A finite volume method for the analysis of the thermo-flow field of a solar chimney collector

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:This study investigates the implementation of the finite volume numericalmethod applicable to non-orthogonal control volumes and the application ofthe method to calculate the thermo-flow field within the collector area of asolar chimney power generating plant. The discretisation of the governingequations for the transient, Newtonian, incompressible and turbulent fluidflow, including heat transfer, is presented for a non-orthogonal coordinateframe. The standard k - E turbulence model, modified to include roughsurfaces, is included and evaluated in the method.An implicit solution procedure (SIP-semi implicit procedure) as an alternativeto a direct solution procedure for the calculation of the flow field on nonstaggeredgrids is investigated, presented and evaluated in this study. TheRhie and Chow interpolation practice was employed with the pressurecorrectionequation to eliminate the presence of pressure oscillations on nonstaggeredgrids.The computer code for the solution of the three-dimensional thermo-flowfields is developed in FORTRAN 77. The code is evaluated against simpletest cases for which analytical and experimental results exist. It is alsoapplied to the analysis of the thermo-flow field of the air flow through aradial solar collector.KEYWORDS:NUMERICAL METHOD, FINITE VOLUME, NON-ORTHOGONAL, k+-eTURBULENCE MODEL, SIP

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University