Air conditioning requirements for mushroom growing facility

[AndrewCL]

Does anyone have experience with air conditioning techniques for mushroom growing? Do you have to use 100% fresh air? I want to know if i can use a certain percentage of return air within a facility combined with a mixture of fresh air?

 

[EnergyProfessional]

I assume they need high humidity, and don't want it too hot? My guess would be relatively little ventilation.

Assumign you have a client that grows mushrooms, what do they say? i guess if we knew what cliamte you are in, and what cliamte the mushrooms need we can give better advice.

And does this HVAC system serve other spaces, or what does the "return air within a facility" mean?

 

[AndrewCL]

HerrKaLeun

This HVAC fresh air unit currently serves 100% fresh into multple rooms as a pre cooler to other small Air handling units. I believe the rooms need to be around 25*C in temperature.

On hot days i would like to not bring in hot Ambient air and cool it from 40*C > 25*C, and work the Main AHU to hard as power costs are an issue. Im looking at drawing air from a common corrodor which is about 25*C < 27*C and mixing it with the Fresh air. I'm not 100% sure of the required ratio or even if this can be achieved.

 

[EnergyProfessional]

What is the actual ventialtion requirement? i know fungi produce CO2, so you need to ventilate a bit.

why don't you just use recirculation with economizer and cool air if it goes above 30°F, and heat it if it goes below 20°C, assuming that is a good mushroom range. If possible, use economizer.

for cooling I see the issue that you fight the need for high moisture. So when you cool the air in AHU, you dehumidify. This of course contradicts your goal of moisture. You could look in some radiant cooling? Especially since the cooling load likely isn't high.

 

[DRWeig]

HerrKaLeun has mentioned two key words, humidity and CO2.

Talk to the mushroom farmer. You're going to need special demand-controlled ventilation based on CO2 level, and it has to be kind of tight. That's fairly critical from what my customers have told me.

Humidity control is also a must. Very moist.



Best to you,

Goober Dave

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