Investigation of the Effect of Chimney Diameter on Thermodynamic Performance in Solar Chimney Power Plant Design: A CFD Analysis

With technological advancements, living standards and energy demand have risen significantly. However, dependence on fossil fuels has led to environmental issues like climate change and resource depletion. Renewable sources, such as solar power, offer a sustainable alternative. This study examines the solar chimney power plant (SCPP), which harnesses solar energy. Solar radiation is captured by the glass collector, which heats the air within the system. As the air warms, its density decreases, so it rises up the chimney. The air speed reaches its peak at the narrowest part of the chimney. A wind turbine and a generator are placed at this point to obtain power from the system. In this investigation, the performance of the SCPP designs, resulting from 440 distinct combinations of 4 chimney heights, 22 chimney radii, and 5 collector radii, was analyzed using numerical simulations. An ideal gas was selected as the fluid for the simulations. A 3D design was chosen to examine the area in the chimney's shadow. Instead of defining a heat flux from the ground, the sun was defined using coordinates and a date. Furthermore, the pressure drop due to the height of the chimney outlet was calculated and defined for the system under boundary conditions. The design with the highest power output consisted of a chimney radius of 4.25 meters, a collector radius of 100 meters, and a chimney height of 200 meters. The corresponding values for velocity, mass flow rate, power, and efficiency for this optimal design were 33.40 m/s, 2213.17 kg/s, 731.33 kW, and 3.33%, respectively.