The experimental appraisement of the effect of energy storage on the performance of solar chimney using phase change material

This research aims at investigating the performance of a laboratory solar chimney using thermal phase change material. The geometric properties of this prototype consist of a chimney 0.3 m in diameter and the length of 12 m and an air collector with the diameter and height of 11 m and 0.65 m, respectively. Some measuring instruments including air speed meter, temperature sensors, and a processor are employed so as to record changes in temperature of intake air, ground, and air trapped within the collector in addition to speed alterations of intake air in three modes of utilizing soil, water and paraffin as a thermal storage material. It can be clearly seen from the results that using water and paraffin as thermal storage materials have increased the time productivity by 9% and 20%, and electric energy production by 6.2% and 22%, respectively in comparison to no absorber state in this solar power plant.