Thermodynamic analysis of a novel hybrid fuel cell-combined cooling, heating-and power (CCHP) system-integrated solar-driven biomass gasification for achieving sustainable and efficient poly-generation

In this work, a novel biomass and solar energy hybrid fuel cell-combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system is proposed, including solar-driven biomass gasification, solid oxide fuel cell, homogeneous charge compression ignition engine, double-effect absorption chiller, and waste heat recovery unit. The aim of this work is to explore the feasibility of the proposed system from thermodynamic and environmental perspectives. Based on the thermodynamic modeling, the comprehensive performance of the proposed system is evaluated by multiple methods, including energy, exergy, exergoeconomic, and environmental analyses. Furthermore, it was compared with a reference system without solar energy to illustrate the advantages of the proposed system. It is found that the total energy and exergy efficiency of the hybrid system are 57.5% and 36.6% under design condition, respectively. The energy and exergy efficiency of the proposed system are 2.7% and 2.1% higher than those of the reference system, respectively. The introduction of solar energy significantly increases the utilization rate and the generating capacity of the unit biomass by 63.8% and 36.3%, respectively, compared to the reference system. In addition, the carbon emission of the proposed system is about 0.071 to 0.075 t/GJ and 46.3% lower than that of the reference system.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel hybrid fuel cell-combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system, driven by solar energy and biomass, is proposed. The system consists of solar-driven biomass gasification, solid oxide fuel cell, homogeneous charge compression ignition engine, double-effect absorption chiller, and waste heat recovery unit. Various analyses, including energy, exergy, exergoeconomic, and environmental analyses, were performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. It was found that the introduction of solar energy significantly improves the system's energy and exergy efficiency, as well as the utilization rate and generating capacity of biomass, compared to a reference system without solar energy. Additionally, the proposed system exhibits lower carbon emissions compared to the reference system.