Design and Optimization of Pilot-Scale Solar Updraft Towers Using High-Temperature Materials, Multi-Stage Turbine Configurations, and Reduced-Order Loss Models

A promising proposal for solar thermal power generation, solar updraft towers (SUTs) use buoyancy-driven airflow beneath a large solar collector to power a turbine-generator unit. In order to design and evaluate the performance of a pilot-scale SUT, this study creates an integrated analytical framework that includes solar-geometry modelling, clearsky radiation prediction, collector optical analysis, convective-radiative heat-loss estimation, turbine aerodynamic optimisation, materials selection, and thermal-storage sizing. Using seasonal solar-angle estimates and ASHRAE-based relationships, hourly beam, diffuse, and global irradiance were assessed, allowing for the discovery of optimal operation times all year round. Refraction and absorption models were used to quantify the transmissivity and transmittance-absorptance products of the glazed collector cover, resulting in high optical efficiency and a net absorbed flux of almost 799 W m⁻². An overall collector efficiency of 43.8% was anticipated using resistance-network heat-transfer analysis, which is in good agreement with published research. A multi-criteria materials assessment guaranteed thermo-mechanical integrity and cost-effectiveness for the collector, chimney, turbine blades, and storage medium, while blade-element momentum theory was used to optimise turbine shape to maximise pressure-drop utilisation. The final dataset offers a scalable blueprint for upcoming pilot and utility-scale SUT installations as well as a repeatable, end-to-end design process.