Wind effects on a solar updraft power plant

Abstract A solar updraft power plant (SUPP) technology is a promising large-scale utilizing technology of renewable energy resource. Since the feasibility of the technology was demonstrated by the successful operation of the Manzanares pilot prototype, the plant performance has been widely studied. This paper carries out computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of an SUPP, analyzes the characteristics of the mean and fluctuating wind pressures on the internal and external surfaces of solar updraft tower (SUT) and the upper and lower surfaces of solar collector roof, examines the effects of the SUT and baffle to the pressure on the roof's upper and lower surfaces, and discusses the effects of vortexes to the plant surface pressures and the potential effect of vortex shedding to the tower structural dynamics. It is hoped that this paper will guide further study and accurate design on this interesting power plant.