Exergoeconomic Optimization of a Novel Hydrogen Generation System Based on Geothermal Energy

Hydrogen can be a good energy carrier for renewable energies in the long term due to its appropriate characteristics. However, hydrogen alone is not found in nature and cannot be produced directly. For this purpose, some energy needs to be spent on hydrogen separation. One of the most important hydrogen production methods is the use of electric power to separate hydrogen in an electrolyzer system. In this paper, an exergoeconomic and thermodynamic procedure is applied to the analysis of a novel power generation system based on geothermal energy for hydrogen production. A recuperator is used in the novel system to increase the performance of the system. Five decision variables are considered to optimize system performance. The objective is to maximize the exergy efficiency and on the other hand, minimize the total cost rate of the system. The results of the simulation show that incorporating the recuperator increases the total power production by 20.65%, the energy efficiency by 20.71%, the exergy efficiency by 20.66%, and hydrogen production by 11.91%. Moreover, implementing the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm increases power generation by 4.3%, energy efficiency by 4.2%, exergy efficiency by 4.3%, hydrogen production by 1%, and decreases cost rate by 1%.