The solar chimney power plant system CFD is a promising technology for generating clean electricity. This system works on a simple principle: hot air rises. A large glass roof (collector) heats the air near the ground. This hot, light air travels up a tall tube (chimney), creating a strong wind that spins a turbine. However, building these huge structures is expensive. Therefore, engineers use solar chimney ANSYS Fluent simulations to test designs before construction. To ensure, we compare our CFD results with data given in a valid reference paper. Thus, this is a CFD Validation study on Solar chimney performance.

By performing a solar chimney CFD simulation, we can predict the air speed and temperature distribution accurately. This report focuses on a solar chimney CFD Validation study. We compare our computer results with real experimental data from the famous Manzanares prototype in Spain. The goal of this solar chimney power plant system Fluent analysis is to confirm that our digital model is reliable for optimizing future renewable energy plants. For more details on thermal flow modeling, please explore our Heat Transfer engineering tutorials: https://cfdland.com/product-category/engineering/heat-transfer-cfd-simulation/

• Reference [1]: Xu, Guoliang, et al. “Numerical analysis on the performance of solar chimney power plant system.” Energy Conversion and Management2 (2011): 876-883.

Figure 1: The 2D axisymmetric physical model representing the collector, energy storage layer, and chimney dimensions of the Spanish prototype [1].

Simulation process: Axisymmetric Modeling and Boussinesq Setup in Fluent

The simulation process for this solar chimney power plant system CFD study began with simplifying the geometry. Because the tower is round, we used a 2D Axisymmetric model. This saves computer time while keeping high accuracy. We generated a high-quality Structured Mesh with 289,000 cells. Using structured cells (rectangles) is very important for solar chimney ANSYS Fluent cases because they align perfectly with the long vertical flow in the chimney, reducing numerical errors.

To solve the physics, we activated the Boussinesq density approximation. This is the standard method in solar chimney CFD simulation for calculating buoyancy. It tells the software that air density changes only when temperature changes. We modeled the ground as a heat source, mimicking the solar radiation absorbed by the soil. The inlet temperature was set to ambient conditions. This setup allows the solar chimney power plant system Fluent solver to simulate the “stack effect,” where the temperature difference creates the pressure force that drives the air upward.

Figure 2: The fully structured computational mesh with 289,000 cells, featuring fine grid refinement near the ground to capture the boundary layer heat transfer.

Post-processing: Validation and Aerodynamic Performance Analysis

The post-processing analysis provides a deep look into the system’s efficiency and accuracy. We must analyze all contours and data to validate the design. First, we perform the validation by comparing our results with the experimental paper. The primary goal of this solar chimney CFD Validation was to check the outlet temperature. The experimental data from the Manzanares prototype indicates an outlet temperature of 307 K. Our solar chimney ANSYS Fluent simulation predicted an outlet temperature of 306.425 K. This is a remarkable achievement. The difference is only 0.575 K, which corresponds to an error of less than 0.2%. This proves that our settings are highly accurate and the model mimics reality perfectly.

Next, we analyze the Velocity contours in Figure 3. The contour shows the “Chimney Effect” in action. The air moves very slowly in the collector (dark blue), allowing it time to absorb heat. As it approaches the chimney base, it speeds up. The analysis confirms a peak velocity of over 20 m/s inside the chimney tube (red zone). For a manufacturer, this value is critical because the turbine power depends directly on this wind speed.

Figure 3: Velocity Magnitude contours from the solar chimney ANSYS Fluent simulation, showing the airflow accelerating from 0 m/s in the collector to over 20 m/s in the chimney.

Finally, the Temperature contours in Figure 4 and Figure 5 explain the energy transfer. We see cool air entering at 293 K. As it travels over the hot soil, the air temperature rises gradually. The contours show the hottest zone is the ground itself, which stores solar energy. The air absorbs this heat via convection and exits the top of the chimney at 306.425 K. This 13.4 K temperature rise is the engine that drives the entire system. The smooth temperature gradient proves that the collector is working efficiently to trap solar heat. This solar chimney power plant system CFD analysis confirms that the design is viable and capable of generating renewable power from simple solar radiation.

Figure 4: Static Temperature contours visualizing the thermal gradient where air enters at 293 K and heats up as it flows over the energy storage soil layer.

Figure 5: Static temperature profile along the vertical axis from collector inlet to chimney outlet, validating the CFD results against experimental data.