Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Minas Gerais - CEFET-MG, Av. Amazonas, 7675, Nova Gameleira, 30510-000 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
Bernardes, M.A.d.S., Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Minas Gerais - CEFET-MG, Av. Amazonas, 7675, Nova Gameleira, 30510-000 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; von Backström, T.W., Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
Numerical simulations are carried out to study the performance of two schemes of power output control applicable to solar chimney power plants. Either the volume flow or the turbine pressure drop is used as independent control variable. Values found in the literature for the optimum ratio of turbine pressure drop to pressure potential vary between 2/3 and 0.97. It is shown that the optimum ratio is not constant during the whole day and it is dependent of the heat transfer coefficients applied to the collector. This study is a contribution towards understanding solar chimney power plant performance and control and may be useful in the design of solar chimney turbines. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Independent control; Numerical simulation; Operational control; Optimum ratio; Power output control; Solar chimney; Solar chimney power plant; Volume flow; Computer simulation; Heat transfer; Power plants; Pressure drop; Turbines; Solar chimneys; heat transfer; numerical model; power generation; power plant; pressure drop; solar power; turbine
