CULTIVATION TIPS FUNGICLIMA
Energy saving possibilities climate computer
The previous two tips explained ways of saving on gas and electricity use, respectively. However, there is a third factor that influences the energy demand of a mushroom farm: the climate control computer.
Huge differences in energy consumption The climate computer is a key link between the grower and how the climate unit is controlled to create the desired climate in the growing rooms. How much energy the climate unit needs is partly determined by whether the climate computer is used opti- mally or not. When driving a car, it’s the driver who has the greatest influence on fuel consumption. The same applies to the ‘driver’ behind the wheel of the climate control computer. The results of data monitoring in the Dutch mushroom sector reveal that even on technically comparable farms differences in energy consumption of up to a factor of 2 can still occur!
Jan Gielen, FungiClima Owner / Climate & Energy Specialist
FungiClima@outlook.com
Fluctuations In many cases, there are options to optimise the climate settings for cooling and heating to reduce fluctuations in cooling and heating. If cooling is only required to control the temperature, outside air is suitable to use for cooling if the enthalpy (heat content) of the outside air is lower than the heat content of the growing room air.
CO2 control The fresh air inlet, i.e., the CO2 control, is the main determining factor for the energy consumption of the climate control. The CO2 is less critical during the growing/harvest
phase in particular, where evaporation is the priority. This means that, if necessary and provided the outside air is suitable, lots of outside air (low CO2
) can be used for
dehumidifying. The outside air is suitable for dehumidifying if both the enthalpy (heat content) and the absolute humidity (AH/moisture content) of the outside air are lower than the same values in the growing room air. In all other cases, including with cold and dry conditions in winter, it is preferable and more energy-efficient to use less outside air and work with a higher CO2
. The minimum and maximum CO2 limits applied in summer
and winter therefore strongly influence how much energy is used by the climate instal- lation. A CO2
control with a reasonably wide bandwidth of +/-800 ppm is no exception.
Minimum oxygen limit When approaching the boundaries of the maximum CO2
limits in summer and winter, it
is important to avoid a too low oxygen content during the growing/harvest phase (as an indication not below 20.40 – 20.45%). In the latest versions of software released by the producers of these systems, the oxygen value is calculated based the CO2
and AH values.
At a higher CO2 and/or AH value, the oxygen value decreases and vice versa. The situation in winter is especially important when determining the minimum CO2. Evaporation
occurs during the growing/harvesting phase, so humidification should not be necessary in principle. If (too much) humidification - and often heating too - is needed in winter, this indicates that too much outside air is being used, so the minimum CO2
increased to reduce the use of outside air.
Climate computer training A lack of insight often means that insufficient attention is paid to how to optimally utilise the control options on the climate computer. The installers arrange the initial technical start-up, and a user manual is provided with the climate computer, but these instructions are often written from a technical perspective. The main focus of growers and any consultants is on setting the desired levels for growing, and little attention is paid to analysing and optimising the control options for the climate unit. However, in some cases, dedicated climate computer training is available, which covers both the climate physics relevant to mushroom growing and the control features and options on the climate computer, illustrated using practical examples. Your installer or climate computer supplier can tell you whether these specific training courses are also on offer for your system.
value can be
68 MUSHROOM BUSINESS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
