Thermoeconomic assessment of a novel integrated biomass based power generation system including gas turbine cycle, solid oxide fuel cell and Rankine cycle

In this work, a novel combined biomass based power generation system is proposed and investigated. The proposed integrated system consists of a combination of biomass gasifier, solid oxide fuel cell, gas turbine cycle and a Rankine cycle. Three different biomasses are selected: Pine Saw Dust, Municipal Solid Waste and Fowl Manure. A comprehensive thermoeconomic analysis as well as a multi-objective optimization is carried out. The effects of most important operating parameters on thermodynamic performance, unit production cost and total cost rate are investigated for the overall system and components. The operating parameters considered include biomass mass flow rate, compression ratio of air compressor, current density of solid oxide fuel cell and exit temperature of solid oxide fuel cell. The results show that the fuel mass flow rate and current density are the dominant factors affecting the variation of energy and exergy efficiencies as well as unit production cost. Moreover, the best thermodynamic and economic performances are corresponded to the Pine Saw Dust fueled system. Nevertheless, the best environmental performance is related to the Fowl Manure fueled system mainly due to the lowest content of CO2 in flue gas leaving the system to the atmosphere.