Title: Exergetic evaluation and optimisation of a novel integrated energy conversion system including thermoelectric generators

Authors: Muhammad Zeeshan Malik; Farayi Musharavati; Morteza Saadat-Targhi; Shoaib Khanmohammadi; Hadi Genceli

Addresses: School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou 318000, Zhejiang, China ' Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Qatar University, Duha, Qatar ' Esfarayen University of Technology, Esfarayen, North Khorasan, Iran ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kermanshah University of Technology, Iran ' Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Besiktas, Istanbul, 34349, Turkey

Abstract: A comprehensive thermodynamic study of a solar integrated energy system consisted of a solar flat plate collector, an organic Rankine cycle, a thermoelectric generator, and a proton exchange membrane electrolyser is undertaken to generate power and hydrogen. The Matlab and Engineering Equation Solver software are linked, and various optimisation scenarios are investigated. The results of computational analysis indicate that with adding a thermoelectric generator unit in the system about 14 kW of energy in the form of electricity can be obtained from the waste heat of condenser. Various optimisation schemes with exergy efficiency, exergy destruction rate, as well as hourly hydrogen generation as optimisation targets are considered. The optimisation results comparison between base case and optimum design shows that exergetic efficiency improves by about 2.3% and rate of exergy destruction decrease by about 0.791 MW.

Keywords: electrolysis; exergetic efficiency; heat recovery; thermoelectric generator.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2021.115641

International Journal of Exergy, 2021 Vol.35 No.2, pp.195 - 209

Received: 29 May 2020
Accepted: 31 Aug 2020

Published online: 15 Jun 2021 *

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