Evaluation of photovoltaic-based solar chimney–assisted stack ventilation within a large space hall: A case study

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV)-based solar chimneys could assist stack ventilation within a large space hall. This study considered a comprehensive office building with a PV-based solar chimney as a case study to explore measures for enhancing stack ventilation. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was established, and the influences of the inner heat source, chimney inlet position, solar heat gain and photovoltaic (PV) arrangement on the ventilation rate were investigated. The results revealed that PV-based solar chimneys could assist stack ventilation and would effectively provide a suitable indoor environment for occupied areas during the transitional season. Raising the chimney inlet position is conducive to improving the ventilation rate and cooling performance. The increase in the inlet position from a height of 0.2 m to 3.8 m would increase the ventilation rate up to 5%. The heat gain from the PV backside is an important method of enhancing the ventilation rate. A 200 W/m2 heat gain can lead to a 16.4% increase in ventilation. Moreover, the lower the heat source location, the higher the ventilation efficiency. This study provides basic strategies for optimising design schemes to improve natural ventilation efficiency.