COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS (CFD) TO ZONING HORTICULTURAL GREENHOUSES IN MEXICO

Abstract. Horticultural production in Mexico is consolidated with the development of technologies. Among the main adversities facing the agricultural sector is the great variety of climates in the country. Having a strategy to know the consumption of resources in the production process can be a tool for decision-making. It was developed a numerical model using Computational Fluid Dynamics and once validated, it was used to generate the profiles that describe the movement of air and distribution of temperature gradients that allowed the characterization of the microclimate in a typical Mexican greenhouse under local climatic conditions and whose analysis allowed alternative management improvement in the performance and operability thereof. Numerical simulations showed that CFD is a suitable tool for the study and improvement of climate control in greenhouses and also that a validated model can generate alternatives and assumptions that manage climate inside the greenhouse by controlling environmental factors in order to increase crop production. A model will allow to evaluate a priori the production costs depending on the climatic region where it is.