Innovative Wind-Powered System for Liquid Fuel Production: 2 Integrating Carbon Capture and Hydrogen Storage

Abstract

As global temperatures rise and underground resources decrease, governments are increasingly pressed to develop alternative fuels and mitigate polluting sources. Power-to-liquid (PtL) technologies utilizing renewable energy provide an effective solution for hydrogen (H2) production, carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, and portable fuel generation, contributing to the achievement of net-zero emission targets. A multiproduct PtL system with waste heat recovery and optimization reduces design complexity, capital costs, external heat dependence, and environ mental impacts. This study introduces a novel PtL configuration for the production and storage of H2 and CO2 in the form of liquefied fuels, including liquid methane, liquid H2, formic acid, and methanol. The wind-based PtL structure comprises various subsystems, including amine-based capture and proton exchange membrane electrolysis units for CO2 extraction and H2 production, respectively. Storage subsystems encompass methanol synthesis, artificial methane production, formic acid generation, and liquefaction facilities. Pinch, exergy, economic, consequence, and optimization analyses are employed to evaluate the performance of the proposed structure. The energy and exergy efficiencies of the hybrid processes are 0.5991 and 0.5097, respectively. The economic analysis reveals a levelized cost of 2.705 US$/kgLH2 and an investment return period of 6.505 yr. Sensitivity analysis, machine learning, multiobjective optimization, and decision-support frameworks are utilized to determine the optimal operating conditions. The exergy efficiency, investment return period, and CO2 absorption rate determined using the three25 objective genetic algorithm and fuzzy approach from the Pareto front are obtained as 0.5404, 3.235 yr, and 12,098 tonCO2/yr, 26 respectively. The consequences of small leakage, fixed-duration release, and complete rupture of product storage vessels are analyzed, 27 and safe distances are determined.