Numerical evaluation of the performance of two air distribution systems in a generic multi-layer vertical farm

Abstract

The uniformity of the environmental conditions in a vertical farm can be poor due to multi-layer cultivation shelves, crop resistance to airflow, and excessive heat generated by artificial lighting, decreasing overall crop yield and quality. This study evaluates the performance of two air distribution systems, i.e., long-side air supply and short-side air supply, in a generic multi-layer vertical farm using a validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling approach. The simulation results show that under identical airflow rates, the average air temperature in crop regions from short-side air supply is higher than the long-side case. In addition, stagnation regions exist in both scenarios, where the removal efficiency of water vapor and heat is low. Further study is required to improve the uniformity of air distribution in crop regions.