Case Studies - Cooling Plant Propogation
Ms Dumortier manages a plant propagation unit in Southern France. Seeds are germinated in small pots on plinths raised just off the floor of the building. The propagation is in two phases typically taking 6 days each, giving a total time of 12 days.
The key problems occur when ambient temperatures exceed 300C which results in slow propagation and weak plants. This leads to excessive wastage when potting and inability to supply the product on time.
Two top discharge ECP16000 units connected to fabric ducts were installed for this 56m x 9m propagation unit. These were specified for ease of installation and maintenance.
Fabric duct air distribution is used to provide draught free conditions for the plants. Installed at a height of 1.5m these also give evenly distributed cover throughout the building.
Temperature and humidity functions are controlled by a hygro-thermostat. This is directly connected to the EcoCooler which then regulates the air flow and water distribution to maintain the set points.
There is the facility to run the coolers in manual mode allowing 5 speed air flow control in addition to cool or ventilation mode.
The two coolers give a maximum duty of 15 air changes per hour in the building.