Title: Exergy analysis of biomass polygeneration system for power, hydrogen, and heat production

Authors: Mojtaba Babaelahi; Seyyed Mohammad Hasan Ghiasi

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Qom, Qom, Iran ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

Abstract: This study presents energy and exergy analysis of an integrated biomass-based polygeneration system comprising a gasifier, PEM electrolyser, and absorption refrigeration cycle for simultaneous power, hydrogen, and cooling production. Multi-objective optimisation using NSGA-II maximises energy and exergy efficiency. Results show 6.65% exergy efficiency and 6.95% energy efficiency improvements through optimisation. Optimal design parameters include gas turbine inlet temperature of 1,030°C, condenser pressure of 110 kPa, and biomass mass flow rate of 4.2 kg/s. The system demonstrates significant performance enhancement through careful parameter optimisation.

Keywords: polygeneration; biomass; exergy analysis; energy efficiency; thermodynamic optimisation; PEM electrolyser.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2026.152051

International Journal of Exergy, 2026 Vol.49 No.3, pp.211 - 225

Received: 19 Apr 2025
Accepted: 13 Jul 2025
Published online: 04 Mar 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article