Ventilation optimization of solar greenhouse with removable back walls based on CFD

Ventilation is important for crop production and quality in greenhouse cultivation, and vent dimension and position are the basis of greenhouse design. In this study, the effect of the back wall vent dimension on solar greenhouse cooling was investigated by CFD (Computer Fluid Dynamics). The results showed that the average air temperature in a solar greenhouse with removable back walls (RG) was reduced by approximately 1.7 °C and the highest temperature dropped by approximately 5.8 °C compared with the traditional solar greenhouse with a brick back wall (TG). A 2-D CFD transient simulation model was developed to simulate the indoor temperature and airflow distributions in RGs with different back wall vent sizes. The results suggest that a back wall vent of 1.4 m increased inside the ventilation efficiency in a solar greenhouse with removable back walls.