Abstract:
This study investigates the possibility of applying a large-scale solar updraft tower power
plant in India with local ground conditions as an environmentally friendly and economically viable
energy source. A reference model Solar Updraft Tower Power Plant (SUTPP) is constructed to
examine the influence of the most prominent plant dimensional parameters, including collector
radius (RCollector), tower height (HTower), and tower radius (RTower) with dimensional limits and
intervals on the power output of the SUTPP. Udat, Rajasthan, India, is used as a reference location for
meteorological conditions to evaluate SUTPP power output equations for a ranging power output,
with position coordinates of 27 350 and 72 430 . Multiple simulations for the objective function are
carried out, and the outcomes are compared to the optimized dimensions of each set of plants. The
model examines the effect of variation in ambient, plant geometry, and material conditions on power
output and analyzes efficiency and power output for optimizing configuration. There exists no
definitive approach to determining the proper correlation between the geometrical parameters of
a SUTPP with optimized power output. For a fixed power output, the tower radius (RTower) serves
as the most influencing dimensional parameter in SUTPP performance. A change in tower height
(HTower) has a detrimental impact on SUTPP output and performance. An initial increase in collector
radius (RCollector) has a positive influence on SUTPP performance; however, this effect reduces as
collector radius (RCollector) increases.
