• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2010

Unlike Urban building, horticultural facilities has a lot of heat loss through plastic or glass covering material which could be much influential to growing plant and consuming energy for heating greenhouse. In many cases, heat loss from a break of cover, a gap of joint sealing, the entrance to greenhouse and windows for ventilation are the main factors considered in calculating the heating load for horticultural facilities. however the normal observation through human eye and digital camera could not recognize where the heat loss occurred. but the infrared thermal image camera with detecting thermal difference could be very effective for noticing heat loss by analyzing infrared thermal image. In this study, greenhouse structure, covering material, internal and external provisions for Horticultural facilities were surveyed in different sites and Infrared thermal camera shooting and image analysis were performed for auditing heat loss from cultivation facilities The results from this study were that unexpected heat loss had been noticed in 7 representative cases of greenhouse such as side wall covered with single or double plastic, and the joint of horizontal thermal curtain, roof without horizontal thermal curtain, entrance to greenhouse, windows for ventilation. the most important factors for keeping heat energy were whether the horizontal thermal curtain with multifold thermal material was installed or not. The internal or external covering using multifold thermal curtain proved to be the most effective ways to keep heat energy from losing through heat transmission, heat radiation. from inside to outside the horticultural facilities.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.251-257
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• 2004

This experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different covering materials and methods on heat insulation of a plastic greenhouse, growth and yield of tomato. Night air and soil temperatures in a double-layer greenhouse with external multifold thermal cover (MTC; eight-ounce cassimere+four-fold polyform+double-fold non-woven fabric+single-fold polypropylene covering were about $1^{\circ}C$ lower than in that with internal MTC covering, but about $3^{\circ}C$ higher than in that with an EVA film screen. Tomato yield in the external MTC covering increased by $2\%\;and\;19\%$ as compared to that in the internal MTC covering and the non-covering of MTC, respectively, due to its high light transmission and insulation effect. Night air temperatures in a double-layer greenhouse with external MTC covering and with thermal screen (polyester plus aluminium) were $2.2^{\circ}C\;and\;4.5^{\circ}C$ higher than those in a double-layer greenhouse with an external MTC covering and in a double-layer greenhouse equipped an EVA film screen, respectively. Tomato yield in the treatment with external MTC covering and a thermal screen was $18\%\;and\;37\%$ greater than that in the external MTC covering and in an EVA film screen, respectively. Results indicate that tomato could be grown without heating or with minimal heating in a double-layer greenhouse covered with MTC and a thermal screen during the winter season in sourthern regions of Korea.