Keywords: solar chimney, simulation, fin, optimization, FLUENT, velocity vector.

Growing energy consumption, industrial progress, and limited fossil fuel sources are essential reasons for the need for new approaches to energy supply. Solar chimney power plants are one of the important categories for solar applications. Effective factors for solar chimney performance are divided into two main categories: geometric and climatic condition parameters. In this study, new mechanisms in the geometry of the solar chimney were introduced for the purpose of optimization and improving the performance of the solar chimney pilot in The University of Tehran, Iran. First, the performance evaluation of the solar chimney power plant was carried out using the FLUENT software based on the geometrical dimensions of the solar chimney power plant at the University of Tehran. The mechanism of fluid guiding vanes was used which are located in the collector and absorber. Three main parameters, including the angle, length, and location of the fins were evaluated for eleven different cases and, after that the predictions were compared with the experimental data. The results showed that these simple mechanisms may be used to enhance efficiency significantly. The fin angle of 10 degrees, fin length of 3cm, and the location of the roof collector for the vanes have the best output for the pilot set-up. The maximum velocity and temperature obtained for these geometric dimensions were 1.670m/s and 332.93K, respectively. Also, the air velocity of the solar chimney pilot can be raised from 8 to 28 percent for different cases; however, in some cases this mechanism has a negative effect on efficiency.

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