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An efficient hydrogen liquefaction process integrated with a solar power tower and absorption precooling system

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Abstract

Hydrogen is a clean and efficient energy carrier with a high energy density. Liquid hydrogen is expected to be the main form of hydrogen for large-scale storage and transportation, and its production consumes large amounts of electrical energy. A sustainable, efficient, and poly-generation hydrogen liquefaction system has been developed based on the closed Claude precooling and Joule–Brayton refrigeration cycle with mixed refrigerant, producing 367.2 tonnes of liquid hydrogen every day. In this system, a two-stage ammonia–water (NH3–H2O) absorption refrigeration system driven by waste heat precools the feed streams of compressors; a combined solar power tower generates electricity and heat, and thermal energy storage improves the system’s flexibility and balances the energy production and consumption. The process performance is evaluated based on energy, exergy, and sensitivity analyses. The minimum specific energy consumption, maximum coefficient of performance, and maximum exergy efficiency are 5.413 kWh/kgLH2, 0.1433, and 86.99%, respectively. The net power generation values during the day and at night are 1278.85 and 1353.78 MWh, respectively.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

AR:

Absorption refrigeration

COP:

Coefficient of performance

GH2 :

Gaseous hydrogen

HP:

High pressure

HS:

Heat source

HTF:

Heat transfer fluid

IP:

Intermediate pressure

J–B:

Joule–Brayton

LH2 :

Liquid hydrogen

LMTD:

Logarithmic mean temperature difference

LNG:

Liquefied natural gas

LP:

Low pressure

MR:

Mixed refrigerant

SEC:

Specific energy consumption

SPT:

Solar power tower

Temp.:

Temperature

TES:

Thermal energy storage

\({\dot{\text{E}}\text{x}}\) :

Exergy, kW

h :

Specific enthalpy, kJ/kg

\(\dot{I}\) :

Irreversible exergy, kW

\(\dot{m}\) :

Mass flow rate, kg/s

P :

Pressure, kPa

\(\dot{Q}\) :

Heat duty, kW

r :

Latent heat, kJ/kg

s :

Specific entropy, kJ/(kg·°C)

T :

Temperature, °C

UA :

The unit’s overall conductance, kW/°C

\(\dot{W}\) :

Electrical energy, kW

W :

Work across the system boundary, kW

ψ :

Concentration of para-hydrogen

μ :

Exergy efficiency

η :

Steam turbine’s generation efficiency

C :

Cold stream

H :

Hot stream

ch :

Chemical

com :

Compressor

des :

Destruction

eq :

Equilibrium

Exp :

Expander

he :

Heat exchanger

HLP :

Hydrogen liquefaction process

i :

Component

in :

Inlet

out :

Outlet

p :

Pump

ph :

Physical

R :

Reaction

Turb :

Turbine

x :

Mole fraction

0 :

Standard state

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Funding

Financial supports provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21736008) and (22078259) are gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, Shaanxi, China

    Shengan Zhang, Kaiyu Li & Guilian Liu

  2. Engineering Research Center of New Energy System Engineering and Equipment, University of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an, 710049, Shaanxi, China

    Guilian Liu

Authors
  1. Shengan Zhang
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  2. Kaiyu Li
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  3. Guilian Liu
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by SZ, KL, and GL. The first draft of the manuscript was written by SZ, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guilian Liu.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interest to disclose.

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Appendix A

Appendix A

See Tables 10 and 11.

Table 10 Parameters of streams
Full size table
Table 11 Operating parameters of SPT–TES system
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Zhang, S., Li, K. & Liu, G. An efficient hydrogen liquefaction process integrated with a solar power tower and absorption precooling system. Clean Techn Environ Policy 25, 1015–1041 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-022-02423-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-022-02423-w

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