ANALYSIS OF LARGE COMMERCIAL GREENHOUSES IN WARM CLIMATES USING CFD AND BAYESIAN NETWORKS

In warm countries, the major problem to greenhouses is the design since its dimensions could cause negative effects to crops. Smaller greenhouses have less stable conditions, but they are easier to control than large commercial greenhouses. However, it is more profitable to have large greenhouses, for reasons of management. The main problem that a large commercial greenhouse has is that ventilation is inadequate, leading to the use of forced ventilation, increasing production costs. Airflow speed near the floor is insignificant to reduce the negative effects of solar radiation. We analyzed the environmental conditions within a large commercial greenhouse in order to obtain improvements in its design using Computational Fluid Dynamics approximation. The results of the numerical approximation were analyzed with Bayesian classifications to improve the relationships among variables for defining the environment conditions. Large greenhouse geometry defines environmental conditions: height of cover determines the radiation incident inside. Thus, higher greenhouses are more convenient as they are less warm. The results of this study are useful for future designs in countries with warm climate.