Proposal and time dependent thermodynamic analyses of a novel solar-driven hydrogen and power cogeneration system

Abstract

Hydrogen has replaced many hydrocarbon fuels due to its lack of carbon emissions. Various energy sources are utilized in hydrogen production cycles, with solar energy being one of the cleanest and most renewable options. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of a novel integrated system for combined power, hydrogen, and heat production. The system combines a solar cycle, a solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine (SOFC-GT), and an organic Rankine cycle (ORC). Both static and dynamic analyses are performed using EES and TRNSYS software. Initially, analyses of energy, exergy, and economics of the proposed system were conducted. A parametric study was performed to investigate the effects of various thermodynamic parameters on the system’s performance and costs. These parameters include the air-to-fuel ratio, fuel utilization factor, gas turbine efficiency, anode recycle ratio, and the operating temperature and pressure of the SOFC. The results showed that, in the static analysis, energy utilization factor, exergy utilization factor, and hydrogen production were 68.77 %, 62.49 %, and 12.12 (mole/s), respectively. Furthermore, the system’s levelized cost of energy and power are 0.088 ($/kWh) and 0.1243 ($/kWh), respectively. Results from the parametric analysis indicate that increasing the operating temperature of the SOFC leads to increases in energy utilization factor and exergy utilization factor by 20 % and 21 %.