Experimental and computational studies on performance of a solar chimney power plant with semi-convergent collector and divergent chimney

A Solar Chimney Power Plant (SCPP) with a semi-convergent collector fitted with a divergent chimney is studied with the help of computer simulation and experimental methods. An analysis of an inclined collector with a divergent chimney with a test on a small-scale model was made. The simulation result shows that the chimney effect increases because of the convergent collector, with an average temperature rise of 18 K. An experiment conducted in a 2 m tall tower with a semi-convergent collector of 1.6 m diameter with collector inlet height of 0.2 m achieves a peak power output of 33 W. Experimental performance and simulation results are to be in good agreement. Developing a large scale power plant helps in achieving higher power output. It is recommended that a semi convergent collector with a divergent chimney is suitable for construction of large size SCPP.