Climate control system for indoor horticulture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large-scale indoor plant growing requires precise control of temperature, dew point, and enthalpy to ensure plant health, which existing systems fail to maintain consistently.
Innovation Solution
An indoor plant growing system comprising an air supply system with a cooling coil and reheat coil, integrated with a refrigeration system and a controller that uses sensors to manage the operation of both systems to maintain set point values for dry bulb temperature, dew point, and enthalpy within accepted ranges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a cooling coil is used to control temperature in the indoor plant growing system, then the temperature can be reduced, but the dew point control becomes difficult and plant health may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides temperature control into two independent functions: a cooling coil for dry bulb temperature control and a reheat coil for dew point control. This segmentation allows each coil to address specific environmental parameters without interfering with the other, resolving the contradiction between temperature reduction and dew point control reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the control parameters by independently managing dry bulb temperature through the cooling coil and dew point through the reheat coil. This parameter separation enables precise control of both temperature and humidity conditions, ensuring plant health while maintaining the ability to reduce temperature when needed.
2Manufacturing precision
If a reheat coil is added in parallel with the condenser downstream of the cooling coil, then dew point and enthalpy control precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reheat coil is integrated into the existing refrigeration system architecture, serving multiple functions: dew point control, enthalpy management, and plant health monitoring. This multi-functionality approach adds precision control capabilities while minimizing the increase in device complexity by utilizing the existing system framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The reheat coil acts as an intermediary component between the cooling coil and the plant environment, providing fine-tuned control of dew point and enthalpy. This intermediary element enables precise control without requiring complete system redesign, thereby improving manufacturing precision with moderate complexity addition.
3Measurement precision
If continuous monitoring of dry bulb temperature and dew point is implemented, then the control accuracy is improved, but the loss of information and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous feedback monitoring of dry bulb temperature and dew point, with the controller using this real-time data to automatically adjust cooling and reheat coil operations. This feedback mechanism improves measurement precision by ensuring accurate, up-to-date environmental data while managing information processing through automated control algorithms that convert data into direct control actions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides precise control over the indoor plant environment, ensuring that temperature, dew point, and enthalpy remain within set limits, promoting healthy plant growth by continuously monitoring and adjusting the air supply and refrigeration systems.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling coil and a reheat coil. The refrigeration system includes a compressor, a three-way valve, a condenser coil, as well as the cooling coil and said reheat coil included in the air supply system
Implementation Method 2
The reheat coil is positioned in parallel with said condenser in said refrigeration system downstream of said cooling coil in said air supply system
Implementation Method 3
The refrigeration system includes a compressor, a three-way valve, a condenser coil
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a climate control system for use with an indoor plant growing environment. The system includes an air supply system and a refrigeration system. The refrigeration system utilizes a reheat coil in parallel with a condenser coil. In the airflow path of the air supply system the reheat coil is positioned downstream of the cooling coil. The method of operating the climate control system relies upon the input of set point values for enthalpy, dry bulb temperature and dew points into a controller. The controller receives data from sensors within the plant growing environment and uses this data to manage the operation of a three-way valve, supply fan speed, and compressor speed in order to maintain the indoor plant growing environment within an accepted range of each of the three set points.