IMPORTANCE OF THE NUMERICAL SIMULATION IN A SOLAR CHIMNEY ANALYSIS

Abstract

In this work, computational fluid dynamics was used to investigate the airflow in a solar chimney through a mathematical model that is presented. Solar chimneys appear as an interesting alternative to obtain cleaner energy resources, since they are able to generate electricity from solar radiation. A typical solar chimney combines three known elements: solar air collector, tower and wind turbine. This device uses the solar radiation to generate a hot airflow and this is usually used to drive wind turbines coupled to an electric generator. Pilot plants showed large solar chimneys are necessary for be economically competitive with conventional power plants, however small solar chimneys can be used for other applications, as drying agricultural products. This paper analyzes the turbulent flow in a small solar chimney, where the Finite Volume Method was adopted to solve the system of equations, which describe the two-dimensional steady state airflow. The numerical analysis of the airflow uses the RSM turbulence model. The simulations are compared with experimental data available in the literature. This work aims to show the importance of the numerical simulation to evaluate the thermal and dynamic conditions of the flow, and consequently to verify the technical and economic viability of the plant.