Thermodynamic investigation of applying a thermoelectric generator to produce hydrogen in a multigeneration system

Abstract

In the near future, hydrogen is expected to become a significant fuel that will largely contribute to the quality of atmospheric air. Hydrogen global production has so far been dominated by fossil fuels. Pure hydrogen is also produced by electrolysis of water, an energy demanding process. In this study a novel multigeneration system is introduced using nanofluid in the solar system. The proposed system includes a quadruple effect absorption refrigeration cycle, a thermoelectric generator, a PEM electrolyzer, vapor generator and domestic water heater. A parametric study is accomplished to consider the effect of significant parameters on the efficiency of the system. It is observed that the power generated by the system is 18.78 kW and the collector energy and exergy efficiency are 82.21% and 80.48%, respectively. Furthermore, the results showed that the highest exergy destruction rate occurs in the solar system at the rate of 4461 kW. The energy and exergy COPs of the absorption chiller are discovered to be 1.527 and 0.936, respectively. The amount of hydrogen production rate decreases by increasing the volume concentration of the nanoparticles, the solar radiation and the figure of merit index.