A multi-criteria decision study with sensitivity analysis on a tri-generation system based on gas turbine fueled by wheat straw biomass

Abstract

Wheat straw biomass plays a key role in the field of energy and developing different energy systems. A tri-generation system of power, hot air, and hot water has been developed and modeled in this research work based on a gas turbine unit fueled by wheat straw biomass. Although air usually is utilized as a combustion agent, this study has focused on the air, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and steam agents as the combustion agent in the gas turbine unit and compared their performances with respect to energy and environmental viewpoints. A multi-criteria decision-making analysis based on a sensitivity analysis has been carried out to compare the system performances in two cases of base case and normalized case (performance per mole of input agent). In base case, the system based on the steam agent has produced the maximum power (204.5 kW) and hot air (439 m3/min) and is the most efficient system (46.8 %) and has emitted the lowest emission (12.91 g/kW.min). This system was the best system according to the sensitivity analysis in the base case. In normalized case, the system based on the carbon dioxide agent has presented the best performance according to the sensitivity analysis because it requires the minimum required input agent. Normalized power of 24.6 kW/mol, normalized hot air of 0.65 m3/mol, and normalized hot water of 0.25 L/mol are presented by the system based on carbon dioxide.