IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v380y2025ics0306261924024140.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

System design and thermo-economic analysis of a novel gas turbine combined cycle co-driven by methanol and solar energy

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Peiye
  • Liu, Ming
  • Hu, Wenting
  • Chong, Daotong
  • Yan, Junjie

Abstract

Methanol, known as “liquid sunshine”, is a versatile and low-carbon alternative to traditional fossil fuels. To effectively utilize methanol and solar energy, a novel gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) integrated with a solar-driven methanol decomposition reaction (Solar MDR) process is proposed in this study. Based on the cascade utilization of chemical energy, methanol is first decomposed into syngas in the parabolic trough solar receiver-reactor (PTSRR) field, followed by the conversion of chemical energy into power through combustion. The methanol preheating process is comprehensively considered by integrating methanol evaporator into heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and utilizing waste heat from the PTSRR to drive the methanol preheater and superheater. Thermodynamic analysis is conducted to evaluate the impact of solar integration on irreversibility and power output in the methanol-fueled GTCC system. The results indicate that the system co-driven by methanol and solar energy improves the methanol power generation rate from 3.17 kWh kg−1 to 3.75 kWh kg−1. The exergy efficiency of the system slightly decreases from 51.05 % to 50.42 % due to the integrated system incurring an additional 106.28 MW of loss and destruction, with solar integration contributing an extra 34.9 MW of exergy loss and 66.7 MW of destruction in the PTSRR field. The proposed system achieves a solar-to-electric efficiency of 43.93 % and a solar levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of $75.7 MWh−1, offering a competitive advantage over other solar thermal power technologies from thermo-economic perspectives.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Peiye & Liu, Ming & Hu, Wenting & Chong, Daotong & Yan, Junjie, 2025. "System design and thermo-economic analysis of a novel gas turbine combined cycle co-driven by methanol and solar energy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 380(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:380:y:2025:i:c:s0306261924024140
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.125030
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261924024140
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.125030?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bai, Zhang & Liu, Qibin & Lei, Jing & Jin, Hongguang, 2018. "Investigation on the mid-temperature solar thermochemical power generation system with methanol decomposition," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 56-65.
    2. Cheng, Ze-Dong & Men, Jing-Jing & He, Ya-Ling & Tao, Yu-Bing & Ma, Zhao, 2019. "Comprehensive study on novel parabolic trough solar receiver-reactors of gradually-varied porosity catalyst beds for hydrogen production," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 1766-1781.
    3. Wu, Zhicong & Xu, Gang & Ge, Shiyu & Yang, Zhenjun & Xue, Xiaojun & Chen, Heng, 2024. "An efficient methanol pre-reforming gas turbine combined cycle with integration of mid-temperature energy upgradation and CO2 recovery: Thermodynamic and economic analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 358(C).
    4. Wright, S.E., 2004. "Comparison of the theoretical performance potential of fuel cells and heat engines," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 179-195.
    5. Mu, Ruiqi & Liu, Ming & Zhang, Peiye & Yan, Junjie, 2023. "System design and thermo-economic analysis of a new coal power generation system based on supercritical water gasification with full CO2 capture," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    6. Qu, Wanjun & Xing, Xueli & Cao, Yali & Liu, Taixiu & Hong, Hui & Jin, Hongguang, 2020. "A concentrating solar power system integrated photovoltaic and mid-temperature solar thermochemical processes," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    7. He, Xin & Li, ChengChen & Wang, Huanran, 2022. "Thermodynamics analysis of a combined cooling, heating and power system integrating compressed air energy storage and gas-steam combined cycle," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    8. Zhu, Yizi & He, Zhixia & Xuan, Tiemin & Shao, Zhuang, 2024. "An enhanced automated machine learning model for optimizing cycle-to-cycle variation in hydrogen-enriched methanol engines," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 362(C).
    9. Zhang, Peiye & Liu, Ming & Zhao, Yongliang & Yan, Junjie, 2023. "Performance analysis on the parabolic trough solar receiver-reactor of methanol decomposition reaction under off-design conditions and during dynamic processes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 583-597.
    10. Abdelkareem, Mohammad Ali & Allagui, Anis & Sayed, Enas Taha & El Haj Assad, M. & Said, Zafar & Elsaid, Khaled, 2019. "Comparative analysis of liquid versus vapor-feed passive direct methanol fuel cells," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 563-584.
    11. Jin, Hongguang & Hong, Hui & Cai, Ruixian, 2006. "A chemically intercooled gas turbine cycle for recovery of low-temperature thermal energy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(10), pages 1554-1566.
    12. Liu, Taixiu & Bai, Zhang & Zheng, Zhimei & Liu, Qibin & Lei, Jing & Sui, Jun & Jin, Hongguang, 2019. "100 kWe power generation pilot plant with a solar thermochemical process: design, modeling, construction, and testing," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C), pages 1-1.
    13. Gong, Changming & Yi, Lin & Zhang, Zilei & Sun, Jingzhen & Liu, Fenghua, 2020. "Assessment of ultra-lean burn characteristics for a stratified-charge direct-injection spark-ignition methanol engine under different high compression ratios," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    14. Lee, Beomhui & Im, Seong-kyun, 2024. "Energy, exergy, and exergoeconomic analyses of plastic waste-to-energy integrated gasification combined cycles with and without heat recovery at a gasifier," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 355(C).
    15. Chi, Xuncheng & Chen, Fengxiang & Mo, Tiande & Li, Yu & Wei, Wei, 2024. "Improve methanol efficiency for direct methanol fuel cell system via investigation and control of optimal operating methanol concentration," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    16. Zheng, Danxing & Wu, Zhaohui & Huang, Weijia & Chen, Youhui, 2017. "Energy quality factor of materials conversion and energy quality reference system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P1), pages 768-778.
    17. Garcia, Gabriel & Arriola, Emmanuel & Chen, Wei-Hsin & De Luna, Mark Daniel, 2021. "A comprehensive review of hydrogen production from methanol thermochemical conversion for sustainability," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    18. Wu, Zhicong & Xu, Gang & Ge, Shiyu & Liang, Shixing & Xue, Xiaojun & Chen, Heng, 2024. "An efficient methanol pre-reforming gas turbine combined cycle with mid-temperature energy upgradation: Thermodynamic and economic analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    19. He, Xin & Wang, Huanran & Li, Ruixiong & Sun, Hao & Chen, Hao & Li, ChengChen & Ge, Gangqiang & Tao, Feiyue, 2022. "Thermo-conversion of a physical energy storage system with high-energy density: Combination of thermal energy storage and gas-steam combined cycle," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(PE).
    20. Maqbool, Wahab & Kwon, Yuree & Im, Mintaek & An, Jinjoo, 2024. "Toward sustainable recycled methanol production from CO2 and steel by-product gases in South Korea; process design and assessment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    21. Liu, Xiufeng & Hong, Hui & Jin, Hongguang, 2017. "Mid-temperature solar fuel process combining dual thermochemical reactions for effectively utilizing wider solar irradiance," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P2), pages 1031-1039.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Qun Ge & Xiaoman Cao & Fumin Guo & Jianpeng Li & Cheng Wang & Gang Wang, 2025. "Energy, Exergic and Economic Analyses of a Novel Hybrid Solar–Gas System for Producing Electrical Power and Cooling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-18, May.
    2. Xiangyang, Wang & Huili, Dou & Liang, Zhang & Tong, Wu & Shuzhe, Ma & Xiaoping, Li & Fangxi, Xie, 2025. "Influence of dissociated methanol gas direct injection pressure on the performance of methanol port injection engine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhang, Peiye & Liu, Ming & Zhao, Yongliang & Yan, Junjie, 2023. "Performance analysis on the parabolic trough solar receiver-reactor of methanol decomposition reaction under off-design conditions and during dynamic processes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 583-597.
    2. Zhang, Peiye & Liu, Ming & Mu, Ruiqi & Yan, Junjie, 2024. "Exergy-based control strategy design and dynamic performance enhancement for parabolic trough solar receiver-reactor of methanol decomposition reaction," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    3. Zeng, Jia & Xuan, Yimin & Li, Qiang, 2023. "Direct solar-thermal scalable-decomposition of methanol flowing through a nanoparticle-packed bed reactor under outdoor environment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    4. Rodriguez-Pastor, D.A. & Garcia-Guzman, A. & Marqués-Valderrama, I. & Ortiz, C. & Carvajal, E. & Becerra, J.A. & Soltero, V.M. & Chacartegui, R., 2024. "A flexible methanol-to-methane thermochemical energy storage system (TCES) for gas turbine (GT) power production," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 356(C).
    5. Hong, Wenpeng & Li, Boyu & Li, Haoran & Niu, Xiaojuan & Li, Yan & Lan, Jingrui, 2022. "Recent progress in thermal energy recovery from the decoupled photovoltaic/thermal system equipped with spectral splitters," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    6. Wu, Zhicong & Xu, Gang & Huang, Ziqi & Ge, Shiyu & Chen, Heng, 2024. "An efficient carbon-neutral power and methanol polygeneration system based on biomass decarbonization and CO2 hydrogenation: Thermodynamic and economic analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    7. Huaxu, Liang & Fuqiang, Wang & Dong, Zhang & Ziming, Cheng & Chuanxin, Zhang & Bo, Lin & Huijin, Xu, 2020. "Experimental investigation of cost-effective ZnO nanofluid based spectral splitting CPV/T system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    8. Liang, Huaxu & Wang, Fuqiang & Yang, Luwei & Cheng, Ziming & Shuai, Yong & Tan, Heping, 2021. "Progress in full spectrum solar energy utilization by spectral beam splitting hybrid PV/T system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    9. Li, Wenjia & Hao, Yong, 2017. "Efficient solar power generation combining photovoltaics and mid-/low-temperature methanol thermochemistry," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 377-385.
    10. Han, Xiaoqu & Dai, Yanbing & Guo, Xuanhua & Braimakis, Konstantinos & Karellas, Sotirios & Yan, Junjie, 2024. "A novel dual-stage intercooled and recuperative gas turbine system integrated with transcritical organic Rankine cycle: System modeling, energy and exergy analyses," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    11. Zhang, Yufei & Li, Ruixiong & Shao, Huaishuang & He, Xin & Zhang, Wenlong & Du, Junyu & Song, Yaoguang & Wang, Huanran, 2024. "Thermodynamic and economic analysis of a novel thermoelectric-hydrogen co-generation system combining compressed air energy storage and chemical energy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    12. Fang, Juan & Wu, Handong & Liu, Taixiu & Zheng, Zhimei & Lei, Jing & Liu, Qibin & Jin, Hongguang, 2020. "Thermodynamic evaluation of a concentrated photochemical–photovoltaic–thermochemical (CP-PV-T) system in the full-spectrum solar energy utilization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    13. Fang, Juan & Liu, Qibin & Guo, Shaopeng & Lei, Jing & Jin, Hongguang, 2019. "Spanning solar spectrum: A combined photochemical and thermochemical process for solar energy storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 247(C), pages 116-126.
    14. Wu, Zhicong & Xu, Gang & Ge, Shiyu & Liang, Shixing & Xue, Xiaojun & Chen, Heng, 2024. "An efficient methanol pre-reforming gas turbine combined cycle with mid-temperature energy upgradation: Thermodynamic and economic analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    15. Xing, Xueli & Xin, Yu & Sun, Fan & Qu, Wanjun & Hong, Hui & Jin, Hongguang, 2021. "Test of a spectral splitting prototype hybridizing photovoltaic and solar syngas power generation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 304(C).
    16. Rezapour, Mojtaba & Gholizadeh, Mohammad, 2021. "Analysis of methanol thermochemical reactor with volumetric solar heat flux based on Parabolic Trough Concentrator," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 1088-1100.
    17. Sedighi, Mohammadreza & Padilla, Ricardo Vasquez & Alamdari, Pedram & Lake, Maree & Rose, Andrew & Izadgoshasb, Iman & Taylor, Robert A., 2020. "A novel high-temperature (>700 °C), volumetric receiver with a packed bed of transparent and absorbing spheres," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    18. Tang, Yuanyou & Wang, Yang & Long, Wuqiang & Xiao, Ge & Wang, Yongjian & Li, Weixing, 2023. "Analysis and enhancement of methanol reformer performance for online reforming based on waste heat recovery of methanol-diesel dual direct injection engine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    19. Ding, Xingqi & Zhou, Yufei & Duan, Liqiang & Li, Da & Zheng, Nan, 2023. "Comprehensive performance investigation of a novel solar-assisted liquid air energy storage system with different operating modes in different seasons," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    20. Zhao, Ning & Wang, Jiangjiang & Yang, Jinyu & Yuan, Fuchun, 2024. "Comprehensive evaluation and optimization strategy of solar-driven methanol steam reforming for hydrogen production," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:380:y:2025:i:c:s0306261924024140. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.