Abstract
A computational model is developed to investigate the influence of geometrical configurations such as chimney height (Hch), absorber plate diameter (Dap) and collector plate angle (θcr) on flow and performance characteristics of solar updraft tower (SUT) plant. The diameter of the chimney (Dch) and air entrance gap (e) selected for numerical simulations are 0.6 m and 0.1 m, respectively. Parametric study is carried out by varying Hch of 3–8 m, θcr of 20°-35° with an increment of 5° and Dap of 3.5–12 m. A turbulent model (RNG k-ɛ) is incorporated for considering turbulence effect and Discrete ordinates (DO) model incorporated for estimation of radiation heat transfer inside the setup. It is found that a slight decrease of temperature and increase of air velocity when θcr is increased. It is noticed that air velocity is enhanced (up to 44%) while the Hch is increased from 3 to 8 m. Power output, overall, chimney and exergy efficiencies are estimated. Correlations are developed to estimate the performance parameters in terms of geometrical configurations. From the parametric study, it is concluded that for the Dch and e of 0.6 m and 0.1 m, respectively, better performance can be achieved at a Hch of 7 m, θcr of 30° and Dap of 5 m.
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