Fighting moisture problems in Chrysanthemum with Enfan horticulture fan

Michel Grootscholten grows Chrysanthemums on 11 hectares in the Westland region in the Netherlands. He needed a solution for the moisture problems in the greenhouse. Michel: "In the fourth quarter, the climate changes. Consequently, moisture problems arise in the crop. Too much moisture in the crop can cause poor leafs, black stems and/or rust."
 
He thinks he knows how to tackle the problem. Together with Ton van der Kooij of the Van der Ende Groep and Tom Tetteroo from Stolze, there has been much evaluation of the pros and cons. Was the Enfan-fans or the Airmix going to solve his problems? Michel chose for the Enfan-fans (these can be extended to Airmix). The purpose of the Enfan horticulture fan installation is to create a vertical air movement. The Airmix can also be used as a horizontal circulation system but the Airmix draws in air from above the screen and expels it into the cultivation area below.


Image of the smoke test

The smoke tests were completely conclusive with regards to the effects of the Enfan horticulture fan for Michel. What happened during the smoke test? "The fans hang with an intermediate distance of 35-40 meter. The throw of the fan is good. It hits the next fan. The last fan throws against the apex. There the airflow is splitting up. So, the moist air in the greenhouse is evenly dehumidified.”
 
When the fans are turned on at night, the screens must be closed. During daytime, the windows are open so there is sufficient airflow to remove the moisture out of the greenhouse.

Click here for a video that gives an impression of the smoke test.
 
The system is running for a while now, but right now it’s too soon to tell if the moisture problem is solved. However Michel notes, that the excess heat is better distributed through the greenhouse.

Stolze has drawn up the diagrams and installed the cabling, the switchgear and the computer. Tom Tetteroo from Stolze hears more often of moisture problems in the cultivation of Chrysanthemum. ”In the fourth quarter, there is more moisture due to the climate. Then you will get dead spots in the greenhouse. Enfan has a greater reach due to its notched fan blades. So, less fans are needed. The result is that the grower saves costs and there is less noise and still a large enough throw per fan.”
 

Image of the smoke test

Together with the grower, Ton van der Kooij and Van der Ende Groep have found a solution for the question that was raised. The drawings were been amended a couple of times. Ton: “We looked for a fan which fulfilled our conditions and produced less noise.”

The Enfan horticulture fan met the requirements of the new Energy Related Product (ErP) guidelines from the EU. ErP. meets the guideline for electric motors and for fans. These objectives are drawn from the Kyoto agreement. Before 2020 the following objectives need to be realised:
 
1) 20% less energy consumption
2) 20% less CO2 emissions
3) 20% more sustainable energy
 
With both the Enfan and the Airmix is van der Ende right on schedule concerning these ErP-guidelines.
 
For more information:
Stolze
Tom Tetteroo
M: 06-2958 5914
E: tom@Stolze.nl
www.stolze.nl


Michel Grootscholten Chrysanten
Michel Grootscholten
M: + 31 ( 0) 6 26 06 82 80
E: info@michelgrootscholten.nl
www.michelgrootscholten.nl


Van der Ende Groep
Ton van der Kooij
tel: 0174-515050
E: sales@vanderendegroep.nl
www.vanderendegroep.nl