KR101762435B1 - The method of running a USN-based plant factory with air flow control system for saving energy and improving plant growth rate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an effective method for crop growth and energy saving in a fully controlled plant. For this purpose, the present invention relates to an air conditioning system for forming an air stream in a plant plant, a circulation fan configured to effectively blow the additional airflow to the plant plant, a lighting unit illuminating the plant in the plant plant, Comprising the step of activating an air conditioner or a circulating fan to control the temperature in the plant plant while turning on the lighting in the plant plant at the plant plant, The air conditioner is operated and the circulating fan is operated when the average temperature in the plant factory is 23.5 DEG C or more.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a USN-based plant control method and a plant control method, and more particularly,

The present invention relates to a technique for improving the quality and productivity of crops in plant factories.

Conventionally, in the case of a fully-controlled plant, a circulation fan is attached to the inside of the facility in order to reduce the running time of the air conditioner by promoting the flow of air in order to improve the growth of the crop and maintain a uniform growth environment .

However, most of the above space is confined to a greenhouse showing environmental differences from that of a closed plant, and it is operated by a manual control based on a manager or a simple automatic control based on a schedule, And the energy consumption due to the extension of the cultivation period, and the like.

In addition, there was a disadvantage that it was difficult to grasp the air flow suitable for the facility volume by quantitatively analyzing the growth environment, growth rate, and energy consumption of the inside of the facility through the cultivation experiment of the crop.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of operating a plant plant including the generation of an air current having an optimal plant growth rate and minimizing energy consumption by overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art as described above.

According to the present invention there is provided an air conditioning system comprising an air conditioning system for forming an airflow in a plant plant, a circulation fan configured to effectively blow the additional airflow to the plant plant, a lighting unit illuminating the plant in the plant plant, A method of operating a fully controlled plant plant includes an operating step of operating the air conditioning apparatus or the circulating fan to control the temperature in the plant plant while turning on the illumination section in the plant plant, The circulation fan is disposed at the rear end of the plant, and is disposed at a position where the height of the rear end is the highest (the highest point), the lowest point (the lowest point), and the middle end of the rear end .

Meanwhile, in the operating method of the fully controlled plant plant according to the present invention, when the average temperature in the plant plant is below 22 ° C or above 24 ° C, the air conditioner is operated and the average temperature in the plant plant is 23.5 ° C The first operation step of operating the circulation fan.

Meanwhile, the first operation step of the method of operating the fully-controlled plant plant according to the present invention allows the airflow in the plant plant to stay within a predetermined range, and the predetermined range is that the weight of the plants in the plant plant is the heaviest Quot; tangent "

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cultivation environment suitable for growing crops, and it is possible to maximally reduce the energy used for producing high quality crops and cultivating them.

Figure 1 shows the construction of 3D modeling and mesh modeling for CFD simulation of the present invention.
2 (a) shows a case A in which no circulating fan is arranged, and (b) shows a case B in which four circulating fans are arranged in a lower part.
3 (a) shows Case C in which four circulating fans are arranged on the upper part, and (b) shows Case D in which two circulating fans are arranged on the upper part.
Fig. 4 shows the simulation results of the cases A to D. Fig.
Figures 5 (a), 5 (b) and 6 (a) and 6 (b) all illustrate experimental examples for the specific conditions of Case D.
7A shows the temperature change according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7B shows the temperature change according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 7C shows the temperature change according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
8A shows the weight of the plant growth index according to Examples 1 to 3 of the present invention.
8B shows the lengths of the plant growth indexes according to Examples 1 to 3 of the present invention.
8C shows widths of the plant growth indexes according to Examples 1 to 3 of the present invention.
FIG. 8D shows the number of leaves in the plant growth index according to Examples 1 to 3 of the present invention. FIG.

The present invention describes a USN-based plant factory technology for improving crop growth rate and energy saving. In order to realize a plant plant having the above-mentioned effect, the arrangement of circulating fans for air flow at the time of factory design, The process of simulating the variation of the speed and the temperature variation inside the factory through CFD (Computerized Fluid Dynamics) has been performed. First, in order to understand the present invention, the airflow control flow analysis process for the present invention will be described first.

Figure 1 is a 3D-modeling and mesh structure of plant plant structure for flow analysis for plant plant construction.

Reference numeral 100 denotes a 3D-modeled plant factory structure, in which a fan 110 for blowing and an LED lighting unit 120 for illumination are arranged inside the structure, and 100 'denotes a 3D- Structure.

First, to find out the best airflow and temperature distribution in an environment, we conduct experiments on the condition that the circulating fan is placed on the plant rear end as below.

Case Circulating fan Quantity arrangement Casea 0 - Case B 4 Bottom Case C 4 Top Case D 2 Top

As shown in Table 1, the experiment is carried out by changing the installation position and quantity of the circulating fan under four conditions. In case A, the circulation fan is not arranged at the planting stage, As shown in Fig.

Case C places four circulating fans at the top of the planting platform, and Case D is the case where only two circulating fans are placed.

The conditions for the above experiment are as follows.

Device Boundary condition value LED (light) Temperature 300K area 1.08m ² Air conditioner and heating speed 5m / s Temperature 296K area 0.04 m ² Air circulation fan speed inspiration 3.6m / s exhaust 4.7m / s Temperature 296K

Fig. 2 (a) shows the temperature and air flow in case A, and Fig. 2 (b) shows the temperature and air flow in case B (four circulating fan arrangement in the bottom part). It should be noted that in case A there is no circulating fan placed on the planting platform.

3 (a) shows the temperature and airflow distribution in Case C (with four circulating fans installed at the top) and FIG. 3 (b) Temperature and airflow distribution, respectively.

Figure 4 shows the temperature / airflow distributions of the cases A through D shown in the above experiment. In case A and C, the temperature or the air flow exceeded the target, while the case D showed the average temperature of 296.33 K and 0.51 m / s And the airflow is maintained.

In order to analyze this case D in more detail, eight experiments are performed with the conditions shown in Table 3 below.

As shown in Table 3, in Case D (where two circulating fans are arranged at the upper part of the planting stage), experiments were carried out for each case with different conditions.

Case Fan exhaust speed
(m / s) Temperature speed Avg [K] Ratio [%] Avg [m / s] Ratio [%] D-1 0.98 296.91 81.53 0.25 14.19 D-2 1.6 296.85 90.88 0.28 19.37 D-3 2.09 296.79 94.51 0.31 21.00 D-4 2.51 296.75 95.59 0.34 22.86 D-5 3.22 296.68 97.12 0.39 24.53 D-6 3.8 296.63 97.82 0.43 26.15 D-7 4.29 296.58 98.33 0.46 27.05 D-8 4.73 296.55 98.76 0.49 27.60

5 and 6 show some examples of the experiment according to Table 3, wherein FIG. 5A shows Case D-1, FIG. 5B shows Case D-4, 6 (a) shows Case D-6, and Fig. 6 (b) shows Case D-8.

The plant plant according to the present invention can be composed of an illuminating unit for providing illumination, an air conditioning unit for forming an air flow, a circulating fan for circulating air, and a rear stage in which cultivated plants are arranged, A control unit, a remote mobile device that enables remote control thereof, and user input devices capable of setting settings.

In such plant factories, the flow of air, or air, not only allows the plants to grow well by providing an environment such as a natural state, but also oxygen (O ₂ ), which is formed thinly on the surface of the leaves by photosynthesis of plants, It is also responsible for providing plants with carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ), which is the basis of photosynthesis, by spreading the layers.

However, if the airflow, or wind, is constantly occurring or too severe, the temperature may drop or the carbon dioxide may blow away before the plant absorbs, which may interfere with sufficient photosynthesis by the plant.

Therefore, based on the arrangement of two circulating fans at the height of the rearing stage, which is derived as the best configuration through the above experiment, it is possible to improve the quality of the plant while minimizing the energy through a certain circulating fan operation configuration Experiment with the following configuration to provide the method that you have.

Powered device Minimum air velocity Maximum air velocity Average air velocity Air conditioner 56 203 118 Circulating fan 55 318 187 All on 84 637 260 All off 9 65 38

Table 4 shows the experimental data for finding the best airflow circulation range.

The minimum, maximum and average air velocities (mm / s) are 56, 203 and 118, respectively, when the air conditioner is activated, and 55, 318 and 187, respectively.

On the other hand, when both the air conditioner and the circulating fan are turned on, the air flow rates in the plant factory are 84, 637, and 260, respectively, while all of them are off, 9, 65, and 38.

As can be seen from the above data, it can be seen that the air conditioner contributes to the overall air circulation inside the plant factory (average speed 118) while the circulating fan has more local effects (average air speed 187) than the air conditioner.

There is shown an embodiment for controlling the flow of air as described above to determine in which case the most suitable environment is provided for the plant.

Example 1

Example 1 is a case where the air conditioner is continuously operated for generating illumination and airflow for photosynthesis in plants.

In this case, the average velocity of the air is 118 mm / s, and FIG. 7 (a) shows the temperature difference measured at the rear stage in this case.

In other words, it can be seen that the middle point of the rearing stage (center point) has the highest temperature than the highest point of the rearing stage (high point) and the lowest point (low point).

Although the overall airflow is intended for the generation of even airflow, it can be seen that the influence of the air current is minimized because the resistance is the highest because the distance that the wind penetrates is the longest in the case of the center point, and the maximum temperature (midpoint) ) Is 2.9 ° C.

Example 2

Example 2 is a case where the air conditioner and the circulating fan are mixed to operate the illumination for photosynthesis in the plant while generating the airflow.

In this case, the mixed operation of the air conditioner and the circulating fan is performed in the following manner.

The air conditioner is operated when the average temperature in the plant factory is 22 ° C or lower or 24 ° C or higher, and the circulation fan is operated when the average temperature in the plant factory is 23.5 ° C or higher.

That is, when the average temperature is lower than 22 (degrees Celsius), only the air conditioner is operated. When the average temperature is higher than 22 and lower than 23.5, nothing is activated. When the average temperature is higher than 23.5 and lower than 24, If it is 24 or more, the air conditioner and the circulating fan operate together.

FIG. 7B shows a temperature change according to the second embodiment. 7B, it can be seen that the temperature at the high / middle / low point continuously fluctuates upward and downward and the lowest point always has the lowest temperature, unlike FIG. 7A, but the peak and the middle point continue to have the highest temperature alternately have.

As can be seen in Example 2, continuous air circulation occurs and the temperatures of the high point and the midpoint are exceeding each other. On the other hand, the difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature is 2.5 ° C.

Example 3

The third embodiment is a case where the air conditioner and the circulating fan are mixed to operate the lighting for photosynthesis while generating the airflow, and in this respect, similar to the second embodiment, the operation time (temperature) of the air conditioner and the circulating fan is This is different from Example 2.

That is, in the case of Example 3, the air conditioner and the circulating fan operate together when the average temperature in the plant factory is 22 ° C or lower or 24 ° C or higher, and the circulating fan operates when the average temperature in the plant is 23.5 ° C or higher.

That is, when the average temperature is lower than 22 (degrees Celsius), the air conditioner and the circulating fan are operated. When the average temperature is lower than 23.5, nothing is activated. When the average temperature is lower than 23.5, When the average temperature is 24 or more, the air conditioner and the circulating fan operate together.

7C shows a temperature change according to the third embodiment. 7C, it can be seen that the temperature at the high / middle / low points continuously fluctuates up and down similar to FIG. 7B. However, the difference from FIG. 7B is that the peak is always the highest temperature, So that it has an intermediate temperature.

That is, the circulation of air is continued and the temperature of the center point and the bottom point are exceeding each other. On the other hand, the difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature is 1.7 ° C.

In other words, it can be seen that the middle point of the rearing stage (center point) has the highest temperature than the highest point of the rearing stage (high point) and the lowest point (low point).

Although the overall airflow is intended for the generation of even airflow, it can be seen that the influence of the air current is minimized because the resistance is the highest because the distance that the wind penetrates is the longest in the case of the center point, and the maximum temperature (midpoint) ) Is 2.9 ° C.

The growth rate (quality) of the plants according to Examples 1 to 3 was examined in FIGS. 8A to 8D.

FIG. 8A shows the weight of plants cultivated according to each example, and the weight of plants according to Example 2 is the heaviest on average.

On the other hand, FIG. 8B shows the length of plants cultivated according to each example, and it can be seen that the length of plants according to Example 2 is the longest on average.

On the other hand, FIG. 8C shows the width of the plants cultivated according to the respective examples, and the width of the plants according to the third embodiment is the longest on average.

On the other hand, FIG. 8D shows the number of plant leaves cultivated according to each example, and it is understood that the number of leaves on the plant according to Example 3 is the greatest on average.

However, judging from the criterion that the plant quality is the heaviest and the longest in the same time period, it can be seen that providing the air flow condition as in Example 2 is the most helpful for the growth of the plant.

On the other hand, from the viewpoint of energy consumption, the energy consumption by the lighting is the same as in the first to third embodiments, but the energy consumption for generating the airflow is the most severe in the third embodiment in which the air conditioner and the circulating fan operate at the same time. It can be seen that the following is the order of Example 2 and Example 1.

However, considering that the target temperature is 23.5 degrees and the temperature does not exceed 25 degrees, it is almost the same level as in Embodiment 1 in which the air conditioner is always operated and Embodiment 2 in which there is a temperature interval in which nothing runs.

Therefore, the air flow generating method as in the embodiment 2, that is, the method of operating the air conditioner or the circulating fan to control the temperature in the plant factory while turning on the illumination part in the plant factory, ° C, it is most efficient to operate only the air conditioner and operate the circulating fan when the average temperature in the plant is 23.5 ° C or higher.

In the meantime, the above-mentioned method can keep the airflow in the plant plant within a predetermined range, thereby providing carbon dioxide for efficient photosynthesis to the plant, while maintaining the optimum temperature. Accordingly, when the other conditions are the same, It can be cultivated to be heavy.

Meanwhile, in the existing studies related to the air circulation, the focus is only on forming a uniform air flow rate in the facility according to the proper capacity and layout standard of the air flow fan. The present invention is directed to a fully- Another embodiment of a mixing control technique of an air flow device for improving the growth rate and reducing unnecessary energy consumption will be described.

Example 4

In the case of the fourth embodiment, the air conditioner corresponding to (a) of FIG. 3 and the air conditioner corresponding to the same position as the fan and four sets of fans are provided. Further, an LED (illumination) is installed together with the position of the fan.

In Example 4, the time required to reach the target temperature of 23 ° C, the energy consumption of the air flow device, the temperature deviation in the upper and lower end zones, and the cumulative energy amount after 12 hours have been checked Case 1 or 2 determines whether the better outcome (crop growth condition) is better.

Two types of leafy vegetables (red lettuce and red chicory) were selected as the target plants and the target temperature was set at 23 ℃. In case of illumination, the average light amount of LED light source was about 130 μmol · m ^-2 s ^-1 and EC concentration Is 1.0 dS · m ^-1 .

type Movable device Operating method Case1 LED + HVAC Continuous operation
Case2
LED + Air conditioning + fan Operation based on control algorithm
-if (average temperature <22 and average temperature> 24) A / C operation;
-if (average temperature> 23.5) Fan operation;

Table 5 shows the control conditions for the air flow device. In Case 1, which is not controlled, the lighting and air conditioning units are continuously operated, whereas in Case 2, the control is activated when the average temperature is lower than 22 ° C or higher than 24 ° C, and the average temperature is higher than 23.5 ° C When the fan is running.

Classification Item Time (minutes) Temperature (℃) Deviation (℃) Energy (W) Flow rate (m / s) Case 1
(No control) Initial temperature
Target temperature (23 ℃)
12hr elapsed 0
42
720 18.6
23.0
23.3 0.3
2.8
1.9 0
592.9
1822.7
0.216 Case 2
(With control) Initial temperature
Target temperature (23 ℃)
12hr elapsed 0
31
720 18.5
23.1
23.2 0.3
0.5
1.3 0.5
447.7
856.6
0.354

As shown in Table 6, Case 1, which only operated the air conditioner, took 42 minutes to reach the target temperature of 23 ° C, which is suitable for the growth of leafy vegetables, whereas Case 2, And the time is reduced by about 26%.

In addition, when comparing the upper and lower temperature deviations and the amount of cumulative energy consumed from the air flow device for cooling and heating, the upper and lower temperature deviations of Case 1 were 2.8 ° C, while Case 2 was 0.5 ° C. The temperature of the top and bottom of the case was very uniform compared to Case 1.

In this case, the cumulative energy consumed to reach the target temperature under the condition of Case 2 was 447.7W, which is about 24.5% lower than that of Case 1 of 592.9W. Comparing the accumulated energy consumption for 12 hours, The energy consumption of case 2, which is a mixture of fan and fan, was reduced about 53%

The average flow rate was improved from 0.216 m / s in Case 1 to 0.354 m / s in Case 2, which is in the range of 0.3 ~ 0.5 m / s, which is suitable for the growth of leafy vegetables. Which means a more suitable environment.

Looking at the growth state of the crop according to Example 4

crops location &
Case Cultivation period
(Work) Leaf length
(mm) Leaf width
(mm) Number of leaves
(dog) weight
(g) Red chicory Upper level
Case 1 3
16 3.4
15.9 1.2
3.6 4.5
13.3 N / A
5.5 Red chicory Upper level
Case 2 3
16 6.1
25.3 1.8
5.2 3.7
13.0 N / A
12.3 Red lettuce Bottom of the cultivation unit
Case 1 3
16 6.0
14.8 4.2
13.1 5.7
6.0 N / A
21.8 Red lettuce Bottom of the cultivation unit
Case 2 3
16 4.4
17.3 4.1
14.3 3.0
8.2 N / A
28.6

Table 7 compares the growth state of two varieties of leafy vegetables (red chicory, red lettuce) according to the control conditions of each case.

Comparing Case 1 with air conditioner only and Case 2 with air conditioner and fan mixed, both plants showed better growth rate under the control condition of Case 2. In the case of red chicory, the number of leaves was similar to that of 16 days after planting, but that of leaves, leaf width and fresh weight was about 1.52 times higher than that of case 2 Or more. In case of red lettuce, there was no significant difference in growth between Case 1 and Case 2, but in Case 2, the number of leaves was increased by more than 36% and the weight of living was increased by about 31%.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but extends to the scope of the present invention.

Claims (3)

An air conditioning system for forming airflows in a plant plant, a circulating fan configured to effectively blow the additional airflow to the plant plant, a fully controlled plant plant including a lighting unit illuminating plants in the plant plant and a growing plant In the operating method,
And operating the air conditioner or the circulation fan to control the temperature in the plant factory while turning on the illumination unit in the plant plant,
The air conditioner is disposed at the top of the plant plant,
The circulation fan is disposed at the rear end of the rearmost stage, and is disposed at each of the highest height of the rearmost stage (the highest point), the lowest point (the lowest point)
The operating step comprises:
And a first operating step of operating the air conditioning apparatus when the average temperature in the plant plant is 22 ° C or lower or 24 ° C or higher and when the average temperature in the plant plant is 23.5 ° C or higher, How to operate the plant. delete delete

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