Numerical Simulation for Achieving Optimum Dimensions of a Solar Chimney Power Plant

Abstract

Renewable energies are playing a fundamental role in supplying energy, as these kinds of energies can be clean, low carbon and sustainable. Solar chimney power plant is a novel technology for electricity production from solar energy. A solar chimney power plant derives its mechanical power from the kinetic power of the hot air which rises through a tall chimney, the air being heated by solar energy through a transparent roof surrounding the chimney base. The performance evaluation of solar chimney power plant was done by FLUENT software by changing three parameters including collector slope, chimney diameter and entrance gap of collector. The results were validated with the solar chimney power plant which was constructed in Zanajn, Iran with 12 m height, 10 m collector radius and 10 degree Collector angle. By simulation and numerical optimization of many cases with dimensional variations, increasing 300 to 500 percent of chimney velocity and eventually increasing output power of system was observed in different cases.