Evaluation of Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient of Different Greenhouse Thermal Screens Using Building Energy Simulation

Abstract

In winter, thermal screens are widely used to reduce heat loss from greenhouse to save energy. Unfortunately, not much data are available to the farmer to compare thermal screens while selecting the one that meets their specific requirements. Thus, there is a need to investigate the thermal performance of thermal screens. To address this issue, the Building Energy Simulation (BES) model of a hot box was used to calculate the overall heat transfer coefficient (U-value) of the thermal screens. To validate the model, computed and experimental U-values of singleand double-layered polyethylene (PE) material were compared. This validated model was used to predict the U-values of the selected thermal screens under defined weather conditions. We quantified the U-values of each selected material and significant changes in their U-values were noted in response to different weather conditions. Notably, the thermal properties of the tested screens were taken from the previous literature to calculate U-values using the BES model. The U-values of the thermal screens can help researchers and farmers evaluate their screens and make pre-design decisions that suit their investment capabilities. Additional key words: heat loss, energy saving, greenhouse heating, night sky radiation, TRNSYS