Impact of Wind on a Newly Designed Solar Chimney with Multiple Openings for Building Ventilation

Abstract

The urgent depletion of fossil fuels and the pressing challenges of climate change underscore the critical role of clean energy technologies in the transition to sustainable energy sources. Among these innovations, solar chimneys are expected to play a significant role in enhancing energy efficiency by serving as an alternative to traditional mechanical ventilation systems. This paper investigates the ventilation performance of a newly designed solar chimney under two different scenarios: one without wind influence and the other with wind effects. The results indicate that the solar chimney operating without wind achieved a maximum volumetric flow rate of 0.081 m3/s when the top was open. However, a comparison of various configurations, top open, top closed, and all sides open, revealed a significant decrease in volumetric flow rates. The top closed configuration produced a flow rate of 0.051 m3/s, while the sides open configuration only reached 0.017 m3/s, both under a heat flux of 750 W/m2. In contrast, the solar chimney exposed to wind demonstrated notably improved performance across all opening configurations, attaining a maximum flow rate of 0.563 m3/s at solar radiation of 500 W/m2 and a wind speed of 5 m/s. The findings of this study highlight the considerable enhancement in ventilation rates provided by wind compared to the operation of the solar chimney without wind.