Comprehensive mathematical study on solar chimney powerplant

Abstract

Electricity generation by means of renewable energy such as solar energy has paid great attention over recent decades. In this paper, a comprehensive study on the effect of geometric parameters such as collector roof angle (β), chimney divergent angle (α) and wind velocity on the performance of solar chimney power plant (SCPP) is carried out. A new mathematical model for airflow through all components of SCPP including collector, turbine and chimney is presented. In order to validate the present model, the geometry and operating conditions same as ones in SCPP prototype built in Manzanares are considered in the present model and comparing the obtained results with the measured data of SCPP prototype verifies the accuracy of the present model. The parametric study is carried out at various α and β. Results show that the power output of SCPP increases with decreasing β at a specified α. In addition, it is proposed that the ratio of turbine pressure drop to total pressure potential is chosen in the range of 0.7–0.85 to attain the optimum performance of SCPP. Furthermore, results demonstrate that an increase in wind velocity has a remarkable positive effect on power generation.