Greenhouse Evaporative Cooling Pad Water Recirculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing greenhouse cooling systems face issues with mineral buildup in recirculating water, leading to the need for frequent disposal of high-mineral content water, which can cause environmental mudiness and require large volumes of water treatment, and inefficient climate control due to excessive humidity in cooled air.
Innovation Solution
The process involves using part of the non-evaporated water from cooling pads as irrigation water and recycling it back to the pads, with a larger water reservoir system that maintains water quality by adding fresh water, and a separate air mixing system that reduces humidity by bypassing air around the cooling pads, using ventilation conduits and heating units for optimal climate control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If non-evaporated water is recirculated in cooling pads, then water is conserved and cooling efficiency is maintained, but mineral content increases leading to water quality degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies discarding and recovering by separating the recirculation system into two streams: pure non-evaporated water is recovered and recirculated to cooling pads to maintain cooling efficiency, while mineral-rich water is discarded through controlled discharge. This selective separation allows the system to maintain water quality while preserving valuable cooling capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The recirculated water stream is segmented into two distinct pathways: one for pure water recirculation and another for mineral-rich water discharge. This segmentation enables the system to handle different water qualities appropriately, preventing mineral buildup in the cooling pads while managing overall water conservation.
2Quantity of substance
If high-mineral content water is disposed of frequently, then water quality is maintained, but environmental mudiness occurs and water treatment requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary portion of water for irrigation purposes from the recirculation system, taking out pure non-evaporated water while leaving mineral-rich water in the system for controlled discharge. This selective extraction provides irrigation water without causing environmental mudiness from frequent disposal operations.
3Temperature
If cooled air with high humidity is supplied to greenhouse, then cooling effect is achieved, but excessive humidity reduces climate control efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of air humidity by adjusting the ratio of evaporatively cooled air to bypassed ambient air based on real-time climate conditions. This dynamic mixing allows the system to maintain optimal humidity levels while preserving the cooling effect, adapting to changing environmental requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The air stream is segmented into two separate flows: one path for evaporative cooling that increases humidity, and another bypass path that maintains ambient conditions. By controlling the mixing ratio of these segmented streams, the system achieves temperature reduction without excessive humidity accumulation.
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
This approach prevents mineral buildup in irrigation water, maintains water quality for plant use, and achieves efficient climate control by optimizing air humidity and temperature, reducing the need for frequent water disposal and energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
cooling pads where water flows downwardly via an open structure and in which open structure the air directly contacts the evaporating water to obtain cooled air
Implementation Method 2
water flows downwardly via an open structure
Data Source
AI summary
A process to grow plants in a greenhouse includes supplying cooled air to the interior of the greenhouse and supplying irrigation water to the plants. The cooled air is obtained by directly cooling air against evaporating water in one or more cooling pads where water flows downwardly via an open structure and in which open structure the air directly contacts the evaporating water to obtain cooled air and non-evaporated water. Part of the non-evaporated water is used as irrigation water and part is reused in the one or more cooling pads.