A quasi-steady state model for predicting the heating requirements of conventional greenhouses in cold regions

Abstract

A time-dependent, quasi-steady state thermal model (GREENHEAT) based on the lumped estimation of heat transfer parameters of greenhouses has been developed to predict the hourly heating requirements of conventional greenhouses. The model was designed to predict the hourly heating requirements based on the input of greenhouse indoor environmental control parameters, physical and thermal properties of crops and construction materials, and hourly weather data including temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and cloud cover. The model includes all of the heat transfer parameters in greenhouses including the heat loss for plant evapotranspiration, and the heat gain from environmental control systems. Results show that the predicted solar radiation data from the solar radiation sub-model are a reasonable fit with the data from the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB). Thermal analysis indicates environmental control systems could reduce 13–56% of the total heating requirements over the course of a year in the study greenhouse. During the winter season, the highest amount of greenhouse heat is lost due to conduction and convection, and the heat used for evapotranspiration is dominant in the summer. Finally, the model was validated with actual heating data collected from a commercial greenhouse located in Saskatoon, and the results show that the model satisfactorily predicts the greenhouse heating requirements.