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Greenhouse cooling using chillers by Enerdes®
When evaporative cooling is not sufficient due to geographical location or there is also a dehumidification demand, cold water chillers are the perfect solution to go for. A chiller can also be used to dehumidify the air inside the greenhouse, by means of condensation drying. We at Enerdes compare different scenarios between evaporative cooling and cold water chillers and optimize the benefit of both. Sometimes this will lead to an even more efficient combination, lowering operational costs and giving extra cooling capacity when needed. The chillers advised by Enerdes are energy efficient as they are selected on their low lift conditions. This will reduce power consumption and lower operational costs. When you would like to know more about how we provide greenhouse cooling using chillers, please contact us.
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Enerdes Chilled water cooling in greenhouses
During summer periods, many greenhouses revert to ventilation and evaporative cooling to get their greenhouse to the desired temperature. However, in warm and humid climates, it is not possible to cool down the greenhouse sufficiently with evaporative cooling. Other technology must be used, namely, active cooling. This cooling technology can be compared with air conditioning, but on a really big scale.
Chillers are used to provide active cooling for industrial greenhouses. Enerdes can develop an installation for greenhouse cooling using chillers and air handling units that are optimized for your climate and have minimal energy consumption.
The demand for industrial greenhouses in warm and humid climates, like in Asia, is growing. It is not possible to sufficiently cool greenhouses in these climates with conventional technologies like ventilation and evaporative cooling, because the air is already almost completely satisfied with moisture. Somehow, the moisture must be removed from the air and the air must be cooled down in order to reach the desired temperature and humidity levels in the greenhouse. This can be achieved by integrating greenhouse cooling using chillers and air handling units. The chiller provides cold water and the air handling units cool and dehumidify the air.
Greenhouse cooling alternative by Enerdes
The investment costs and operating costs of an active cooling installation can become really high if the system is not well engineered. Enerdes is specialised in greenhouse climate control. Enerdes analyses and models your greenhouse and the thermodynamics of the indoor climate that you would like to realise. Based on the following factors, we determine the heating and cooling demand that your greenhouse will have during the year:
- Outdoor climate in all seasons over the last few years, including exceptional weather events.
- Desired indoor climate
- Plant type and Plant evaporation production
- Heat production by lights and other machines
- Type of greenhouse, volume, area, roof and wall type.
If the resulting cooling demand cannot be accomplished with conventional cooling mechanism, an active cooling installation is designed. This can be based on water cooling, this will provide chilled water with a minimal temperature of 4°C. Alternatively, a glycol solution can be used which can be cooled to temperatures far below 0°C! The choice and the design will be based on the cooling demand and the energy costs.
Generally, a chilled water cooling installation developed by Enerdes is most suitable for cooling an industrial greenhouse.
How greenhouse cooling works
A chilled water cooling installation consists of a chiller and a piping network. Chilled water is transported throughout the greenhouse in a loop to provide cooling. The process during which water is used as the heat-transfer medium is called hydronics, in this case to provide cooling. Using valves, the piping network can be divided into several groups, so the greenhouse can be segregated in several areas in which the temperature is controlled separately. Individual temperature zones are assigned in the greenhouse. The air handling units together with the chiller provide optimal greenhouse temperature and humidity conditions.
In the air handling unit, a fan draws warm and humid air past a heat exchanger with the chilled water, the cooling coils. The air is cooled and the moisture condenses. Cool and dry air is spread into the greenhouse. The temperature in the cooling coils is regulated with temperature sensors and valves and variable fan power influences the amount of air that is cooled. This allows precise climate control in the greenhouse.
Precise Greenhouse cooling control
A chilled water cooling installation for greenhouses offers very precise control over your greenhouse temperature and growing conditions. Enerdes provides can also provide well designed control technology that contains robust control PID, that will smoothly operate all components in the installation in order to achieve the perfect greenhouse climate. Components that are monitored and controlled are:
- Chiller power and output temperature
- Temperature and RH sensors in the greenhouse
- Greenhouse Piping and valves
- Air handling units and their fans
- Temperature sensors in the piping and air handling units
By meticulously controlling the valves and fans, the desired greenhouse temperature and humidity can be achieved to very accurate level and the automated control allows energy and cost savings!
Customized Enerdes greenhouse cooling solutions
Enerdes optimizes every greenhouse cooling installation to the unique requirements and conditions of the customer’s greenhouse. Together we will look into how we can achieve a robust climate control solution that will provide your greenhouse with appropriate cooling with minimal operating costs. When selecting a cooling installation it is important to keep the following in mind:
- Cooling demand
- Indoor and Outdoor climate conditions
- Stability and reliability of proposed climate control mechanism
- Maintenance requirements
- Capacity of cooling installation
- Greenhouse area, volume and shape
- Energy consumption
- In case you wish to use a cooling medium colder than 4°C, safety regulations of medium and freeze prevention.
- Cooling installation dimensions and delivery time.
- Installation costs
- Operational costs
Enerdes can provide you with a complete climate control systems, or parts of it, like:
- Chilled water cooling installation
- Greenhouse chiller
- Greenhouse cooling piping
- Greenhouse cooling pumps
- Greenhouse valves
- Air handling units for cooling a greenhouse
- Greenhouse fans for cooling
- Climate control sensors
- Control technology for greenhouse cooling
- Air distribution hoses
Enerdes Chilled water system for greenhouses
Greenhouse cooling using chillers has several advantages for greenhouses:
- Precise temperature control in your greenhouse.
- Precise humidity control, moisture removal from the air.
- Suitable for any outdoor climate.
- Separate temperature and humidity zones that are controlled individually possible.
- Minimal to no introduction of external air, if this is undesirable.
Enerdes cooling installations will keep your plants healthy and allow you achieve higher yield! It is also possible to combine a chilled water cooling system with an evaporative cooling system that is active in less humid periods and a heating systems that heats your greenhouse during colder seasons. This will give your optimal control over your growing conditions and will save energy and water consumption. Enerdes can advise you on which climate control installation in most suitable for you and what capacity you will need. We make sure you have sufficient cooling and heating capacity without making unnecessary investments by buying to much air handling units or units with redundant capacity.