A numerical study of solar chimney for natural ventilation of buildings with heat recovery

The performance of a glazed solar chimney for heat recovery in naturally-ventilated buildings was investigated using the CFD technique. The CFD program was validated against experimental data from the literature and good agreement between the prediction and measurement was achieved. The predicted ventilation rate increased with the chimney wall temperature. The effects of solar heat gain and glazing type were investigated. It was shown that in order to maximise the ventilation rate in a cold winter, double or even triple glazing should be used. Installing heat pipes in the chimney for heat recovery not only increased the flow resistance but also decreased the thermal buoyancy effect. To achieve the required air flow rates in naturally-ventilated buildings with heat recovery, use should be made of wind forces.