LAPSE:2023.23551
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.23551
Design of a Passive Downdraught Evaporative Cooling Windcatcher (PDEC-WC) System for Greenhouses in Hot Climates
March 27, 2023
A windcatcher is a wind-driven natural ventilation system that catches the prevailing wind to bring fresh airflow into the building and remove existing stale air. This technology recently regained attention and is increasingly being employed in buildings for passive ventilation and cooling. The combination of windcatchers and evaporative cooling has the potential to reduce the amount of energy required to ventilate and cool a greenhouse in warm and hot climates. This study examined a greenhouse incorporated with a passive downdraught evaporative cooling windcatcher (PDEC-WC) system using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), validated with experimental data. Different hot ambient conditions of temperature (30−45 °C) and relative humidity (15−45%) were considered. The study explored the influence of different spray heights, layouts, cone angles and mass flow rates on indoor temperature and humidity. The average error between measurements and simulated results was 5.4% for the greenhouse model and 4.6% for the evaporative spray model. Based on the results and set conditions, the system was able to reduce the air temperature by up to 13.3 °C and to increase relative humidity by 54%. The study also assessed the influence of neighbouring structures or other greenhouses that influence the flow distribution at the ventilation openings. The study showed that the windcatcher ventilation system provided higher airflow rates as compared to cross-flow ventilation when other structures surrounded the greenhouse.
Keywords
Computational Fluid Dynamics, evaporative cooling, natural ventilation, water spray
Suggested Citation
Ghoulem M, El Moueddeb K, Nehdi E, Zhong F, Calautit J. Design of a Passive Downdraught Evaporative Cooling Windcatcher (PDEC-WC) System for Greenhouses in Hot Climates. (2023). LAPSE:2023.23551
Author Affiliations
Ghoulem M: Unité de Recherche Energétique et Environnement, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, 1002 Tunis, Tunisia [ORCID]
El Moueddeb K: Unité de Recherche Energétique et Environnement, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, 1002 Tunis, Tunisia [ORCID]
Nehdi E: Unité de Recherche Energétique et Environnement, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, 1002 Tunis, Tunisia
Zhong F: Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK [ORCID]
Calautit J: Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK [ORCID]
Journal Name
Energies
Volume
13
Issue
11
Article Number
E2934
Year
2020
Publication Date
2020-06-08
Published Version
ISSN
1996-1073
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Original Submission
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PII: en13112934, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2023.23551
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doi:10.3390/en13112934
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Mar 27, 2023
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