CO₂ Enrichment Control

The Argus CO₂ enrichment control program is used to manage the operation of CO₂ burners and liquid CO₂ valves. For applications where carbon dioxide gas is generated from combustion, the Argus system can also be used in conjunction with heat storage and recovery equipment. 

A control strategy of maintaining a CO₂ enrichment rate during daylight hours can be very successful when used with crops that derive a significant benefit from CO₂ such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and roses. To save on CO₂ costs, the system can automatically reduce or suspend CO₂ enrichment when the compartment is at higher ventilation rates.

For CO₂ monitoring and control applications, Argus provides timed or sensor based dosing. Argus also provides stand-alone CO₂ sensors for monitoring the CO₂ levels in compartments. A self-calibrating CO₂ multiplexer system is available for monitoring multiple compartments.

• CO₂ control features include:
• Enrichment control based on user definable time or light levels
• Emergency heat mode operation for burner units
• Ventilation based dosing overrides
• Dosing overrides for spraying operations
• Dosing targets for closed and venting modes
• Minimum on/off times for time based dosing
• Emergency shutdown source

Safety Notes

High concentrations of Carbon Dioxide gas can be harmful to plants and dangerous to humans. Use sensor alarms and data recording to indicate malfunctions of CO₂ dosing equipment. In addition, Argus recommends the use of stand-alone CO₂ alarm sensors for CO₂ supplementation, and Carbon Monoxide (CO) sensors if CO₂ is generated by combustion. Additionally, for liquid CO₂ systems, the maximum dosing rate possible should be regulated at the source so that the compartment cannot attain levels greater than 5000 ppm. This protects against valve failures and pipeline ruptures.