Analysis and optimization of a sustainable hybrid solar-biomass polygeneration system for production of power, heating, drying, oxygen and ammonia

Abstract

In this study, we introduce an innovative polygeneration system that combines solar and biomass energies to generate power, heating, hot air for the drying process, oxygen, and ammonia. The proposed polygeneration system comprises a solar tower subsystem (STS) integrated with two energy storage tanks (cold and hot), a gas turbine cycle (GTC), an organic Rankine cycle (ORC), a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, a thermoelectric generator (TEG), a cryogenic air separation unit (CASU), and an ammonia synthesis reactor (ASR). The GTC and the ORC equipped with the TEG are utilized for power production. The steam for the gasification process, hot air for the drying process and heating are produced by three regenerators. The PEM electrolyzer is used for the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen, while the air separator (cryogenic method) is employed for the separation of air into nitrogen and oxygen. The separated oxygen is stored in an oxygen tank, while nitrogen and hydrogen are utilized for the ammonia generation. The system is evaluated from energy, exergy, economic and, environmental standpoints. Based on the findings, the proposed system is capable of generating approximately 163 MW of net power, 150 MW of heating, 100 MW of drying, 21.7 kmol/hr of oxygen and 23.24 kg/hr of ammonia. The total energy and exergy efficiencies, as well as the life cycle cost (LCC) and CO2 emissions are determined to be 70.68 %, 48.71 %, 1.175 × 109 $ and 381.3 kg/MWh, respectively. Additionally, a multi-objective Grey Wolf optimization algorithm is utilized to optimize the exergy efficiency, LCC, and CO2 emissions. The optimized results yield an exergy efficiency of 51.02 %, an LCC of 1.16 × 109 $, and a CO2 emissions of 359.73 kg/MWh. The proposed system demonstrates encouraging thermodynamic and economic performances, providing an appealing solution for efficient utilization of abundant solar and biomass resources.