3D simulation of solar chimney power plant considering turbine blades

In this study, a basic mathematical model is presented to describe the flow through the turbine of solar chimney. A 3D CFD simulation of the prototype solar chimney power plant of the Manzanares, considering turbine blades, was performed. The CFD simulation was verified by comparison with the experimental data of the Manzanares solar chimney power plant. Then, to show the effects of the turbine rotational speed, the quantity of turbine blades, the collector diameter and the chimney height, 12 cases of CFD simulations were run. These runs were based on 3, 4 and 5 blades, rotational speeds of 40, 80 and 100 rpm, chimney heights of 100, 200 and 300 m and collector diameters of 122, 244 and 366 m. According to the results of the simulation, the outlet air velocity, the air mass flow rate, the torque and the power are reported. The results show that, with a fixed number of blades, increasing the rotational speed would decrease the mass flow rate of air, and increase the torque and power generated by the turbine. Also, in a constant angular velocity, increasing the blade quantity would decrease the mass flow rate of air and increase the torque and power. Moreover, increasing the chimney height and collector diameter intensifies the mass flow rate and power output.