In the current study, the performance analysis of a solar chimney power plant expected to provide off-grid electric power demand for villages located in Iranian central regions is presented. High annual average of solar radiation and available desert lands in the central parts of Iran are factors to encourage the full development of a solar chimney power plant for the thermal and electrical production of energy for various uses. The interested is in Kerman where solar radiation is much better than other areas of Iran. The obtained results clear that solar chimney power plants having 244 m diameter can produce from 25.3 to 43.2 MW h of electricity power on a site like Kerman during different months of a year, according to an estimation calculated from the monthly average of sunning. This power production is sufficient for the needs of the isolated areas and can even used to feed the main electrical grid.

Studies of the DLR Mediterranean – Concentrated Solar Project indicate Iran can be a part of the Mediterranean renewable power generation chain in 2050 to provide the electrical power demand of Europe. However, Iran as a developing country and due to its large area has some limitations on the number of synoptic stations. Hence, the aim of this study is to determine the theoretical solar irradiation potential in Iran by using an Niroo Research Institute irradiation model based on the geographical and meteorological data. Monthly, seasonal, and annual values of irradiation on the ground surface, and extracted solar energy from different tracking systems, are estimated across the country. A typical photovoltaic system, parabolic trough, and dish concentrator are considered and extracted solar energy of them is illustrated on the map. Results of this study make clear that the presented solar atlas can provide appropriate tools for primary study of solar energy potential and extracted energy in Iran.

In this numerical study, the performance of ceramic-based mullite hollow fiber (HF) membranes in a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process was evaluated. Three types of membranes were tested: (i) hydrophobic membrane C8-HFM, (ii) rod-like omniphobic membrane (C8-RL/TiO₂), and (iii) flower-like omniphobic membrane (C8-FL/TiO₂). The CFD model was developed and validated with experimental results, which were performed over a 500 min period. The initial mass flux of C8-HFM was 30% and 9% higher than that of C8-FL/TiO₂ and C8-RL/TiO₂, respectively. However, the flower-like omniphobic membrane C8-FL/TiO₂ had the lowest drop in flux, around 11%, while the rod-like omniphobic membrane C8-RL/TiO₂ had a 15% reduction, both better than the 23% reduction in the hydrophobic membrane C8-HFM over the 500 min. The study also analyzed the impact of fouling by examining the variation in mass transfer coefficient (MTC) over time. The results indicated that the ceramic-based mullite HF membranes with TiO₂ flowers and rods demonstrated a high resistance to fouling compared to C8-HFM. The modified membranes could find applications in the desalination and handling of seawater samples containing organic contaminants. The CFD model’s versatility can be utilized beyond the current investigation’s scope, offering a valuable tool for efficient membrane development solutions, particularly for challenges such as the presence of organic contaminants in seawater.