Comprehensive thermoeconomic analysis of a novel solar based multigeneration system by incorporating of S-CO2 Brayton, HRSG and Cu-Cl cycles

Abstract

This study explores combining solar tower technology with thermal energy storage (TES) in a setup that includes a supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) Brayton cycle, a copper-chlorine hydrogen production (Cu-Cl) cycle, and a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) to produce superheated steam. These subsystems are integrated to significantly boost overall energy efficiency, ensure continuous operation, and minimize exergy loss. The TES subsystem plays a critical role in buffering solar radiation availability, ensuring stable operation during fluctuations in solar energy input, such as cloudy weather. The novelty of this study lies in the integration of these subsystems, which enhances system performance and ensures reliable operation under fluctuating environmental conditions. Energy, exergy, and thermoeconomic analyses evaluate the requirements and effectiveness of each subsystem, using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) software to model and validate the system's thermodynamic performance. The outcomes indicate that in the baseline design, the exergy destruction of the solar tower, the S-CO2 Brayton cycle, and the Cu-Cl cycle are 9930 kW, 7111 kW, and 9735 kW, respectively. The rates of produced power, heat, and hydrogen are 4226 kW, 2697 kW, and 0.04971 kg/s, respectively. Furthermore, the energy and exergy efficiencies of the power plant are 17.48 % and 18.72 %, respectively. The costs of power, heat, and hydrogen production are 0.2917 $/s, 0.1061 $/s, and 0.02632 $/s, respectively, and the total production cost is 0.00003568 $/kj.s. These findings underscore the relevance of this system for future advancements in sustainable multigeneration technologies, particularly for innovative energy and hydrogen production.