Thermodynamic and economic evaluation of a novel configuration for sustainable production of power and freshwater based on biomass gasification

This paper presents a novel thermal cycle for renewable production of power and freshwater with the use of biomass gasification technology. For this purpose, a realistic simulation program is developed (in C# programming language) to predict the composition of synthesis gas produced in the gasifier. Using the proposed system, both power and water demand of a small city with 3000 people can be met without any fossil fuel consumption. So, the proposed system can help in reaching a sustainable future. This novel system is then compared with two conventional systems for the production of power and water. The first one is a conventional natural gas-based system without any heat integration and the second one is a natural gas-based system with heat integration. It is concluded that the novel proposed system will result in 5,267,800 m(3) of natural gas saving per annum in comparison to the conventional system without heat integration. On the other hand, 4,211,300 m(3) of natural gas per year is saved in comparison to the conventional system with heat integration. Economic results show that the levelized cost of produced power and water for the novel system are 0.11 $/kWh and 1.25 $/m(3) respectively, and the period of return is 13.6. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to specify the impact of various thermodynamic and economic variables of the system on the final outputs. This research makes it possible to compare this renewable combined system with other conventional systems from thermodynamic and economic points of view.