Modified solar chimney configuration with a heat exchanger: Experiment and CFD simulation

The performance of a modified solar chimney is studied numerically and experimentally. In this solar chimney, the classical solar collector array is replaced by a heat exchanger located in the middle section of the chimney. The natural convection inside is simulated by the commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code COMSOL. This software is used first to perform an optimization of the power output and to determine the optimal dimensions of the chimney prototype. From the parameters obtained numerically, a two-meter high chimney model is built to measure temperature profiles and power output of the chimney. The comparison between numerical and experimental results shows a difference lower than 6.2% for the power generated. Our prototype achieves a higher power density in comparison with other reported prototypes based on conventional solar chimney concept of similar height.

Automated summary

The performance of a modified solar chimney was studied both numerically and experimentally. The numerical simulation with COMSOL software was used for optimization and determining the optimal dimensions of the chimney prototype. The experimental results showed that the prototype achieved a higher power density compared to conventional solar chimney concepts of similar height.