Publications

Urban air pollution has become a pressing challenge in recent times, demanding innovative solutions. This review delves into the potential of Solar Chimney Power Plants (SCPPs) as a sustainable approach to mitigating air pollution. The idea of mitigation of pollution may be an added advantage to the use of SCPPs in practice. Recent advancements, such as the integration of photocatalytic reactors (PCRs) for the elimination of greenhouse gases (GHGs), emphasizing the importance of addressing non-CO2 GHGs like CH4 and N2O are analyzed. The novelty of this review is that it not only focuses on the shifting and removal of particulate mat...

The current study explores the potential of combining small-scale solar chimney systems with blade-less wind turbines for sustainable energy solutions in Egypt through mathematical modelling, numerical simulation, and experimental work. The integration of a vortex bladeless turbine and a conventional horizontal axis wind turbine in a hybrid energy harvester solar chimney system (VBSCS) was evaluated, as well as the effect of changing the absorber material on improving the system's performance. Shredded rubber improves heat absorption in solar chimney collectors, optimizing energy conversion and providing a sustainable, eco-friendly ...

The Solar Chimney Power Plant (SCPP) presents an eco-friendly and straightforward technique for converting solar radiation into electricity. However, the performance limitations and reliability challenges of SCPPs are inherently linked to the variability and intermittency of solar radiation. To tackle this issue, using phase change materials (PCMs) can enhance the thermal energy storage and release capabilities of SCPPs. This study aims to explore the impact of PCM on the exergy efficiency and performance of a solar chimney. Two pilot solar chimneys with identical dimensions were constructed, each featuring a 4 m height chimney and ...

Ground thermal properties impact the efficiency and reliability of Solar Chimney Power Plants, yet the dynamic impact of these properties needs more consideration. This study addresses the optimization of SCPP efficiency by investigating the effect of ground materials properties on collector efficiency, updraft velocity, and temperature rise. To this end, we used a combined CFD and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) approach. Numerical simulations, validated against the Manzanares prototype, were performed, followed by regression modeling and material optimization using RSM. Weather data from Aswan, Egypt, spanning July 2021 to June...

Hybrid renewable energy systems, which utilize multiple renewable sources, are becoming increasingly popular due to the need for sustainable energy. In this study, a new hybrid power plant that combines a solar chimney power plant with geothermal energy is investigated. The new system that can be activated when solar radiation is inadequate is called “geothermal pipe” and can produce up to 71 kW of electricity using a 1000-m-deep well. A geothermal pipe power plant was designed to be integrated with a system similar to the Manzanares solar chimney with a well depth of 200 m, generating an average of 15 kW of power. By increasing...

A numerical study is carried out meticulously to scrutinize the impact of different shapes of chimneys like circular (outer dia, dc), convergent (outer dia, 0.5dc), divergent (outer dia, 1.5dc), sudden contraction (outer dia, 0.5dc), and sudden expansion (outer dia, 1.5dc) on the performance of an SCPP. Furthermore, the parametric impact with different chimney divergence angles (CDA, ), and ground absorber slope angle (GSA, ) on the SCPP performance is also scrutinized. Optimum divergence angle ( ) enhances the power generation up to ∼ 47% (76 kW) with a horizontal ground absorber surface. An increase or decrease in CDA lesse...

China is currently undergoing a large-scale renovation of rural buildings. The solar chimney, a passive solar system, emerges as a cost-effective and easily implementable solution, particularly suitable for rural regions. This study designs a solar chimney in the Hui architectural style for renovating residential buildings in rural areas of Anhui province. A selected pilot building serves as the testbed for the solar chimney implementation, with plans to extend the design to other local renovation projects. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are employed to compare various solar chimney configurations and identify the op...

This study aims to optimize the power generation of a conventional Manzanares solar chimney (SC) plant through strategic modifications to the collector inlet height, chimney diameter, and chimney divergence. Employing a finite volume-based solver for numerical analysis, we systematically scrutinize influential geometric parameters, including collector height (hi = 1.85 to 0.1 m), chimney inlet diameter (dch = 10.16 to 55.88 m), and chimney outlet diameter (do = 10.16 to 30.48 m). Our findings demonstrate that reducing the collector inlet height consistently leads to increased power output. The optimal collector inlet hei...

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems account for a significant part of the energy usage in buildings and are primarily responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs. These can be lowered by the adoption of solar energy. This paper presents the developing and testing of a novel solar chimney with sensible heat storage. The thermal performance and potential contribution of the developed thermal chimney to decreasing residential buildings energy consumption in Polish climate conditions is investigated. The developed solar air chimney is composed of a novel accumulation material that allows for sensible heat...

One of the disadvantages of solar systems is their low efficiency due to weather conditions such as dust and clouds that reduce their performance. Therefore, this article examines the impact of cloudy weather on the performance of the PV/solar chimney to demonstrate the performance of these solar systems under overcast weather conditions. The PV/solar chimney system was designed and built, and two days in December were chosen for testing: 27 December with clear weather without clouds and 28 December with cloudy weather. The results showed that cloudy weather has a clear effect on the performance of the PV/solar chimney where the in...