How to control the climate during carbon fertilisation

It is necessary to have a climate controller to manage inputs according to concurrent environmental conditions:

• Radiation
• Humidity

The conditions of the correction facilities:

• Position of windows
• Wind speed
• Forced ventilation
• Heating system
• Artificial lighting system
• Cogeneration system, etc.

The controller has to manage the demand required by the crop (concentrations) as a function of the production as a by-product of heat generation in order to greenhouse heating,assimilation light, electricity (cogeneration), etc.

3 CO2 concentrations

The required demand is set by three concentrations covering three situations from lowest to highest demand: pure, low and high.

Pure concentration

The pure concentration level is used to cover the demand by means of CO2 smoothie from industrial processes

Low concentration

The low level is used when there is a heating or power generation system, which is only switched on due to the demand for dioxide.

High concentration

Finally, the high level is employed by harnessing the production of CO2 as a by-product of heating heat demand, (present or future) or electricity generation.

What elements interfere with these concentrations?

Concentrations are influenced by the level of solar radiation and the hygrometric state of the air, for agronomic reasons, and by the position of windows and wind speed, so as to optimise their use.

Characteristics of the Climate System: CO2 Sensors

The installation requires aCO2 sensorwhich normally uses a method of measuring the concentration in air, based on the absorption of the infrared radiation that carbon dioxide gas presents, compared to the rest of the gases that make up atmospheric air, its determination being carried out by means of the change in pressure that takes place in a closed chamber after the sample has been irradiated.

A single sensor is usually connected to a battery of solenoid valves, and with the help of a vacuum pump, a filter and a condensate decanter, allows the sampling of the different compartments into which the farm is organised.

The current trend is to have a sensor per compartment installed in the measuring box of temperature and relative humiditywhich determines the CO2 concentration directly in the air flow of the measuring box.