 1 Cooling process of a standard direct evaporative cooler

As described above, there is a uniform vertical temperature profile. Air is cooled

adiabatically to 1.7 K above the initial wet bulb temperature, corresponding to a wet
bulb efficiency of 90%, close to the physical limit of 100%.

The figure below shows the cooling process of the two-stage evaporative cooler in which
the exact same amount of air is flowing through the system as in the
configuration above.

Figure 2 Cooling process of the two-stage evaporative cooler

The first stage (the air-to-water heat exchanger) pre-cools the hot outdoor air
to a uniform temperature of 23.8 C, without changing its moisture content. Due to
the fact that there is a large temperature difference between water supplied to
and extracted from the direct evaporative cooler, contrary to the previous
configuration, air leaving the second stage (the direct evaporative cooler) now does
show a vertical temperature gradient, as described above.
The lower 50% of the supply air has an average temperature of 18.3 C, 2.7 K below
the initial wet bulb temperature, corresponding to a wet bulb efficiency of
116%.
Furthermore, although achieving a lower temperature compared to the previous
configuration, less moisture has been added; the resulting absolute humidity is 11.4
g/kg instead of 15.0 g/kg.
The upper 50% of the supply air has an average temperature of 25.4 C, which is
higher than that of the supply air in the previous configuration, but may still be low
enough to serve other purposes.