The use of covered structures is an alternative increasingly used by farmers to increase
crop yields per unit area compared to open field production. In Latin American countries such as
Colombia, productive areas are located in with predominantly hillside soil conditions. In the last two
decades, farmers have introduced cover ...
The use of covered structures is an alternative increasingly used by farmers to increase
crop yields per unit area compared to open field production. In Latin American countries such as
Colombia, productive areas are located in with predominantly hillside soil conditions. In the last two
decades, farmers have introduced cover structures adapted to these soil conditions, structures for
which the behavior of factors that directly affect plant growth and development, such as microclimate,
are still unknown. Therefore, in this research work, a CFD-3D model successfully validated with
experimental data of temperature and air velocity was implemented. The numerical model was
used to determine the behavior of air flow patterns and temperature distribution inside a Colombian
passive greenhouse during daytime hours. The results showed that the slope of the terrain affects
the behavior of the air flow patterns, generating thermal gradients inside the greenhouse with
values between 1.26 and 16.93 ◦C for the hours evaluated. It was also found that the highest indoor
temperature values at the same time were located in the highest region of the terrain. Based on the
results of this study, future researches on how to optimize the microclimatic conditions of this type of
sustainable productive system can be carried out.