ABSTRACT
In this chapter, a hydrogen-powered hybrid power generation system made up of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and a regenerative organic Rankine cycle (RORC) is proposed. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated using energy, exergy, and economic (3E) analyses. A tri-objective optimization is then performed on the hybrid system, considering power output, exergy efficiency, and product cost, using the Pareto envelope-based selection algorithm II. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to select the final optimal solution from the Pareto front. According to the optimized results, the output power of the hybrid system is 1545.3 kW, with an exergy efficiency of 51.02% and a product cost of 197.2 USD/h. Furthermore, it is found that after optimization, the power output and exergy efficiency increased by 6.28% and 13.79%, respectively, and the product cost decreased by 6.25%. The PEMFC is observed to be the most vital component, accounting for 89.55% of total exergy destruction and 70.80% of total capital costs. The scattered distribution plots are finally displayed for each of the decision variables, demonstrating that the conflicting objectives are primarily caused by the current density of the PEMFC.
