Experimental Study of Performance of Solar Chimney

Abstract

In this paper, a practical study was conducted with and without solar panels to show their effect on the performance of the hybrid solar chimney in the city of Kirkuk in Iraq. Six cells were placed between the base of the collector and the glass cover, which gives freedom to the air to move up and down the cells. Also, it is showed that the speed is higher when using PV until it reaches 1.8 m/s while the air leaving the collector and the energy coming out of the chimney and the efficiency of the solar collector and the efficiency of the chimney. The practical results showed that the chimney base is the ideal location for the turbine, as the air velocity is higher than other locations, and the air velocity increases during the day to reach its highest velocities at 1 pm. The maximum kinetic and electrical power and the amount of heat reached 37, 950, and 280 watts, respectively, in February at 1 pm. The results also showed that the location of the photovoltaic cell determines the degree of its temperature, as the solar cells that are in the middle are characterized by high temperature, while the solar cells that are on the ends are at a lower temperature and the solar cell temperature also depends on the surrounding weather conditions. High-efficiency values are observed for all months in the early morning hours due to the solar cells’ low temperature. The highest recorded electrical efficiency values were 17.8% in December.