Energy, Exergy, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of a PTSC-Assisted Low-Temperature Geothermal ORC–PEM System for Enhanced Hydrogen and Hot Water Production
International Journal of Energy Research, cilt.2026, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 2026 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1155/er/4542379
- Dergi Adı: International Journal of Energy Research
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Aerospace Database, Compendex, Environment Index, INSPEC, Directory of Open Access Journals, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Earth, Atmospheric, & Aquatic Science Collection (ProQuest), Engineering Source (EBSCO), Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: economic and environmental assessments, electricity and hydrogen generation, energy and exergy evaluations, low-grade geothermal source, parabolic collectors and ORC
- Çukurova Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study evaluates a renewable-energy-based system consisting of 300 m2 of parabolic trough solar collectors (PTSCs), a low-temperature geothermal source (62°C), an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) using R134a as the working fluid, and a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer for hydrogen production. The system was assessed in İzmir, Türkiye, during January, May, June, July, and August using three geothermal mass flow rates (0.74–0.76 kg/s). PTSCs heat the geothermal water above 100°C, enhancing ORC performance. The system was modeled using Engineering Equation Solver (EES), followed by energy, exergy, environmental, and economic analyses. ORC energy and exergy efficiencies ranged from 3.86% to 5.33% and 7.20% to 43.43%, respectively. Maximum daily electricity generation reached 197.04 MJ (6.11 GJ/month), while hydrogen production ranged from 174.60 to 926.9 g/day, reaching 28.74 kg/month in August. Overall system energy and exergy efficiencies were 9.29%–14.52% and 2.67%–5.24%, respectively. May showed the highest exergy performance, while July had the lowest due to higher ambient temperatures. Monthly hot water production ranged from 678.53 to 693.36 tons, with average outlet temperatures between 67.07 and 105.60°C. Increasing the flow rate reduced outlet temperature. The system provided significant environmental and economic benefits, avoiding up to 57.95 kg CO2/day (1.796 tons/month) and generating revenues up to $16.86/day ($522.69/month). These results indicate that the proposed PTSC–geothermal–ORC–PEM system is a promising renewable energy configuration for the simultaneous production of hydrogen and hot water, particularly in regions with abundant solar irradiation and low-temperature geothermal resources.