Simulation and thermodynamic, economic, and environmental analyses of a novel multigeneration arrangement fueled by coke oven gas equipped with a desalination process

• Published in: Desalination 2025-03, Vol.597, Article 118371
• Main Authors: Chen, Ziyue, Wu, Song lin, Pang, Te, Xiao, Fuxin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aspen HYSYS; CO2 footprint; Coke oven gas; Desalination; Economic analysis; Multigeneration
• ISSN: 0011-9164
• DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2024.118371

The present study introduces an innovative multigeneration system that utilizes coke oven gas as the fuel source to generate power, heating load, cooling load, and freshwater. The proposed process encompasses different components, including a high-pressure single-effect desalination unit, a dual organic Rankine cycle, an ammonia Rankine cycle, a Kalina power cycle, an absorption chiller, and a fuel burner. Aspen HYSYS software is utilized to analyze the system's performance from the perspectives of energy, exergy, environmental impact, and economics. The proposed system benefits from an efficient heat recovery process for mitigating the destructed exergy and energy loss, especially considering the integrated desalination unit. In addition, a parametric study is conducted based on the rate at which seawater flows into the system, the pressure of heptane in the organic Rankine cycle, the temperature of the coolant exiting the evaporator in the absorption chiller, and the ratio of air-to-fuel in the burner. First, the exergy analysis assists in selecting the efficient subsystem, exhibiting the ammonia Rankine cycle as the most efficient unit. Also, the exergy efficiency of the system is measured at 52.98 %. The environmental analysis indicates that the introduced method has a carbon footprint of 0.188 tons/MWh, showing the potential to significantly decrease CO2 emissions compared to similar plants fueled by coal and oil. Besides, the economic analysis identified the total unit cost of products at 15.11 $/GJ. •Proposing a new COG-fed multigeneration system using a single-effect desalination unit•Planning a new heat recovery method, reducing energy loss and environmental impact•The system shows energy and exergy efficiencies of 94.02 % and 52.78 %, respectively.•The entire heat recovery method reveals a CO2 footprint of 0.188 ton/MWh.•The total cost rate and CPUE equal 1247 $/h and 15.11 $/GJ, respectively.