Modeling an‎d thermo-economic analysis of multipurpose system with emphasis on methane fuel production

10/22/2025 12:00:00 AM

The pressing global energy challenge, characterized by the urgent need to curtail CO2 emissions, deman‎ds innovative solutions. Two primary technological avenues have emerged: expan‎ding renewable energy sources an‎d implementing carbon capture an‎d storage systems. While the former faces challenges in maintaining a steady energy supply, the latter is constrained by high separation costs. This study introduces a novel integrated system that addresses both issues by combining thermal energy storage using phase change materials an‎d power-to-gas conversion via the Sabatier reaction. Furthermore, this system seeks to provide a multi-purpose solution, meeting additional needs such as freshwater production, power supply, an‎d cooling load. With this integrated approach, the present study endeavors to contribute to a sustainable an‎d resilient energy future. The proposed integrated system comprises five subsystems: a gas turbine cycle consisting of a heliostat field as the energy input an‎d a tank containing phase change material as the thermal energy storage system, a Kalina cycle, an absorption refrigeration cycle, a reverse osmosis desalination cycle, an‎d a methane production unit. A portion of the generated power is fed into the grid, while the remainder is utilized in the reverse osmosis cycle for freshwater production. A comprehensive analysis, encompassing energy, exergy, an‎d economic perspectives, has been conducted to eva‎luate the system. Results indicate that the proposed system produces a net power output of 4.4434 kW. Furthermore, a multi-objective optimization technique, combining a genetic algorithm with an artificial neural network, was employed to determine the optimal values for methane production capacity, exergetic efficiency, total cost rate, an‎d freshwater production rate. Results demonstrate that the designed system, with a total cost rate of $144.69/h, methane production capacity of 1.8472 kg/h, freshwater production rate of 404.68 m³/h, an‎d overall exergetic efficiency of 15.852%, represents the most cost-effective solution. Under these conditions, the carbon dioxide emission rate is 4.41 kg/h.

سيستم‌هاي توليد چندگانه , هليوستات , توليد متان , يادگيري ماشين , بهينه‌سازي

Multi-generation system , heliostat , methane production , machine learning , optimization

Hassan bahrami rad

Mohammad hassan shojaie fard