Numerical study on transient heat transfer under soil with plastic mulch in agriculture applications using a nonlinear finite element model

TL;DR

This study develops a nonlinear finite element model to analyze how different plastic mulches affect soil temperature in agriculture, validated with experimental data and used to identify optimal mulch properties for maximizing soil warmth.

Contribution

It introduces a validated nonlinear finite element model for transient heat transfer under soil with plastic mulch, incorporating radiative heat exchange effects.

Findings

Optimal mulch properties for soil heating identified

Current mulch materials in Colombia are suboptimal

Model accurately predicts temperature evolution at various depths

Abstract

In this paper is developed a simple mathematical model of transient heat transfer under soil with plastic mulch in order to determine with numerical studies the influence of different plastic mulches on the soil temperature and the evolutions of temperatures at different depths with time. The governing differential equations are solved by a Galerkin Finite Element Model, taking into account the nonlinearities due to radiative heat exchange between the soil surface, the plastic mulch and the atmosphere. The model was validated experimentally giving good approximation of the model to the measured data. Simulations were run with the validated model in order to determine the optimal combination of mulch optical properties to maximize the soil temperature with a Taguchi's analysis, proving that the material most used nowadays in Colombia is not the optimal and giving quantitative results of the properties the optimal mulch must possess.