Airflow and microclimate patterns in a one-hectare Canary type greenhouse: An experimental and CFD assisted study

This study presents an analysis of air circulation and microclimate distribution during daytime in a 1-ha Canary type tomato greenhouse in the coastal area of southern Morocco. The investigation of the climate inside the greenhouse is based on a numerical simulation using a finite volumes method to solve the mass, momentum and energy conservation equations. The main novelty of this simulation lies in the realism of the 3D modelling of this very large agricultural structure with (i) a coupling of convective and radiative exchanges at the surface of the plastic roof cover, (ii) simulation of the dynamic influence of the insect screens and tomato crop on airflow movement, using the concept of porous medium, (iii) simulation, in each grid cell of the crop canopy, of the sensible and latent heat exchanges between the greenhouse air and the tomato crop, and (iv) detailed simulation of climate parameters in a 1-ha real-scale commercial greenhouse.