The Aircokas is based on latest insights into conditioned growing. There are four important climate factors (temperature, light, CO2 and humidity) which are optimised for the plant’s needs in an Aircokas. Energy consumption and CO2 emissions are also lower than in a conventional greenhouse, as the vents are opened less frequently. Depending on the plant’s needs and the facilities inside the greenhouse, one or more of the following elements are used to control the climate.
The Aircokas installation was designed in close consultation between consultants, a technical installation office and Hoogendoorn Growth Management. Hoogendoorn developed a separate module for the computer to manage the climate and control this process; the so-called Aircomatic software.
MISTING - The use of misting is a vital element in the Aircokas, achieving the following:
1. Misting creates a more favourable growing climate for the plant. In nature, plants close their pores in low humidity. A plant can keep its pores open for longer in light, warm circumstances if the air is humid, and can therefore absorb CO2 better. Inside an Aircokas, this process is supported by misting.
2. If the temperature inside the greenhouse increases too much, it can be decreased again by the use of extra misting. Water droplets evaporating extract energy, e.g. heat, from a room, cooling it down this way. In a room cooled by misting, vents have to open less wide, creating a semi-closed greenhouse system with less loss of CO2.
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PLANT SENSORS – It is essential to control the humidity household in the greenhouse based on the plant’s condition. Information obtained by plant sensors is therefore vital when controlling the climate. As long as the leaf temperature is above the dew point, no condensation on the relatively warm leaves takes place. By dehumidifying the air as soon as the leaf temperature threatens to drop below the dew point, leaves and fruit are prevented from becoming wet.
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VERTICAL VENTILATION - An additional development is the suspension of vertical fans in the greenhouse to improve air distribution in the plant. It looks like it could make sense to introduce a forced supply of warm air to the plant especially in the morning when the plant warms up. The plant then has “cold feet” for a shorter period, and the minimum pipe does not have to be increased.
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SCREENS - The RH can be controlled more accurately inside an Aircokas, so that the screen can be kept down for longer, and more often. Insulation like this saves on heat consumption, making it possible to save more energy in turn.
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AIR TREATMENT UNIT (LBK) – The LBKs help to warm up, cool down or dehumidify the greenhouse air, by a fan blowing the greenhouse air along a heat exchanger.
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AQUIFER - If the ground allows for this, you can use an underground storage facility in a water-bearing layer of sand (an aquifer) to store cold and heat.
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