Computational Analysis of Air Velocity in a Solar Chimney with an Extended Ground Thermal Absorption Medium

The bulk size of the solar collector is one of the main setbacks in adopting solar chimneys for power generation.The objective of this paper is to investigate the possibility of extending the absorbing medium outside the canopy.The paper presents numerical investigation procedure and simulation results for solar chimney enhancement with extended ground thermal absorbing assembly with no cover.Solar radiation is an important factor in influencing the ambient conditions outside the system.The paper presents numerical investigation procedure and simulation results for solar chimney enhancement with extended ground thermal absorbing assembly with no cover.Through CFD, the velocity and temperature inside the solar chimney are considered performance indicators.The novel, simple, easily implemented, and low-cost approach of adding the extended ground material around the collector increases the temperature in the region before the inlet to the collector and improves the flow inside the system.Results show an increase of up to 8.8 in air velocity at the base of the chimney model with the proposed extended absorbing area, which is around a 29 increase in the air's power at the chimney base. © 2023, Institute of Technology PETRONAS Sdn Bhd.