Performance Analysis and Comparison of a Combined Solar Chimney

Abstract

There has been substantial research undertaken on the role of solar chimney, which can reduce energy consumption and improve the indoor environment dramatically. A combined solar chimney structure composed with inclined roof solar chimney and Trombe wall was proposed and simulated numerically, which can be utilized to enhance natural ventilation effectively with better thermal efficiency. In this study, the performance of the air flow in solar chimney was simulated and validated. On the basis of simulation, the performance of the proposed combined solar chimney was compared with inclined roof solar chimney and typical Trombe wall with the similar size. Compared with inclined roof solar chimney and Trombe wall, the air flow rate of combined structure can be increased up to 33% and 55%, respectively. The results of this study support the view that the combined solar chimney can not only improve the ventilation performance in summer but also passively cool the room.