Exergoeconomic and environmental investigation of an innovative poly‐generation plant driven by a solid oxide fuel cell for production of electricity, cooling, desalinated water, and hydrogen

Abstract

Fuel cell and renewable-based poly-generation plants (PGPs) are proven as advanced technologies for multiple generation purposes. To limit the greenhouse gas emissions, an innovative PGP generating electricity, cooling, desalinated water, and hydrogen is proposed in the current study. The system consists of a solid oxide fuel cell as a prime mover integrated with a gas turbine, a biomass combustion chamber, an organic Rankine cycle, an ejector refrigeration cycle, a desalination unit, and a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer integrated with solar collectors. As the most effective tools for performance evaluation, exergoeconomic, and environmental analyses have been applied. The system produces electricity of 4.4 MW, refrigeration capacity of 0.16 MW, and desalinated water of 0.96 kg/s. The attained freshwater enters the electrolyzer during 12 daylight hours, leading to hydrogen and sanitary water generation with the values of 1.55 g/s and 0.94 kg/s, respectively. The cost per unit exergy and the total cost rate of the products are 11.28 $/GJ, 223 $/h, correspondingly. Carbon dioxide emission of the system is estimated to be 10.79 kmol/MWh. According to the evaluation, the total cost rate increases with increasing current density and fuel cell inlet temperature and decreasing fuel utilization factor.

Design and parametric study of a novel solar‐driven trigeneration application utilizing a heliostat field with thermal energy storage

“…The input data in Table 1 have been utilized to simulate the CCHP system. The current study has also been simplified by considering the following assumptions [32][33][34][35] :…”

Review on the Progress of Solar Water Heaters and Their Future Perspectives

“…[51,52] Many researchers commonly utilize the following mathematical equations to evaluate the performance of SWH systems. [51,[53][54][55][56][57][58] These equations are supplemented with empirical data gathered from real-world experiments, which are then integrated into the equations for analysis and evaluation purposes. By employing these mathematical equations in conjunction with actual experimental data, researchers can obtain valuable insights into the performance and effectiveness of SWH systems.…”

“…The equation for the rate of exergy destruction consists of two equations, [ 51 ] namely, Equation (28), which describes the loss resulting from the temperature difference between the sunlight and the plate, [ 66 ] and Equation (29), which quantifies the heat loss caused by the temperature difference between the absorber and the fluid passing through the collector. [ 66 ] …”

“…The equation for the rate of exergy destruction consists of two equations, [ 51 ] namely, Equation (28), which describes the loss resulting from the temperature difference between the sunlight and the plate, [ 66 ] and Equation (29), which quantifies the heat loss caused by the temperature difference between the absorber and the fluid passing through the collector. [ 66 ] …”

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Based Polygeneration Systems in Residential Applications: A Review of Technology, Energy Planning and Guidelines for Optimizing the Design

“…Further, selecting one or more prime movers allows for the examination of polygeneration [81]. Studies have shown polygeneration structure optimization based on the chosen primary mover from a gas engine, PEMFC or SOFC.…”