Design of Solar Towers for Extreme Storm Conditions and for Vortex Excitation

Abstract:

The structure of Solar Updraft Towers is basically a circular cylinder, which may turn into a hyperboloid at lower levels in order apply benefits of shape strengthening. The height of the tower is up to 1.5 km and it is usually designed as a thin reinforced concrete shell. The wind action is the main natural hazard, which plays a decisive role for the feasibility of the technology. An extensive wind tunnel investigation has been recently performed at WiSt laboratory at Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany) and at Criaciv laboratory at University of Florence (Italy). The tests highlighted in no-efflux conditions (out-of-use of the power plant) a new phenomenon egarding cross-wind loads, induced by a bi-stable and asymmetric flow distribution. It is created by compartments between stiffening rings along the tower and enhanced by a strong interaction with free-end flow structures at the top of a finite length circular cylinder. A proper positioning of the rings should allow to avoid this phenomenon.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 283)
• Pages: 35-39
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.283.35
• Online since: January 2013
• Authors: Francesca Lupi, Hans Juergen Niemann, Claudio Borri, Udo Peil
• Keywords: Bistable Asymmetric Flow, Circular Cylinder of Finite Length, Dynamic Wind Action, Stiffening Rings, Vortex Shedding, Wind Load

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