A parametric study of the exergetic, exergoeconomic, and exergoenvironmental performances of chlorine family thermochemical cycles for sustainable hydrogen production

Abstract

Hydrogen plays a crucial role in global net-zero policies due to its numerous advantages and is widely regarded as a key future fuel. Clean and sustainable hydrogen production technologies are currently a focal point of research, with thermochemical methods showing promise in achieving environmentally friendly hydrogen. This study builds upon previous research conducted by the authors on thermochemical hydrogen production through chlorine family cycles. It conducts a thorough sensitivity analysis of various system variables that significantly impact the overall performance of these processes. The investigation assesses the performance of chlorine family thermochemical cycles from exergetic, exergoeconomic, and exergoenvironmental perspectives. Exergetic performance parameters include net thermal exergies and exergy efficiencies, exergoeconomic parameters encompass hourly levelized and total cost rates, and exergoenvironmental parameters involve exergoenvironmental factors and component-associated environmental impact rates. The system variables under consideration include ambient temperature, system lifetime, annual operating hours, and operation and maintenance cost factor. The analysis reveals that the system's lifetime notably influences both the exergoenvironmental factors and component-associated environmental impact rates (by about 80%). Meanwhile, its impact on both the hourly levelized (around 11.5%) and total cost rates (approximately 1.2%) is comparatively less significant. Similarly, ambient temperature has a marginal effect on the net thermal exergies and exergy efficiencies of the considered cycles.