Thermoeconomic analysis of a solar-driven hydrogen production system with proton exchange membrane water electrolysis unit

Abstract

One of the most important methods for hydrogen production is proton exchange membrane electrolysis because of its low environmental impact and easy maintenance. In the present work, a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer system for hydrogen production is established where the required power is generated by a steam Rankine cycle. Solar energy is used for producing steam using parabolic trough solar collectors. The effect of active parameters such as inlet temperature and pressure of steam turbine, efficiencies of turbine and pump, the mass flow rate and outlet temperature of parabolic trough solar collectors, the number of solar collectors in rows, the electric current density, and proton exchange membrane temperature are investigated on the amount of hydrogen production, the net produced power, the cost of produced electricity, the produced hydrogen cost and net profit of the products. The results discovered that the average cost of electricity and the levelized cost of hydrogen per kg H2 decrease by increasing the steam turbine's inlet pressure and temperature. The cost of hydrogen is almost 6 $/kg at 8 MPa inlet pressure of a steam turbine. The profit increases with increasing the values of mass flow rate while the average cost of electricity and the levelized cost of hydrogen per kilogram of H2 decrease when mass flow rate increases. The value of profit increases 43.1% when the outlet temperature of oil in the receiver increases from 313 °C to 333°C.