Thermodynamic Power Cycle for the Solar Vortex Engine

The solar vortex engine (SVE) is an updraft solar power generation system that removes the limits and high capital costs imposed by the traditional solar chimney. In this study, a thermodynamic power cycle is developed by integrating the processes taking place along the SVE components and identifying the most significant parameters that affect the performance of the system. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed to develop and validate the power cycle. The thermodynamic processes that comprise the ideal SVE power cycle closely resemble the ideal gas turbine Brayton cycle. When the solar collector losses and turbine irreversibilities are considered, the values of the power output obtained from the power cycle become very close to the actual values acquired from the CFD simulations with an error of 4%. The cycle analysis showed that the power output of the plant can be evaluated using the same formula used for the horizontal-axis wind turbines multiplied by a new parameter represented by the solar collector temperature ratio. The air velocity at the vortex generator outlet mostly influences the power output of the plant. The results also showed that the energy conversion efficiency of the SVE is low, similar to the solar chimney power plant.