Solar Chimney Power Plant Performance for Different Seasons Under Varying Solar Irradiance and Temperature Distribution

Abstract

One of the most promising renewable energy sources is solar energy due to low cost and low harmful emissions, and from the 1980s, one of the most beneficial applications of solar energy is the utilization of solar chimney power plants (SCPP). Recently, with the advancement in computer technology, the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology for studying SCPP has become an extensive, robust, and powerful technique. In light of the above, in this study, numerical simulations of an SCPP through three-dimensional axisymmetric modeling is performed. A numerical model is created using CFD software, and the results are verified with an experimental study from the literature. The amount of solar radiation and surrounding weather (ambient temperature) were analyzed, and the effects of the irradiance and air temperature on the output power of the SCPP were studied. Ambient temperature is considered as one of the most important factors that influence collector efficiency in a negative or a positive manner. Solar irradiance is considered to be the most important factor that has an impact on SCPP performance. The investigation includes the study of the relationship between solar insolation and ambient temperatures during the daytime since the difference between the minimum and maximum power values and the performance are very important considering seasonal changes. According to the results, power values are dependent on the amount of solar radiation as well as the ambient temperature, and the importance of selection of location thus climate for an SCPP is found to affect the design of the SCPP.