solar updraft power plant :

Name 1: Hassan Krayani

Name 2: Tarek Orabi

Department: Mechanical Engineering

Submitted to

Dr Ali .shaito and Dr Mohamad Ramadan

Summary
Renewable and sustainable energy sources are nowadays considered to be a
key element for sustainable development of the worldwide economy. The
solar updraft power plant technology addresses a very challenging, not yet
exploited, idea of combining both kinds of renewable energy: wind and solar.
The basic idea is to conversion of solar radiation into electric power.

The working principle is a solar updraft power plant (SUPP) consists of the
collector area, turbine(s) with couples generator(s) as power conversion unit,
solar chimney, indirect contact heat exchanger, pump, spray nozzle and
solar pond. In the collector area, a large glass-covered area, solar radiation
heats the collector ground and warm up the air inside the collector area,
through mechanism of natural convection, the buoyant air rises up into the
chimney of the plant, the air flow through the solar tower due to pressure
difference between the column of cold air outside and column of hot air
inside the chimney, the kinetic energy of the air turns the blades of the
turbine which in turn drives the generators, so the stream of warm air is
transformed into electric power.

The production of energy is then based on natural updraft of heated air, and
the natural fuel of solar radiation that is unlimited. Its energy generation
does not need water for cooling and is free of direct carbon dioxide
emissions. If one incorporates all energies required for the plant construction
in the evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions, one ends up with 70 to 170 g
of CO2- equivalent per KWh of produced electricity, depending of life
duration and the installed capacity of the plant. Intended design aims are 80
to 120 years, with long- period renewals of the turbo-generators and of the
glass roof.

Therefore, the potential of an unrivalled economical energy production can

be achieved only through the highest degree of optimization of the structural
behavior, the thermodynamic efficiency and the construction costs.

Statement of problem
Current electricity production from coal, oil and natural gas is damaging the
environment, is not sustainable and many developing countries cannot afford
these energy sources. Nuclear power stations are an unacceptable risk in
most locations. But inadequate energy supply leads to or maintains poverty,
which commonly is accompanied by population explosion: a vicious circle.

Sensible technology for the wide use of renewable energy must be simple
and reliable, accessible to the technologically less developed countries that
are sunny and often have limited raw material resources, it should not need
cooling water or produce waste and should be based on environmentally
sound production from renewable or recyclable materials. Its obvious that,
to raise the efficiency of this plant, the tower height must be as high
possible. Another important aspect is that of the cost operation and
maintenance, although, a good design does not require much maintenance
cost. The investment cost is on the high side, since a good solar tower work
best when solar collector has a large diameter as possible. This implies that
much area of land is required to set up this robust and green power plant.

However, it is evident that the maximum power output of the turbine

depends largely upon the inlet velocity of heated air entering tower. The
solar updraft is a power plant that utilizes solar radiation intensity to increase
the temperature of the air and the buoyance force of the warm air to
accelerate the air flow through the system.

Invariably, another important requirement of this study is to design the

turbine unite in a way it can function at its best. This can be achieved by
applying the profound of flow mechanics and heat exchange and solar
radiation.
Design Objectives

Updraft hot air in solar updraft tower works as a heat engine, enhancements
of heat engine cycle participate with: Increase the temperature difference in
the heat engine by raise the warm side temperature in the solar collector
and achievement the chemical properties of working fluid.
Integrate salinity in the solar pond of the updraft tower to produce power.
When evaporation open reservoirs are used in series as in a salt work, the
beginning reservoir supplies perfect ways for making solar ponds while the
last reservoir in the series can be the source of quite salty brine to keep the
salinity of the bed of the solar pond. Thermal heat is extracted from the bed
interface between the gradient layer and the undermost convective region,
then pumping it over a water-to-air direct contact heat exchanger inside the
tower. Next to transfer its heat, the water is returned to the bed of the solar
pond. Therefore the ambient air is heated as a result of the required draft
inside the tower.
Applied a diffuser shape as the first step in optimizing the tower shape in a
trial to increase power generation using fluid dynamics, the objective of this
shape is to increase the velocity flow rate of hot air inside the chimney and
this lead to high impulse air on blade turbine and to more power generation.
Installed spray nozzle inside the chimney and before the turbine location this
will help the air flow to accelerate as possible as to reach the maximum
velocity
Thermal water storage as simple water tube, placed on the ground, increase
the storage capacity and can yield a uniform 24 h electricity generation.
Parametric study of the effect of collector radius and chimney height, the
annual performance analysis of solar chimney power plant on output power
and numerical analysis of the optimal turbine pressure drop ratio in solar
chimney and output power in Lebanon

Budget
References
[1] International Journal of Engineering and Technical Research (IJETR) ISSN:
2321-0869, Volume-2, Issue-7, July 2014

[2] http://file.scirp.org/pdf/EPE_2014101509551082.pdf