Solar Chimney Applications in Buildings

As a result of the severe repercussions of global warming, an increasing number of stakeholders have shifted their attention from conventional to renewable energy sources to alleviate the energy load and relieve the strain of high energy prices.

The critical factors of thermal and ventilation performance of natural ventilation systems, including airflow rate and temperature change.

Due to the potential benefits of passive ventilation systems in economic and energy conservation and resistance against noise and carbon dioxide emission.

This chapter laid out and amalgamated some essential principles and concepts in detail for completeness. The modeling approach described herein applies the hydrostatic pressure relationship and Bernoulli’s theorem along streamlines passing via vents.

Due to the rapidly rising energy price and operation costs, a growing number of stakeholders in the building sector have shifted their focus on energy supply from conventional to renewable energy resources.

Overusing traditional energy resources has led to many practical problems, such as energy crisis and environmental pollution. The building sector accounts for roughly 40% of total energy usage for space cooling and heating.

Buoyancy-driven ventilation has been widely studied as an essential role in natural ventilation. By leveraging the potential for solar radiation, the passive solar design strategy could achieve multiple functions to reduce energy consumption (Simões et al in Energy, 121197, 2021; Noorollahi in Energy 218, 2021). Following the airflow pattern, the passive ventilation system can achieve natural ventilation, space heating/cooling, and preheating air (Zhang in Renew Sustain Energy Rev 141, 2021; Monghasemi and Vadiee in Renew Sustain Energy Rev 81:2714–2730, 2018; Zhang in Appl Energy 165:707–734, 2016; Pourshab in Energy 200, 2020). Air density gradients mainly produce pressure differences at different locations (Bachrun et al in EduARCHsia & Senvar 2019 International Conference (EduARCHsia 2019). Atlantis Press, 2020). Buoyant ventilation systems featuring air channels, such as solar chimneys, Trombe walls, and double skin façades, share similar physical processes. Significantly, passive solar designs are preferable in tropical climates and medium/low-rise buildings (Miyazaki et al. in Renewable Energy 31:987–1010, 2006; Hamdy and Fikry in Renewable Energy 14:381–386, 1998;). Besides, buoyancy-driven ventilation systems are adequate for low floors, while improving ventilation on high floors requires adjusting the vent area or using mixed modes of ventilation (Yang and Li in Energy Build 92:296–305, 2015; Acred and Hunt in Build Environ 71:121–130, 2014).

Natural ventilation, esteemed as an energy-conserving approach for building aeration, necessitates reliable methodologies to forecast a building’s potential for natural ventilation, playing a pivotal role in governing indoor air parameters. Capitalizing on solar radiation potential, passive solar design strategies could fulfill numerous functions aiming to curtail energy consumption (Simões et al in Energy, 121197, 2021; Noorollahi in Energy 218, 2021). Adhering to the airflow pattern, the passive ventilation system can markedly realize natural ventilation, space heating/cooling, and air pre-heating (Zhang in Renew Sustain Energy Rev 141, 2021; Monghasemi and Vadiee in Renew Sustain Energy Rev 81:2714–2730, 2018; Zhang in Appl Energy 165:707–734, 2016; Pourshab in Energy 200, 2020).