The design of solar chimney power plant for sustainable power generation

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2014-07-30
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Abstract
The solar chimney power plant (SCPP) also known as ‘solar updraft tower’ is a nonconcentrating solar thermal technology, which employs both solar and wind energy to operate. The plant essentially consists of three basic parts; a large greenhouse collector, which surrounds a tall chimney and a wind turbine geared to a generator at the base of the chimney. The collector converts solar radiation into thermal energy by means of greenhouse effect to heat the air beneath; subsequently the heated air is converted into kinetic energy in the chimney to drive the wind turbine to produce power. The mathematical model as a tool was used to analysis the design and performance of the SCPP for electrical power production in Takoradi city. Based on the model, mathematical equations were obtained for the solar radiation collection, useful energy, and the electrical power output by using the wind turbine. The model was then used to estimate for the power output of a 25 m diameter size collector and 50 m tall chimney, and obtained an output of 48 kW. Based on the result obtained, it was observed that, the output power is effectively dependent on the solar irradiance, chimney height and collector diameter and that the power output could be enhanced when the setup is built on a large scale in an area where there is abundance of solar radiation.
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A Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Renewable Energy Technologies, May-2014
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