Clean and sustainable power/fresh water/hot air production scheme based on solid oxide fuel cell feed by apricot stone biomass: A multi-attribute optimization

Developing novel and low-emission multi-generation systems is attracting considerable critical attention. In this regard, a novel tri-generation of power, fresh water and hot air has been developed in this study based on solid oxide fuel cell. Power has been generated by a solid oxide fuel cell, a gas turbine cycle and a super-critical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle. An air flow has been heated in a heat exchanger and fresh water has been produced through a desalination unit. Super-critical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle, heat exchanger of hot air and desalination unit have been all triggered by a co-combusted gas of apricot stone and synthesis gases of solid oxide fuel cell. Analysis of variance has been utilized to identify the significant influences on power production, fresh water, hot air, emission effect of system and system efficiency. Multi-objective optimization has showed that apricot stone of 200 kg/h, fuel utilization of 0.77, current density of 9697 A/m2 and pressure ratio of 3 in gas turbine system are the optimum conditions. The system has produced 2.10 MW of power, 837 g/h of fresh water and 57 m3/h of hot air with an emission effect of 2069 kg/MW.h and an efficiency of 43.5%.