Conditioning of the tunnel greenhouse in the north of Tunisia using a calcium chloride hexahydrate integrated in polypropylene heat exchanger

An experimental study is conducted to evaluate a latent storage energy unit inside a tunnel greenhouse. This unit maintains the air temperature inside the greenhouse lower than the diurnal setpoint, during the hot day and higher than the nocturnal temperature, during the cold night. This latent storage unit is constituted of a LPHE (Latent Polypropylene Heat Exchanger) that is filled with a PCM (Phase Change Material). As a result, the diurnal temperature reach inferior to 40 degrees C, for an air flow rate equal to 280 m(3)/h and the nocturnal temperature reach superior to 25 degrees C, for 220 m(3)/h. An economic evaluation of the LPHE and a comparison with a SPHE (Sensible Polypropylene Heat Exchanger). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.