They reported that the setup achieved collector efficiency in the range of 60–80% which was three times higher compared with the traditional solar tower glazed collectors. experimentally investigated the effect of the transpired collector. The plant produced a peak power of 50 kW. The erupted Manzanares plant had a chimney height ( h ch) of 194 m and a collector diameter ( D coll) of 244 m. The first plant was constructed in Manzanares, Spain in 1981. The fast-moving air drives a turbine placed at the base of the chimney.Īt the beginning of the 19th century, Hanns Gunther first introduced the scientific idea of the SUT plant. This creates a pressure difference at the base of the chimney and air is drawn through the inlet of the SUT plant. The low density air attempts to escape via the chimney. When solar energy heats the air, its density drops, making it lighter. The main principle of this plant is buoyancy-driven flow.

In a traditional SUT plant, there are four main parts: absorber plate, thermal energy storage (TES) system, collector plates and a chimney that holds a turbine. Solar updraft tower (SUT), also known as the solar chimney power plant, is a novel approach for producing electric power from solar energy among the different solar thermal technologies available. Solar energy is a highly viable option as it is free and abundant. Solar, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal energy are viable sources of renewable energy for generating electrical power.

The results were compared with the existing experimental data and found promising agreement.įossil fuels create tremendous environmental harm, so renewable energy sources need to be encouraged for more carbon free energy generation. These abrupt variations in performance parameters proved that the fillet makes much impact on the SUT system and therefore it must be built on the base of the chimney. Also, case 2 produced a P the of 141 kW, η coll of 62% and η o of 0.25% which are with an enhancement of 73.3%, 48.44% and 72.4%, respectively. Higher updraft velocity (about 38.5% rise) was observed due to the provision of fillet in case 2. Comparative analysis was done between Case 1 and Case 2 on various performance characteristics such as turbine power ( P the), collector and overall efficiencies ( η coll, η o).

Two models of the SUT plant were developed Case 1 having no fillet, Case 2 having a 45° square fillet. The real SUT plant (Manzanares, Spain) dimensions were considered for this three-dimensional analysis. The present work provides an in-depth numerical investigation and thereby enhancing the thermal performance of the SUT plant. However, a conventional SUT plant is not economical due to its lower thermal performance. Solar updraft tower (SUT) plant is one of the potential technologies for carbon-free power generation.

Updraft novel