Conventional and advanced exergy-based analyses and comparisons of two novel tri-generation systems based on solid oxide fuel cells and gas turbines

Abstract

This study conducts conventional and advanced exergy, exergo-economic, and exergo-environmental analyses and comparisons of two tri-generation systems driven by solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and gas turbines (GTs). The proposed systems mainly consist of SOFC, GT, heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), (organic) Rankine cycle, and heat exchanger. The analysis results indicate that the biggest cost rates of exergy destruction and component in both systems appear in SOFCs being 4.4333 $/h and 4.2760 $/h, while the highest environmental impact rates combined with exergy destruction and component in systems 1 and 2 are found in afterburner and HRSG, which are 645.9569 mPts/h and 849.2659 mPts/h. Compared to the conventional analyses, the advanced analyses demonstrate that air compressors own the largest avoidable-endogenous parts of cost rates, while HRSG of system 1 and steam turbine (ST) of system 2 own the highest avoidable-endogenous parts of environmental impact rates being 165.8482 mPts/h and 115.2299 mPts/h.