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Radial Turbine Design for Solar Chimney Power Plants

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Caicedo

    (Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

  • David Wood

    (Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

  • Craig Johansen

    (Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

Abstract

Solar chimney power plants (SCPPs) collect air heated over a large area on the ground and exhaust it through a turbine or turbines located near the base of a tall chimney to produce renewable electricity. SCPP design in practice is likely to be specific to the site and of variable size, both of which require a purpose-built turbine. If SCPP turbines cannot be mass produced, unlike wind turbines, for example, they should be as cheap as possible to manufacture as their design changes. It is argued that a radial inflow turbine with blades made from metal sheets, or similar material, is likely to achieve this objective. This turbine type has not previously been considered for SCPPs. This article presents the design of a radial turbine to be placed hypothetically at the bottom of the Manzanares SCPP, the only large prototype to be built. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were used to assess the turbine’s performance when installed in the SCPP. Multiple reference frames with the renormalization group k - ε turbulence model, and a discrete ordinates non-gray radiation model were used in the CFD simulations. Three radial turbines were designed and simulated. The largest power output was 77.7 kW at a shaft speed of 15 rpm for a solar radiation of 850 W/m 2 which exceeds by more than 40 kW the original axial turbine used in Manzanares. Further, the efficiency of this turbine matches the highest efficiency of competing turbine designs in the literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Caicedo & David Wood & Craig Johansen, 2021. "Radial Turbine Design for Solar Chimney Power Plants," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-18, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:3:p:674-:d:488913
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ehsan Gholamalizadeh & Jae Dong Chung, 2017. "A Comparative Study of CFD Models of a Real Wind Turbine in Solar Chimney Power Plants," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-11, October.
    2. Gholamalizadeh, Ehsan & Kim, Man-Hoe, 2016. "CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis of a solar-chimney power plant with inclined collector roof," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 661-667.
    3. Gholamalizadeh, Ehsan & Kim, Man-Hoe, 2014. "Three-dimensional CFD analysis for simulating the greenhouse effect in solar chimney power plants using a two-band radiation model," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 498-506.
    4. Denantes, F. & Bilgen, E., 2006. "Counter-rotating turbines for solar chimney power plants," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(12), pages 1873-1891.
    5. Ikeda, Teruaki & Tanaka, Hiroto & Yoshimura, Ryosuke & Noda, Ryusuke & Fujii, Takeo & Liu, Hao, 2018. "A robust biomimetic blade design for micro wind turbines," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 155-165.
    6. Tingzhen, Ming & Wei, Liu & Guoling, Xu & Yanbin, Xiong & Xuhu, Guan & Yuan, Pan, 2008. "Numerical simulation of the solar chimney power plant systems coupled with turbine," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 897-905.
    7. Kasaeian, A.B. & Molana, Sh. & Rahmani, K. & Wen, D., 2017. "A review on solar chimney systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 954-987.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Elsayed, Ahmed M. & Gaheen, Osama A. & Abdelrahman, M.A. & Aziz, Mohamed A., 2024. "An experimental investigation of a solar chimney integrated with a bladeless wind turbine for sustainable energy harvesting," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 304(C).
    3. Zhang, Chengbin & Wu, Zhe & Wang, Jiadian & Ding, Ce & Gao, Tieyu & Chen, Yongping, 2023. "Thermodynamic performance of a radial-inflow turbine for ocean thermal energy conversion using ammonia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 907-920.
    4. Nirmalendu Biswas & Dipak Kumar Mandal & Sharmistha Bose & Nirmal K. Manna & Ali Cemal Benim, 2023. "Experimental Treatment of Solar Chimney Power Plant—A Comprehensive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-41, August.
    5. Hassan Zohair Hassan, 2022. "Transient Analysis of a Solar Chimney Power Plant Integrated with a Solid-Sorption Cooling System for Combined Power and Chilled Water Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-20, September.

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