The Impact of Several Construction Elements on the Thermal Performance of Solar Chimneys

Solar chimneys may provide enough ventilation to buildings when properly designed. Although many design tools, theoretical models and experimental studies have been reported, the impact of many design parameters such as the construction thickness, the thermal resistance of the walls, the absorptivity of the internal surfaces of the chimney, the thermal mass of the chimney and the type of glazing, is not well known. This paper aims to provide information on the optimum sizing of the above parameters. Dynamic simulations and sensitivity analysis have been carried out and specific information on the impact of each parameter is given.