Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Solar Chimney Prototype

Abstract

In the global energy system, fossil fuels have a leading position despite their effect on the environment. As a result, the demand for renewable energy has increased. Solar chimney power plants (SCPPs) attracted the attention of scientists in recent years. This paper observes a solar chimney power system. It creates an induced air flow to drive a turbine and generate electricity. To evaluate its performance, experimental and numerical models are developed for a prototype plant with a collector's area of 16 m2 and a chimney diameter and height of 0.15 and 3 m, respectively. It has a metrological site (Alexandria, Egypt 31°1S'43.0“N 30°04 '00.4“E), and the experiment was conducted during the summertime. This research aims at obtaining electric generated power based on variables such as air velocity, mass flow rate and pressure difference. From the experimental setup of this small chimney, a power production of up to 0.011 W was generated. This research numerically obtained the contours of density, pressure, temperature, and velocity parameters. A comparison between the experimental and numerical methods is introduced showing a good agreement has been achieved. This paper is utilized to forecast the output power of similar-type solar power plants.