Analysis of a new solar chimney plant design for mountainous regions

Abstract

The paper presents a new design for solar chimney plants to be erected on mountainous terrain. The objective is to exploit the height of nearby mountains to replace the conventional vertical chimney by a duct built over the steep side of the mountain. The concept is evaluated here employing a computational model involving three-dimensional governing equations, describing mass, momentum and energy balances, in addition to transport of two turbulence quantities. A typical application is demonstrated for a 45° sloped mountain. The concept is shown to be plausible and offers many advantages over conventional chimney designs. © 2006 WIT Press.