Heat transfer process and fluid flow in a solar chimney used for natural ventilation are investigated numerically and experimentally her in. Solar chimney was designed, manufactured and tested by selecting different positions of air entrance namely: bottom entrance, side entrance, and both side and bottom entrances. The effect of integrating the chimney with paraffin (phase change material) on its thermal behavior has been also investigated. CFD analysis based on finite volume method is used to predict the thermal performance, and fluid flow in two-dimensional solar chimney under unsteady state condition, to identify the effect of different parameters such as solar radiation, and inclination angle. Experimental results show that a solar chimney with side entrance gives better thermal performance; also integrating solar chimney with PCM extended the ventilation period after the sunset. A comparison between the numerical and the experimental results shows fair agreement. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.