Thermo-economic-environmental assessment of a novel polygeneration plant based on multi-heat recovery from Brayton cycle

In this paper, a new integrated poly-generation plant is developed to maximize multiple heat recovery from the gas Brayton cycle for the generation of electricity, hot water, chilled water, hydrogen and fresh water, The proposed configuration improves overall energy efficiency by effectively capturing and repurposing the waste heat from air compression for hot water production and the waste heat from gas turbines for power, chilled water, and freshwater generation. The process consists of a gas turbine as the main power source for the process, which integrates a Kalina cycle to recover heat and convert waste heat into electricity, a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer to produce hydrogen, and a multi-effect desalination unit to produce fresh water. This new system has been investigated using energy, exergy, environmental and economic considerations to ensure optimal utilization of available thermal energy. The simulation of the presented structure determined 74.98 % for energy efficiency, 32.15 % for exergy efficiency, 25.97 % for electrical efficiency and 28.99 % for fuel-saving potential, while the total exergy destruction was equal to 9309 kWh. According to economic analysis annual total cost of this structure is $31,245,743, while in this cycle, the cost of energy is 0.38$/kWh. The analysis from environmental terms revealed that the environmental damage effectiveness factor for the processing system is estimated at 2.11. The potential benefits of this approach can offer a promising outlook for sustainable and more efficient power generation and lead to an environmentally friendly and economically viable solution to meeting our energy demands.