Numerical characterization of the solar updraft tower plant by introducing parabolic chimney profile configurations for increased performance /

Abstract

In the era of escalating climate change, the solar updraft tower plant (SUTP) harness solar energy for power generation. The depletion of conventional resources triggers a shift towards renewable energies, thermal and solar energy in specific. SUTP works using renewable source of energy based on natural convection. The appearance of recirculation region near the base of chimney associated with large eddies results in increased stagnation of the air particles in the collector, causing a decreased heat transfer between the ground and the airflow is observed near chimney base. The solar updraft tower plant (SUTP) suffers from the issue of low collector efficiency and power output. The performance of the plant is affected by various parameters including chimney profile, chimney diverging angle (CDA), and collector roof angle (CRA). In this study, using numerical methods, the SUTP is modeled and validated using the experimental results from the Manzanares prototype. Novel parabolic profile configurations are introduced and investigated to obtain improved performance of the plant. The effect of novel chimney profile configurations is investigated for 0° to 3° CDA, and using design of experiment (DOE), the best performing configuration obtained is investigated for 0° to 10° CRA. Among the inner and outer parabolic profile configurations, the inner parabolic profile resulted in increased performance, while decreased performance for the outer parabolic configuration is observed. The inner parabolic profile configuration improved the airflow, and at 1° CDA resulted in a 20.2% increased power output. Furthermore, the effect of CRA on the proposed configuration resulted in an 80.6% increased power output.