Modares Mechanical Engineering

Modares Mechanical Engineering

Multi-Objective Optimization of a Vanadium Chloride Thermochemical Cycle Integrated with Solar Power Plant for Hydrogen Production

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Morteza Morteza 1
Ehsan Yazdi 2
Mahdi Moghimi 2
1 Department of Energy Conversion, School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Energy Conversion, School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
10.48311/mme.2025.96890.0
Abstract
Global warming and climate change, primarily driven by greenhouse gas emissions, present significant global challenges. Addressing these issues requires substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. This study provides a technical and economic evaluation of hydrogen production from solar energy, utilizing a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer and the vanadium chloride (V-Cl) thermochemical cycle. The solar power tower unit supplies the necessary energy to drive a cascaded Organic Rankine Cycle (CORC) for power generation, as well as a thermochemical hydrogen production unit, enabling the cogeneration of electricity and hydrogen. All power generated by the CORC is directed to the PEM electrolyzer for hydrogen production, resulting in dual hydrogen production capabilities within the system. Feasibility assessments are conducted using thermodynamic principles and exergy-based analyses, while economic evaluations gauge the system’s performance. Moreover, multi-objective optimization is employed to determine the optimal operational conditions of the system. At the optimal point, the system achieves a hydrogen production rate of 125.029 kg/h, an energy efficiency of 39.66%, and an overall cycle cost rate of 120.937 $/h.
Keywords
Hydrogen production
Proton exchange membrane electrolyzer
Vanadium chloride cycle
Cascaded organic rankine cycle
Economic

Subjects

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Modares Mechanical Engineering
Volume 26, Issue 4
March 2026
Pages 253-259