Optimizing large-span arch greenhouse based on turbulent structure evolution

Large-span arch greenhouse has gained widespread application in fruit and vegetable production in recent years, due to the convenient facility operation, high land use efficiency, suitability for multiple coverings, and external heat preservation. However, internal turbulence can often occur in the expansion of the span and height of the large-span arch greenhouse. The resulting uniformity of the greenhouse environment can then affect the efficient production of greenhouse crops. In this study, a multi-field coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was constructed to integrate the facility structure and tomato plant aerodynamics, according to agricultural industry demand. The research object was selected as the 20 m span large-span arch greenhouse in Laiwu district, Jinan City, Shandong province (36.14° N, 117.28° E), China. A systematic investigation was carried out to explore the influence of the height of the arch greenhouse on the spatial and temporal distribution and evolution of the turbulent structure inside the large-span arch greenhouse. An analysis was also made to clarify the relationship between the wind and the temperature distribution, turbulence intensity, summer ventilation, and cooling efficiency, and the height of the arch greenhouse. Seven kinds of large-span arch greenhouse were established with 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0 and 7.5 m heights. The results show that there was turbulent behavior in the large-span arch greenhouses, indicating the mostly double vortex in the section. The air-flow entered the greenhouse via the bottom vent on the windward side, then ascended along the lower side of the greenhouse film, and finally descended towards the roof area. There was a tendency for the stabilization in the position of the inflection point, as the ridge height increased beyond 6.0 m. Therefore, the better uniformity of air flow and temperature distribution were, the higher the uniformity of the greenhouse was. The large-span arch greenhouse with a height of 6.0 m shared the highest average flow velocity at the crop canopy, which was in the appropriate range and relatively high. The average temperatures were also relatively low, which were 0.404 ℃ and 0.026 ℃ lower than those of the arch greenhouse with a height of 5.5 and 6.5 m, respectively. The turbulence intensity of the large-span arch greenhouse with a height of 4.5-5.5 m was significantly higher than that with a height of more than 6.0 m. There was a small difference, after the ridge height exceeded 6.0 m. Once the height of the greenhouse was 4.5 m, the ventilation efficiency was 2.24. After that, the efficiency of ventilation decreased with the increase in the height of the greenhouse. There was a relatively high value when the ridge height reached 6.0 and 6.5 m. The ridge height of 7.0 m corresponded to the lowest ventilation efficiency of 1.60. The large span greenhouse with a 4.5 m ridge height exhibited the higher ventilation efficiency, but the lower air change rate. The large span greenhouse with a 7.5 m ridge height shared the lower air change rate and ventilation efficiency. The outstanding ventilation and cooling performance of the large-span arch greenhouse in summer was determined by many factors. In a 20 m long-span arch greenhouse with shoulder, a better structure was achieved with the ridge height of 6.0-6.5 m and the ridge height of 6.0 m, in order to better consider the factors of economy and safety. The finding can provide a strong reference to optimize a similar greenhouse configuration in the construction of the large-span arch greenhouse. © 2024 Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering. All rights reserved.