Bill. Yes, air coolers are always a few metres above ground to allow airflow under. It is a question of scale. If an inversion layer were set up at ground level the entire array could be sitting in a heat fog. Just looking at concepts, would they work more efficiently if they were 50-100 m above ground, i.e. if the temperature at that level was significantly lower than the 45 C just above the desert sand? A plain vertical stack would not appear to work well as the heat from the lower fans would pass through the upper ones, although the continuous vertical stream of air would be considerably enhanced, thus effectively generating the beginnings of a power tower. Building tall structures can be costly. Putting the modules of cooling pipes around the periphery of the power tower collecting shroud can keep them near ground level, and as Scoop has pointed out, removes the need for fans.
What enhanced air flow rates could be obtained in a power tower through the presence of the coolers/ heaters? How does the air turbine power output relate to the mean temperature under the shroud? The maths connecting these parameters to free convective air flows could be a little complicated. A little more lateral thinking may help.
Glad to see some people have their thinking caps on, Scoop, Geojac.
Juke
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