Thermal Performance Evaluation of a Solar Chimney with Lightweight Enclosure Materials
Keywords:
aerogel, lightweight material, MAPE, passive ventilation, polycarbonate, solar chimney, thermal modellingAbstract
Solar chimneys provide passive ventilation by converting solar radiation into buoyancy-driven airflow. While geometric optimization has been extensively studied, the influence of lightweight enclosure materials remains insufficiently quantified. This study experimentally and numerically evaluated the thermal performance of a solar chimney integrated with three lightweight materials: aerogel composite panel, polycarbonate twin-wall sheet, and expanded polystyrene sandwich board. A laboratory-scale prototype was constructed and tested under tropical outdoor conditions. Outlet air temperature, airflow velocity, and solar irradiance were recorded. A Python-based transient thermal model was developed and validated using the Mean Absolute Percentage Error. The aerogel configuration produced the highest temperature rise and thermal efficiency, with a temperature prediction error below 5%. Polycarbonate showed intermediate performance, while EPS exhibited the lowest thermal gain. The validated numerical model successfully reproduced experimental trends for all configurations. The findings demonstrate that lightweight material selection significantly influences solar chimney efficiency and should be considered a primary design variable.
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