Proposal of a hybrid biomass/geothermal driven multigeneration system for methanol, power, and hydrogen production: A thermodynamic and economic assessment

The environmental issues of fossil fuels and their rapid reduction due to industrialization are challenging problems for today's lifestyle. Renewable energy sources are introduced as a reliable alternative to tackle the mentioned issues. The proposed study is conducted to introduce a more efficient way to extract energy from the sources to produce power, Methanol, and Hydrogen. In this regard, a novel geothermal/biomass-powered multigeneration structure is presented which comprises an organic Rankine cycle, a gasifier-combustion unit, and a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer to fill the gap of insufficient source hybridization assessments. The system is evaluated through thermodynamic and economic viewpoints, and a base design study and parametric investigation are taken into account regarding six decision parameters. Also, a multi-objective particle swarm optimizer integrated with a LINMAP decision-making method is utilized to obtain the most desired functional point for the structure through two scenarios. The outcomes indicate that the system can provide 9926.13 kW output power, with production rates of 0.223 kg/s and 0.020 kg/s for Methanol and Hydrogen, respectively. In addition, first and second-law efficiencies of 36.75 % and 31.89 % are obtained. The structure's economic reports reveal the sum unit cost of products with a value of 11.82 $/GJ and a 2.56-year payback period. Moreover, two diverse scenarios are employed for optimizations.