Heat Absorption Properties of Ground Material for Solar Chimney Power Plants

Abstract

One of the major challenges to the widespread application of the solar chimney power plant is its low-power conversion efficiency because of the three technological processes involved. The chimney efficiency is difficult to improve, and thus enhancing the collector or turbine performance can considerably improve the total plant efficiency. This work focused on enhancing the energy conversion efficiency of the collector and also extending the operation time using a heat storage medium. The solar to thermal conversion and thermal storage capabilities of six ground materials that are potentially available in Malaysia were studied experimentally and numerically. The experimental model was designed such that the six materials were exposed to the same operation boundary conditions. The numerical studies were conducted using ANSYS software, where the geometrical models were developed and simulated using FLUENT for the fluid flow and energy/thermal field studies. The selected ground materials were ceramic, black stones, sawdust, dark-green painted wood, sand, and pebbles. The simulation and experimental results are in good agreement in terms of air stream velocity and energy conversion efficiency. The results showed that the different materials have different heat storage capacities, and that ceramics extend the operation with improved efficiency until nighttime. The results also showed that ceramic and black stones have better performance than the other materials. However, black stones are recommended as the absorbing material for solar chimney power plants in Malaysia and regional countries because they are readily available.

Comparative Analysis of Longitudinal Vortex Generators and Louvered Fins in Enhancing Thermal Performance in Compact Heat Exchangers

“…Manufacturing costs, integral to the practical application of designs, were not evaluated for fins incorporating either LVGs or louvered fins. The use of longitudinal vortex generators can be explored in other fields as in photovoltaics systems cooling with air [16], in wind energy harvesting by aeroelastic excitation [17], for thermal energy storage systems [18], and for air pumps to enhance the flow in the mixing devices [19].…”

Performance augmentation of photovoltaic solar chimneys using asphalt material

“…Al‐Azawiey and Hassan 31 used six heat‐absorbing floors (ceramic‐sawdust‐black stones‐sand‐wood‐gravel) to increase the duration of the SC operation after sunset. This study differs from the current system in which the PCM was used.…”

Mathematical Modeling of a Novel PVT-Fin System for Maximum Energy Yield

“…This growth is evident in the surge in electricity capacity generated by solar panels, escalating from 23 GW in 2009 to a remarkable 627 GW in 2019 [3]. Consequently, the annual market demand for photovoltaic technology is steadily increasing [4,5]. In Indonesia, the development of solar panel applications for both on-and offgrid systems has already begun.…”