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orgInternationalJournalofEnergyScience(IJES)Volume3Issue4,August2013

NumericalAnalysisofFlowsinaSolar
ChimneyPowerPlantwithaCurvedJunction
TaharTayebi*1,MahfoudDjezzar2
EnergyPhysicsLaboratory,DepartmentofPhysics,FacultyofExactSciences,Constantine1University
AnElbeyRoad,Constantine,25000,Algeria.
*1

tahartayebi@gmail.com;2mdjezzar@yahoo.fr

Abstract

electricity for 7 years, thus proving the eciency and

reliabilityofthisnoveltechnology.Thechimneytower
was 194.6m height, and the collector had a radius of
122m. Fundamental investigations for the Spanish
systemwerereportedby(Haaf,etal.,1983)inwhich
abriefdiscussionoftheenergybalance,designcriteria,
andcostanalysiswaspresented.Effortswerefocused
essentially on analyzing performances and cost of
solar chimney. (Bernardes, et al., 1999) presented a
theoretical analysis of a solar chimney, operating on
naturallaminarconvectioninsteadystate.Inorderto
predict thermohydrodynamic behavior of air,
temperatureconditionswereimposedonentrance,so
astoguaranteesteadylaminarflowalongthedevice.
Themathematicalmodelwasanalyzedbythemethod
ofFinitevolumesingeneralizedcoordinates.Velocity
field and temperature distribution in the flow were
obtained under imposed thermal conditions. (Von
Backstrm & Fluri, 2006) investigated analytically the
validity and applicability of the assumption that, for
maximum fluid power, the optimum ratio of turbine
pressure drop to pressure potential is 2/3. (Von
Backstrm&Gannon,2000)wereinterestedmainly
in a onedimensional compressible flow for the
thermodynamic variable as dependence on chimney
height, wall friction, additional losses, internal drag
and area exchange. (Pretorius & Krger, 2006)
evaluatedtheinfluenceofadevelopedconvectiveheat
transfer equation, more accurate turbine inlet loss
coefficient, quality collector roof glass and various
typesofsoilontheperformanceofalargescalesolar
chimney power plant. (Ming, et al.,2006) presented a
mathematical model to evaluate the relative static
pressureanddrivingforceofthesolarchimneypower
plant system and verified the model with numerical
simulations. (Maia et al.,2009) presented a theoretical
analysis of a turbulent flow inside a solar chimney.
They showed that the most important physical
elements in a solar chimney system are the tower
dimensions as they cause the most significant

TheSolarChimneyPowerPlantSystem(SCPPS)isasimple
solarthermalpowerplantthatiscapableofconvertingsolar
energy into thermal energy in the solar collector. In the
secondstage,thegeneratedthermalenergyisconvertedinto
kinetic energy in the chimney and ultimately into electric
energy using a combination of a wind turbine and a
generator. This study is to conduct a more detailed
numerical analysis of solar chimney power plant system
withacurvedjunction.Thispapersummarizesanumerical
study flow in a solar chimney with a curved junction. The
fluid is the air (Pr=0.702), and considered as a Newtonian
andincompressiblefluid.Thegoverningequationsaretaken
to be in the vorticitystream function formulation in
hyperbolic coordinates by using the Boussinesq
approximation. For heating conditions, an isothermal walls
of the collector has been supposed. Solution of the defined
equations has been done with numerical control volume
method.Additionally,theeffectofthesystemgeometry(the
curved junction) on the heat transfer phenomenon in the
solarchimneyhasbeenexamined.Resultsarerelatedtothe
temperature distribution and the velocity field in the
chimneyandinthecollector.
Keywords
Solar Chimney Power Plant; Heat Transfer; Curved Junction;
HyperbolicCoordinates

Introduction
A Solar Chimney Power Plant System (SCPPS) is
composedofasolarcollector,toraisetheenergylevel
of the air by greenhouse effect of a chimney tower
ensuringthecirculationofairpergradientofdensity,
andofanaerogeneratortoproduceelectricpower.
ProfessorSchlaichofStuttgartoriginallyproposedthe
solarchimneyconceptinthelate1970s (Schlaich,1995).
Less than 4 years after he presented this ides at a
conference, construction on a pilot plant began in
Manzanares, Spain, as a result of a joint venture
betweentheGermangovernmentandaSpanishutility.
A 36 kW pilot plant was built, which produced

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variation in the flow behavior. An increase in the

heightanddiameterofthetowerproducestherisein
the mass flow rate and decrement in the flow
temperature. (Koonsrisuk & Chitsomboon, 2009)
studied about the ventilation efficiency of solar
chimney by comparing between five of the
mathematical simulationsand five of CFD simulation
both from the previous researches. (Koonsrisuk &
Chitsomboon,2007)proposeddimensionlessvariables
to guide the experimental study of flow in a small
scale solar chimney: a solar power plant to generate
electricity. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
methodology was employed to obtainresults thatare
used to prove the similarity of the proposed
dimensionless variables. (Pastohr et al., 2004)
presented a numerical simulation result in which the
storage layer was regarded as solid. In their paper,
conjugatenumericalsimulationsoftheenergystorage
layer, the collector and the chimney have been
conducted, and the characteristics of the heat storage
system, and the flow and heat transfer in the whole
system havebeen studied. (Zhou, et al., 2007) have
performed an experimental study in a solar chimney.
A pilot experimental solar chimney power setup
consisting of an air collector of 10 m in diameter and
an 8 m height chimney was built. The authors noted
that the temperature difference between the collector
outlettemperatureandtheoneoftheambientusually
mightreachasmuchas24.18C,whichgeneratesthe
driving force of the air flow in the setup. Their data
analysis showed an air temperature inversion in the
latter chimney after sunrise and this is due to the
increase of solar radiation from the minimum. The
phenomenon disappears once a driving force is
generatedbyatemperaturehighenoughtoovercome
it. (Koonsrisuk et al., 2010) described the constructal
theory search for the geometry of a solar chimney.
(Sangietal.,2011)developedamathematicalmodelto
accurately describe the solar chimney power plant
mechanism. Numerical profiles for the temperature,
velocity and pressure in the collector of the solar
chimney power plant were shown for three dierent
solar radiations. (Chergui et al., 2010) presented a
study considering the heat transfer process and the
fluidflowinthecollectorandthechimneyundersome
imposed operational conditions. The temperature
difference through the Rayleigh number, the velocity
field and the temperature distribution, through the
system, have been evaluated. Results showed local
flow characteristics and it appears that for most
Rayleigh numbers, the flow seems laminar except for

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Raleigh number of 108 where there are some

disturbances.
Problem Formulation and Basic Equations
A solar chimney has been taken into consideration
whichcontainsanincompressiblefluid(air).Theroof
and ground surface create a vertical temperature
gradient(activewalls)(Fig.1).
Thephysicalpropertiesofthefluidareconstant,apart
fromthedensitywhosevariationsareattheoriginof
the natural convection. Viscous dissipation is
neglected,justastheradiation(emissivepropertiesof
the two walls being neglected). It was accepted that
the problem is bidimensionnal, permanent and
laminar.

FIG.1PROBLEMSTUDYANDBOUNDARYCONDITIONS

The laminar natural convection equations within the

framework of the Boussinesq approximation are
written:
-

Continuityequation
u v

0
x y

(1)

Vorticityequation
u

2
2

T
g 2 2
v

x
y x
y
x

(2)

Energyequation
u

2 T 2 T
T
T
v

x
y Cp x 2 y 2

(3)

Itisconvenienttodefineareferenceframesuchasthe
limits of the system result in constant values of the
coordinates. The passage of the Cartesian coordinates

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(x, y) to the hyperbolic coordinates ,

bythefollowingrelations:
r
x

r
y
2

is obtained

0 and

(4)

r 2 2

(7)

V V 2 2 g r T
r T (8)

h h h2 2 2 h 2r
2r

Where,histhemetriccoefficient.
Theequationforthestreamfunction:
1 2 2
2 2 2
h

(18)

To solve this system of equations with associated

boundary conditions equations, a numerical solution
by the method of finite volumes has been taken into
account, presented by (Patankar, 1980) using a
numerical code (computer programme).The power
law scheme was used for the discretization. The
iterative method used for the numerical solution of
algebraic system of equations (Matrix) is the Gauss
Seidel, with an underrelaxation process. The
followingconditionisusedtodeclareconvergence:

(6)

T
T 1 2T 2T
V

h Cp 2 2

0 and

Numerical Method

(5)

Equations(1),(2)and(3)writtenthenrespectively:

hV 0
hV

0(17)

Chimneyoutlet
0,

With:

Collectorinlet

10 (19)
(9)

Where: n+1 is the current iteration and n is the

previousiteration.

The quantities characteristic used for the

dimensionless problem are the T = Th Tc between
Theroofandgroundsurface,themetriccoefficientsin
hyperboliccoordinates(h)asreferencelengthandthe
thermaldiffusivityoffluidascharacteristicvelocity.
Thedimensionlessmathematicalmodelobtainedis:

Fig.2showsthephysicaldomainandthecomputational
domain.

*
V *

1 2 * 2 *

h 2 2
2

*
* Pr 2 * 2 *
V *

H 2
2

r T *
r T *
Ra Pr

2r
2r

V *

(10)

(11)

FIG.2PHYSICALDOMAINANDCOMPUTATIONALDOMAIN

Results and Discussion

1 2T * 2T *
T *
T *

V *
(12)
H Cp 2

The grid dependence has been investigated using

different mesh sizes before settling to a mesh size of
(350x22).

Where:
V *

1 *
1 *
; V *
H
H

(13)

Our objective is to analyze the effect of geometry on

heattransferandflowofairintothechimney.Forthis
reason, we presented the isotherms and isovelocity
lines in two different geometries for three different
Rayleighnumbers.

Theboundaryconditionsarethefollowingones:
-

Theroofofthecollector
0 and

0,

0(15)

Theground
0 and

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For the validation of the computational problem, our

resultswerecomparedwiththoseofliterature:(Sangi
etal.,2011),andthestudyof(Pastohretal.,2004)and
(Cherguietal.,2010).

Theaxisofsymmetry
0,

0(14)

Figs. 35 show the dimensionless isothermal lines for

the first geometry and for Rayleigh numbers equal to

1(16)

InternationalJournalofEnergyScience(IJES)Volume3Issue4,August2013

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103, 104 and 105 respectively. When the Rayleigh

number is small, as being lower or equal to 104, the
heattransferisessentiallyconductive,sotheisotherms
have the same form as the walls and the maximum
temperatureislocatednearthegroundinthecollector
duetoheattransferexchangebetweenthissurfaceand
theairflowbeneaththecover.ForaRayleighnumber
equal to 105 swirls in isothermal lines are also
observedinthecollectorarea.

FIG.6ISOVELOCITYLINESFORTHEFIRSTGEOMETRYAND
Ra=103

FIG.3ISOTHERMALLINESFORTHEFIRSTGEOMETRYAND
Ra=103

FIG.7ISOVELOCITYLINESFORTHEFIRSTGEOMETRYAND
Ra=104

FIG.4ISOTHERMALLINESFORTHEFIRSTGEOMETRYAND
Ra=104

FIG.8ISOVELOCITYLINESFORTHEFIRSTGEOMETRYAND
Ra=105

Figs. 68 represent the isovelocity lines for the first

geometry and different Rayleigh number values. For
Ra=103and104,thevelocitymagnitudeincreaseswith
the rise of the Rayleigh number and its maximum
value is located approximately at the inlet of the
chimney as it is reported in literature (Pastohr et al.,
2004),(Sangietal.,2011)and(Cherguietal.,2010).For
these Rayleigh numbers, isovelocity lines are smooth

FIG.5ISOTHERMALLINESFORTHEFIRSTGEOMETRYAND
Ra=105

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characterizing alaminarflow,along the chimneyand

the collector, except for the region of curved junction
and the inlet of the collector where different zones of
flowrecirculationcanbeobservedduetoinstabilityof
airflow in these areas. For Ra = 105 an instability
(differentzonesofflowrecirculation)ofairflowalong
the collector can be observed. The isovelocity lines
values showan appreciable increaseinthe flow. This
means that the transfer is done primarily by
convectionandpredominatesontheconduction.

Whenthedistancebetweenthegroundandtheroofis
increased (second geometry), a disturbance of
isothermallinescanbeobservedinthecollectorzone
at the beginning of a Rayleigh number equal to 104
(Figs.911)andthenaturalconvectionisdominant.

FIG.11ISOTHERMALLINESFORTHEFIRSTGEOMETRYAND
Ra=105

Figs. 1214 illustrate the dimensionless velocity lines

for second geometry and for Rayleigh 103,104 and 105
respectively.Itshouldbenotedthatitsvalueishigher
than the one calculated in the first geometry and
always its maximum is located at the inlet of the
chimney.Alargezoneofflowrecirculationisinverted
locatedbelowthecurvedwall.

FIG.12ISOVELOCITYLINESFORTHESECONDGEOMETRY
ANDRa=103

FIG.9ISOTHERMALLINESFORTHESECONDGEOMETRYAND
Ra=103

FIG.13ISOVELOCITYLINESFORTHESECONDGEOMETRY
ANDRa=104

FIG.10ISOTHERMALLINESFORTHEFIRSTGEOMETRYAND
Ra=104

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FIG.14ISOVELOCITYLINESFORTHESECONDGEOMETRY
ANDRa=105

InternationalJournalofEnergyScience(IJES)Volume3Issue4,August2013

Fig. 15 shows the air velocity profile through the

collector for the two geometries considered and
Rayleigh 103. The velocity increases through the
collector by decreasing the radius, but it increases
moresharplybyreachingthechimneybase.Whenthe
collector radius is constant, an increase of distance
between the ground and the roof (second geometry)
causesanincreaseoftheairvelocity.Thesameresults
are observed in literatures by (Pastohr et al., 2004),
(Sangietal.,2011)and(Cherguietal.,2010).

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h:

Metriccoefficient,m;

H:

Dimensionlessmetriccoefficient;

Pr:

Prandtlnumber;

Ra:

Rayleighnumber;

T:

Fluidstemperature,K;

Th:

Temperatureoftheground,K;

Tc:

Temperatureoftheroof,K;

T:

ThTc,K;

u,v: Velocitiescomponentsaccordingtocoordinates
xandy,ms1;
V,V: Velocitiescomponentsaccordingtocoordinates
and ,ms1;
x,y:

Cartesiancoordinates,m;

GreekSymbols

Conclusions
In this paper a thermohydrodynamic analysis for air
motion in natural convection, laminar flow and steady
state has been presented for a solar chimney with
prescribed boundary conditions. A validated computer
programwasadaptedtothesolarchimneyconfiguration
to solve the governing equations, using the method of
finite volumes. Meanwhile, the effect of the system
geometry with a curved junction on the heat transfer
process and the fluid flow in the system has been
investigated, along with two different geometries
considered. The simulations were executed based on
threevaluesoftheRayleighnumber:Ra=103,Ra=104and
Ra=105.

Thermalconductivity,W.m1K1;

Kinematicviscosity,m2s1;
Density,kg.m3;

,:

Hyperboliccoordinates;

Streamfunction,m2s1;

Vorticity,s1;

Subscripts
h:

Hot;

c:

Cold;

*:

Dimensionlessparameters.

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