Development and comprehensive analyses of a hybrid solar–geothermal driven polygeneration system: Thermodynamic, exergoeconomic, and emergoenvironmental aspects

Abstract

The present research proposed an innovative polygeneration system that uses solar, geothermal, and natural gas energy to produce power, heat, steam, and freshwater. The system consists of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, an organic Rankine cycle, and a multi-effect thermal desalination system. The study included thermodynamic, exergy, exergoeconomic, exergoenvironmental, emergy-based exergoeconomic, and emergy-based exergoenvironmental factors in its comprehensive evaluation of the system. Results underscored the financial aspect of the organic Rankine cycle and cogeneration system, incurring costs of 0.4518 $/s and 1.054 $/s respectively, while also highlighting the system's capability to produce 6 kg/s of freshwater. The environmental impact rates were quantified for the organic Rankine cycle and cogeneration system at 0.1417 and 0.4814 pts/s respectively, situating the system within its ecological context. Further, the study detailed the total efficiency and net power output of the organic Rankine cycle and cogeneration system, ranging between 32.45–33.51% and 43.25–45.83% for efficiency, and 56956–56322 kW and 50174–51898 kW for net power output r espectively, showcasing the system's operational capacity. A parametric analysis was also integral to the study, examining the impact of key parameters on the functionality of the proposed system, thereby providing a nuanced understanding of the system's performance under varying operational scenarios.