CFD simulation of flow field and temperature field of different air flow circulation modes in vegetable aeroponics cultivation box

The air flow and temperature in the vegetable aeroponics cultivation box play an important role in the internal environment regulation and crop growth. The uniform air flow around crops can promote the growth rate of the crop. In order to study the distribution of flow field and temperature field in vegetable aeroponics cultivation box, CFD models of vegetable aeroponics cultivation box under different air flow circulation modes were established based on computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method, FLUENT software, standard turbulence model, porous medium model, crop canopy heat exchange model. The environment in the aeroponics cultivation box was optimized, and three air flow circulation schemes were designed(air flows from top to side, side to top and side to side). The layout of the different positions of the return air outlets was studied, and the numerical simulations of the three air flow circulation schemes were carried out. The simulation results showed that in the scheme of air flow entering from the top and exiting from the side, the suitable wind speed value area of lettuce accounts for 58.1%, the suitable temperature value area accounts for 93.6%, and the ventilation dead zone area accounts for 0.844%. In the scheme of air flow side entering and exiting the top surface, the suitable wind speed value area of lettuce accounts for 59.6%, the suitable temperature value area accounts for 99.98%, and the ventilation dead zone area accounts for 0.069%. In the scheme of air flow side entering side exit, the suitable wind speed value area for lettuce growth accounts for 54.3%, the suitable temperature value area accounts for 92.4%, and the ventilation dead zone area accounts for 16.7%. After comparison, the side entering the top surface was obtained as the optimal air circulation scheme. The temperature and wind speed simulation values and measured values in the aeroponics cultivation box were compared. The results showed that the average temperature relative error was 3.9% and the root mean square error was 0.86 ℃. The average relative error of wind speed was 3.5%, and the root mean square error was 0.26 m/s. The error between simulated and measured values was small, and the simulation effect was good. The accuracy of the CFD model was verified. In crop cultivation, aeroponics was a new cultivation method in the field of soilless cultivation, which could be applied to greenhouses, plant factories, family balconies and other places through microclimate control technology. In this paper, by regulating the wind speed in the aeroponics box, the climate growth environment and temperature uniformity of the crops can be ensured, and the problems of the roots and canopies of the crops can be effectively solved, and the crop yield and quality can be improved. Airflow velocity and temperature are important factors for crop growth in aeroponics boxes, which affect the transpiration and photosynthesis of crops. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the changes of air velocity and temperature to promote air aeroponics technology. This study provides a reference for the flow field and temperature change law in vegetable aeroponics cultivation box, internal environment adjustment and device optimization design. © 2019, Editorial Department of the Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering. All right reserved.