Indoor vertical farming offers a sustainable solution for urban food production. However, achieving optimal conditions—specifically in airflow, temperature, and humidity—remains challenging.
This review aims to explore recent advances in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applications to enhance microclimate uniformity, supporting consistent climate control, pathogen mitigation, and efficient resource management in controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Key research questions include how CFD modeling can help improve climate stability and resource use efficiency in multi-layer crop systems and plant factories. This review synthesizes recent studies employing CFD for airflow and temperature optimization, vapor pressure deficit (VPD) assessment, and microclimate distribution with a focus on integrating plant physiology. Key strategies for numerical modeling of farm environments are also highlighted, including the governing equations, plant modeling techniques, and model validation methods. CFD models have demonstrated potential in achieving uniform climate control across crop layers, optimizing energy usage, and enhancing microclimate stability within CEA systems. Effective sensor placement and tailored air distribution systems were shown to contribute significantly to consistent climate regulation and yield improvement. Despite advances, challenges persist, including the need for broader crop variety adaptation, enhanced computational efficiency, and novel air distribution methods to improve climate consistency.
This review underscores the role of CFD as an essential tool in promoting productivity and sustainability in indoor vertical farming through improved microclimate control and resource management.
(2025). A Comprehensive Review on the Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics in Enhancing Indoor Vertical Farm Microclimate. Journal of Biosystems Engineering. 10.1007/s42853-025-00257-0.
Source: Research Gate