Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio State University, 1932. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 20-26). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

An analytical procedure to determine the effectiveness of greenhouse, as solar collectors was presented. This procedure was used to predict the effect of several construction parameters on solar radiation input to greenhouses. The orientation of the greenhouse was found to be the most effective construction parameter controlling solar radiation input to greenhouses. The effective albedo of the plant canopy was also found to be a significant factor. A new solar greenhouse design, suitable for high latitude regions was developed. The results showed that an internal solar collector could be incorporated as an integral part of the greenhouse design. The concept developed could be used as a free-standing greenhouse or in a combination with livestock building. The efficiency of the solar input was investigated for the conventional and the shed greenhouses, both as a free-standing unit and a greenhouse-animal shelter system, using computed simulation analyses. The results indicated that the efficiency of solar input is highly dependent on location; the effect of location on the shed type design is more profound. A typical case of a greenhouse-hog barn production system was investigated using computer simulation analyses. The results showed that such a food production system achieves a significant reduction in conventional fuel consumption due to both animal waste heat recovery and solar energy utilization. / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate

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Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 103 p. : ill. (some col.), col. map. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-69).

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A linear programming (LP) model is formulated to reflect economic, climatic conditions, and cultural practices followed in the pot flower industry of Quebec. The objective is to determine the optimal crop mix that maximizes net returns and optimizes space usage given production and marketing constraints. Decision variables are composed of nine major pot flower varieties with several pot sizes produced for different marketing periods during the year. Data are collected from producers in the Montreal area in 1990, and is supplemented by interviews with ornamental counsellors and citations of governmental publications. / Results have shown that the use of LP as a design tool can be of benefit to ornamental producers and managers in decision making. Increasing the amount and quality of available information to producers can lead to improved decisions that increase production efficiency and space productivity, and thus lead to a more competitive industry.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio State University, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-105). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1962. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-102).

The techniques of computer modeling and simulations are used to develop a design procedure for greenhouse solar heating systems. In this study a flexible computer program was written based on mathematical models that describe the various subsystems of the solar heating system that uses the greenhouse as the solar collector. Extensive simulation runs were carried out for predicting system thermal performance, and subsequently correlations were established between dimensionless variables and long term system performance. The combined greenhouse thermal environment - thermal storage model along with the empirical relationships and the values of constants approximated in the simulation yielded reasonably accurate computed results compared to observed data. The computer model was then applied to predict the system behaviour using long-term average climatological data as forcing functions. A parametric study was made to investigate the effects of various factors pertinent to greenhouse construction and thermal energy storage characteristics on system performance. The key performance indices were defined in terms of the 'total solar contribution' and the 'solar heating fraction'. Correlations were developed between monthly solar load ratio and total solar contribution, and between total solar contribution and solar heating fraction. The result is a simplified design method that covers a number of alternative design options. It requires users to obtain monthly average climatological data and determine the solar heating fraction in a sequence of computational steps. A crop photosynthesis model was used to compute the net photosynthetic rate of a greenhouse tomato canopy; the result may be used to compare crop performance under different aerial environments in greenhouses equipped with a solar heating system. This research program had attempted to generate technical information for a number of design alternatives, and as design optimization of greenhouse solar heating is subject to three major criteria of evaluation: thermal performance, crop yield and cost, recommendations were put forward for future work on economic analysis as the final step required for selecting the most cost effective solution for a given design problem. / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate

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