Abstract
Solar chimney power plant coupled with solar pond (SCPP-SP) was proposed as a novel concept for the solar-driven removal of methane from the atmosphere. However, its performance is sensitive to ambient conditions. This study developed a comprehensive numerical model to evaluate the SCPP-SP under open-environment conditions. The effects of ambient crosswind (ACW), relative humidity (RH), turbine pressure drop, and ground heat flux (GHF) on methane removal rate and carbon reduction performance were systematically investigated. The results indicated that methane depletion was dominated by oxidation pathways involving hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and chlorine atoms (Cl•). The generation and distribution of these reactive species were highly sensitive to the external environment. At an ACW of 15 m/s and a GHF of 600 W/m2, only 22.33% of ozone was converted into •OH, whereas high Cl• concentrations were confined to the region above the SP. ACW and RH exerted much stronger effects on methane removal rate than the turbine pressure drop. The methane removal rate varied non-monotonically with ACW, reaching a maximum of 2.31 kg/h at 10 m/s. With RH increasing from 36% to 76%, the methane removal rate increased from 1.26 to 2.31 kg/h. The peak carbon reduction benefit was 193.43 kg/h at ACW = 10 m/s with a turbine pressure drop of 40 Pa. This study clarified the coupled transport-reaction mechanism of SCPP-SP in open space and provided a quantitative basis for its design and climate-mitigation application.
Abstract by the authors, reproduced under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Original publication via the link below.