Numerical and experimental study on Solar Updraft Power Generator (SUPG)

The need for energy is fundamental to drive the economy and social from the community. Clean, renewable, and sustainable energy is the one desired by the community today. Solar Updraft Power Generator (SUPG) is one power generation system that utilizes heat from solar radiation to produce artificial wind that will drive the wind turbine. This study consists of numerical and experimental analysis. The numerical analysis uses ANSYS 17.2 and SOLIDWORKS 2016. SOLIDWORKS 2016 is the software used in designing SUPG geometry. ANSYS 17 is the software used to analyse SUPG velocity and temperature contour. Then the numerical analysis would be compared with the experimental analysis. The study took place on a SUPG the laboratory conversion energy of the Muhammadiyah University of Riau. From the numerical analysis we can conclude that the higher ΔT ground-ambient would resulting a higher air velocity. Compared numerical to experimental analysis showed a difference. For numerical analysis from ΔT ground-ambient 5°C resulting maximum velocity 1.6 m/s, while for experimental analysis from average ΔT ground-ambient 3.6°C resulting maximum velocity 4.1 m/s. This happened because there still much external force (such as wind) that increase the velocity that generated inside the Solar Updraft Power Generator beside the buoyance force. (paper)