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Design of a Passive Downdraught Evaporative Cooling Windcatcher (PDEC-WC) System for Greenhouses in Hot Climates

Author

Listed:
  • Marouen Ghoulem

    (Unité de Recherche Energétique et Environnement, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, 1002 Tunis, Tunisia)

  • Khaled El Moueddeb

    (Unité de Recherche Energétique et Environnement, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, 1002 Tunis, Tunisia)

  • Ezzedine Nehdi

    (Unité de Recherche Energétique et Environnement, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, 1002 Tunis, Tunisia)

  • Fangliang Zhong

    (Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK)

  • John Calautit

    (Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Marouen Ghoulem & Khaled El Moueddeb & Ezzedine Nehdi & Fangliang Zhong & John Calautit, 2020. "Design of a Passive Downdraught Evaporative Cooling Windcatcher (PDEC-WC) System for Greenhouses in Hot Climates," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-23, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:11:p:2934-:d:368636
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Payam Nejat & Fatemeh Jomehzadeh & Hasanen Mohammed Hussen & John Kaiser Calautit & Muhd Zaimi Abd Majid, 2018. "Application of Wind as a Renewable Energy Source for Passive Cooling through Windcatchers Integrated with Wing Walls," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-23, September.
    2. Du, Kun & Calautit, John & Wang, Zhonghua & Wu, Yupeng & Liu, Hao, 2018. "A review of the applications of phase change materials in cooling, heating and power generation in different temperature ranges," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 242-273.
    3. Chou, S. K. & Chua, K. J. & Ho, J. C. & Ooi, C. L., 2004. "On the study of an energy-efficient greenhouse for heating, cooling and dehumidification applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 77(4), pages 355-373, April.
    4. Calautit, John Kaiser & Tien, Paige Wenbin & Wei, Shuangyu & Calautit, Katrina & Hughes, Ben, 2020. "Numerical and experimental investigation of the indoor air quality and thermal comfort performance of a low energy cooling windcatcher with heat pipes and extended surfaces," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 744-756.
    5. Jomehzadeh, Fatemeh & Nejat, Payam & Calautit, John Kaiser & Yusof, Mohd Badruddin Mohd & Zaki, Sheikh Ahmad & Hughes, Ben Richard & Yazid, Muhammad Noor Afiq Witri Muhammad, 2017. "A review on windcatcher for passive cooling and natural ventilation in buildings, Part 1: Indoor air quality and thermal comfort assessment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 736-756.
    6. Hughes, Ben Richard & Calautit, John Kaiser & Ghani, Saud Abdul, 2012. "The development of commercial wind towers for natural ventilation: A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 606-627.
    7. Azam Noroozi & Yannis S. Veneris, 2018. "Thermal Assessment of a Novel Combine Evaporative Cooling Wind Catcher," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-15, February.
    8. Sajad M.R. Khani & Mehdi N. Bahadori & Alireza Dehghani-Sanij & Ahmad Nourbakhsh, 2017. "Performance Evaluation of a Modular Design of Wind Tower with Wetted Surfaces," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-20, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Fangliang Zhong & Hassam Nasarullah Chaudhry & John Kaiser Calautit, 2021. "Effect of Roof Cooling and Air Curtain Gates on Thermal and Wind Conditions in Stadiums for Hot Climates," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-23, July.
    2. Zhang, Haihua & Yang, Dong & Tam, Vivian W.Y. & Tao, Yao & Zhang, Guomin & Setunge, Sujeeva & Shi, Long, 2021. "A critical review of combined natural ventilation techniques in sustainable buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    3. Di Qi & Chuangyao Zhao & Shixiong Li & Ran Chen & Angui Li, 2021. "Numerical Assessment of Earth to Air Heat Exchanger with Variable Humidity Conditions in Greenhouses," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, March.
    4. Chi, Fang'ai & Pan, Jiajie & Liu, Yang & Guo, Yuang, 2021. "Improvement of thermal comfort by hydraulic-driven ventilation device and space partition arrangement towards building energy saving," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).

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