Analytical and Experimental Investigation of the Solar Chimney System

Abstract

In this, paper the authors propose a new simplified method of solving the problem of air flow through a solar chimney system using a classical system of equations for the principles of conservation (momentum, mass, and energy), as well as a general solution to research the problem using similarity theory. The method presented in this paper allows one to design a solar chimney. The theoretical analysis was compared with experimental studies on existing solar towers. The experimental and theoretical studies were satisfactorily consistent. For clarity, the phenomenon of heat flow in the solar chimney was described using dimensionless numbers, such as the Reynolds, Grashof, Galileo, Biot, and Prandtl numbers. In the equations for the dimensionless geometric parameters, the ratios of the collector radius to the thickness gap, height, and chimney radius were used. The method used to test the system of equations allows us to analyse various solar collectors easily. In the scientific literature, there is a lack of a simple calculation method to use in engineering practice, suitable for each type of solar chimney independent of dimensions and construction parameters.

Keywords

• solar chimney
• air flow
• analytical and experimental solutions
• method of calculation