A Comprehensive Study on Hydrogen Production via Waste Heat Recovery of a Natural Gas-Fueled Internal Combustion Engine in Cogeneration Power-Hydrogen Layouts: 4E Study and Optimization

Mohammad Zoghi (), Nasser Hosseinzadeh, Saleh Gharaie and Ali Zare ()
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Mohammad Zoghi: School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
Nasser Hosseinzadeh: Department of Renewables and Distributed Energy, Network Connections, Energy Queensland, 26 Reddacliff St., Newstead, QLD 4006, Australia
Saleh Gharaie: School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
Ali Zare: School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-49

Abstract: Internal combustion engines (ICEs) are one of the significant sources of wasted energy, with approximately 65% of their input energy being wasted and dissipated into the environment. Given their wide usage globally, it is necessary to find ways to recover their waste energies, addressing this inefficiency and reducing environmental pollution. While previous studies have explored various aspects of waste energy recovery, a comparative analysis of different bottoming configurations has been lacking. In this research, an extensive review of the existing literature was conducted by an exploration of four key bottoming cycles: the steam Rankine cycle (SRC), CO 2 supercritical Brayton cycle, inverse Brayton cycle (IBC), and air bottoming cycle. In addition, these four main bottoming systems are utilized for the waste energy recovery of natural gas-fired ICE with a capacity of 584 kW and an exhausted gas temperature of 493 °C. For the efficient waste heat recovery of residual exhausted gas and heat rejection stage of the main bottoming system, two thermoelectric generators are utilized. Then, the produced power in bottoming systems is sent to a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer for hydrogen production. A comprehensive 4E (energy, exergy, exergy-economic, and environmental) optimization is conducted to find the best main bottoming system for hydrogen production. Results showed that the SRC-based system has the highest exergy efficiency (21.93%), while the IBC-based system results in the lowest efficiency (13.72%), total cost rate (25.58 $/h), and unit cost of hydrogen production (59.91 $/GJ). This combined literature review and research article underscore the importance of finding an economically efficient bottoming cycle in the context of waste energy recovery and hydrogen production.

Keywords: internal combustion engine; waste heat recovery; hydrogen production; 4E study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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