Comparative analyses of a novel solar tower assisted multi-generation system with re-compression CO2 power cycle,thermoelectric generator,and hydrogen production unit

In the present paper, a new energy generation system is suggested for multiple outputs, including a hydrogen generation unit. The plant is powered by a solar tower and involves six different subsystems; supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO₂) re-compression Brayton cycle, ammonia-water absorption refrigeration cycle, hydrogen generation, steam generation, drying process, and thermoelectric generator. The thermodynamic assessment of the multi-generation system is carried out for three different cities from Turkey, Iran, and Qatar. The energy and exergy efficiencies are calculated for base conditions to compare the different locations. The operating output parameters for the suggested system and simple re-compression Brayton system are compared. A parametric analysis is also done for investigating the influences of different system variables on plant performance. According to the results, Doha city is found to be more effective due to its geographical conditions. Moreover, based on the comparative study, the proposed cycles produce more power than the basic re-compression cycle with 64.59 kW, 47.33 kW, and 52.25 kW for Doha, Isparta, and Tehran, respectively. Additionally, the analyses revealed that in the term of energy efficiency, the suggested system has 32.29%, 32.28%, and 32.29% better performance than the simple cycle, and in terms of exergy efficiency, it has 4%, 4.8%, and 5% better performance than the simple cycle in Doha, Isparta, and Tehran, respectively.     

Comparative performance analysis of solar powered supercritical-transcritical CO2 based systems for hydrogen production and multigeneration

CO₂ based power and refrigeration cycles have been developed and analyzed in different existing studies. However, the development of a CO₂ based comprehensive energy system and its performance analysis have not been considered. In this study, the integration of a CO₂ based solar parabolic trough collector system, a supercritical CO₂ power cycle, a transcritical CO₂ power cycle, and a CO₂ based cascade refrigeration system for hydrogen production and multigeneration purpose is analyzed thermodynamically. This study aims to analyze and compare the difference in the thermodynamic performance of comprehensive energy systems when CO₂ is used as the working fluid in all the cycles with a system that uses other working fluids. Therefore, two comprehensive energy systems with the same number of subsystems are designed to justify the comparison. The second comprehensive energy system uses liquid potassium instead of CO₂ as a working fluid in the solar parabolic trough collector and a steam cycle is used to replace the transcritical CO₂ power cycle. Results of the energy and exergy performance analysis of two comprehensive energy systems showed that the two systems can be used for the multigeneration purpose. However, the use of a steam cycle and potassium-based solar parabolic trough collector increases the comprehensive energy systems’ overall energy and exergy efficiency by 41.9% and 26.7% respectively. Also, the use of liquid potassium as working fluid in the parabolic trough collectors increases the absorbed solar energy input by 419 kW and 2100 kW thereby resulting in a 23% and 90.7% increase in energetic and exergetic efficiency respectively. The carbon emission reduction potential of the two comprehensive energy systems modelled in this study is also analyzed.     

Thermo-environmental investigation of solar parabolic dish-assisted multi-generation plant using different working fluids

The present study investigates the performance of a multi-generation plant by integrating a parabolic dish solar collector to a steam turbine and absorption chiller producing electricity and process heat and cooling. Thermodynamic modeling of the proposed solar dish integrated multi-generation plant is conducted using engineering equation solver to investigate the effect of certain operating parameters on the performance of the integrated system. The performance of the solar integrated plant is evaluated and compared using three different heat transfer fluids, namely, supercritical carbon dioxide, pressurized water, and Therminol-VPI. The useful heat gain by collector is utilized to drive a Rankine cycle to evaluate the network output, rate of process heat, cooling capacity, overall energetic, and exergetic efficiencies as well as coefficient of performance. The results show that water is an efficient working fluid up to a temperature of 550 K, while Therminol-VPI performs better at elevated temperatures (630 K and above). Higher integrated efficiencies are linked with the lower inlet temperature and higher mass flow rates. The integrated system using pressurized water as a heat transfer fluid is capable of producing 1278 and 832 kW of power output and process heat, respectively, from input source of almost 6121 kW indicating overall energy and exergy efficiencies of 34.5% and 37.10%, respectively. Furthermore, multi-generation plant is evaluated to assess the exergy destruction rate and steam boiler is witnessed to have the major contribution of this loss followed by the turbine. The exergo-environmental analysis is carried out to evaluate the impact of the system on its surroundings. Exergo-environmental impact index, impact factor, impact coefficient, and impact improvement are evaluated against increase in the inlet temperature of the collector. The single-effect absorption cycle is observed to have the energetic and exergetic coefficient of performances of 0.86 and 0.422, for sCO₂ operating system, respectively, with a cooling load of 228 kW.     

Performance improvement of supercritical carbon dioxide power cycles through its integration with bottoming heat recovery cycles and advanced heat exchanger design: A review

In this article, the performance improvement of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO₂) Brayton cycles through heat recovery and advanced heat exchanger (HX) design is reviewed. The configuration of sCO₂ cycles and the bottleneck of the design of an efficient sCO₂ cycle is first evaluated. It was found that heat rejected in the precooler is a large waste that could potentially enhance the overall sCO₂ system performance. Then integration of the absorption cycle, organic Rankine cycle, and thermal desalination plant to the sCO₂ cycle to recover the waste thermal energy is reviewed and discussed. Results showed that these bottoming heat recovery cycles could substantially improve the overall sCO₂ system efficiency. The combined system of sCO₂/absorption chiller, sCO₂/ORC increases the cycle efficiency to about 78% and 79%, respectively. Also, a combined system of sCO₂/desalination produces about 200 000 m³/day with a cost of less than $1.0/m³. Based on the review, the evaluation criteria are proposed for decision-makers. Another bottleneck of the design of the sCO₂ system is the HXs (recuperators) used in the sCO₂ cycle which are relatively large and negatively affect the cycle compactness and performance. Therefore, various types of recuperators proposed and designed for sCO₂ cycles are reviewed and evaluated. This review highlights the need for further research to enhance heat recovery, reduce the cost of bottoming cycles, and improve the design of HXs.     

Energy and exergy analyses of a solar based hydrogen production and compression system

In this study, a solar thermal based integrated system with a supercritical-CO₂ (sCO₂) gas turbine (GT) cycle, a four-step Mg–Cl cycle and a five-stage hydrogen compression plant is developed, proposed for applications and analyzed thermodynamically. The solar data for the considered solar plant are taken for Greater Toronto Area (GTA) by considering both daily and yearly data. A molten salt storage is considered for the system in order to work without interruption when the sun is out. The power and heat from the solar and sCO₂-GT subsystems are introduced to the Mg–Cl cycle to produce hydrogen at four consecutive steps. After the internal heat recovery is accomplished, the heating process at required temperature level is supplied by the heat exchanger of the solar plant. The hydrogen produced from the Mg–Cl cycle is compressed up to 700 bar by using a five-stage compression with intercooling and required compression power is compensated by the sCO₂-GT cycle. The total energy and exergy inputs to the integrated system are found to be 1535 MW and 1454 MW, respectively, for a 1 kmol/s hydrogen producing plant. Both energy and exergy efficiencies of the overall system are calculated as 16.31% and 17.6%, respectively. When the energy and exergy loads of the receiver are taken into account as the main inputs, energy and exergy efficiencies become 25.1%, and 39.8%, respectively. The total exergy destruction within the system is found to be 1265 MW where the solar field contains almost 64% of the total irreversibility with a value of ～811 MW.     

Parametric optimization design for supercritical CO2 power cycle using genetic algorithm and artificial neural network

Supercritical CO₂ power cycle shows a high potential to recover low-grade waste heat due to its better temperature glide matching between heat source and working fluid in the heat recovery vapor generator (HRVG). Parametric analysis and exergy analysis are conducted to examine the effects of thermodynamic parameters on the cycle performance and exergy destruction in each component. The thermodynamic parameters of the supercritical CO₂ power cycle is optimized with exergy efficiency as an objective function by means of genetic algorithm (GA) under the given waste heat condition. An artificial neural network (ANN) with the multi-layer feed-forward network type and back-propagation training is used to achieve parametric optimization design rapidly. It is shown that the key thermodynamic parameters, such as turbine inlet pressure, turbine inlet temperature and environment temperature have significant effects on the performance of the supercritical CO₂ power cycle and exergy destruction in each component. It is also shown that the optimum thermodynamic parameters of supercritical CO₂ power cycle can be predicted with good accuracy using artificial neural network under variable waste heat conditions.     

Experimental investigation of solar-assisted transcritical CO2 Rankine cycle for summer and winter conditions from exergetic point of view

This study deals with energy and exergy analysis of the experimental solar-assisted Rankine cycle working with an environmentally friendly working fluid transcritical CO₂. The experimental system consists of evacuated solar collectors, a heat recovery system, condenser, a pump, and an expansion valve to simulate the realistic turbine operation. The system was designed for electricity production and the heat supply for various applications. The experiments were made funder typical winter and summer days to evaluate seasonal system performance in Kyoto, Japan. According to the obtained results, the turbine capacity was calculated as 0.118 kW and 0.177 kW for winter and summer seasons. From the exergetic point of view, solar collectors were found to be the major contributor to the total exergy destruction with 96.32% for summer and 93.58% for the winter season. Therefore, the efforts should be focused on the collectors. Thus, any attempt for improving the system performance should be focused on solar collectors first. Furthermore, the exergetic efficiency of the overall system was calculated as 7.63% for the winter season and 4.08% for the summer season. As a result, the utilization of CO₂ in the energy conversion cycle can be sustainably developed and extended by providing a glimpse into the carbon-free clean energy future.     

Development of a sustainable multi-generation system with re-compression sCO2 Brayton cycle for hydrogen generation

Current research aims to develop, design, and analyze a novel solar-assisted multi-purpose energy generation system for hydrogen production, electricity generation, refrigeration, and hot water preparation. The suggested system comprises a solar dish for supplying the necessary heat demand, a re-compression carbon dioxide-based Brayton cycle, a PEM electrolyzer for hydrogen generation, an ejector refrigeration system working with ammonia, and a hot water preparation system. The first law and exergy analyses are implemented to determine the performance of the multi-generation plant with various outputs. Besides, the exergo-environmental evaluation of the plant is conducted for the environmental impacts of the plant. Furthermore, parametric analyses are executed for investigating the system outputs, exergy destruction rate, and system efficiencies. According to the results, the rate of hydrogen generated by means of the multi-generation power plant is determined to be 0.062 g/s which corresponds to an hourly production of 0.223 kg. Besides, with the utilization of the supercritical closed Brayton cycle, a power generation rate of 74.86 kW is achieved. Furthermore, the irreversibility of the overall plant is estimated as 535.7 kW in which the primary contributor of this amount is the solar system with a destruction rate of 365.5 kW.     

Development and assessment of a new solar-based trigeneration system using hydrogen for vehicular application in a self-sustained community

In the present study, a new solar-based energy system for a self-sustained community is presented and analysed via the principles of thermodynamics. The presented system can meet the electricity demand, cooling load, and hydrogen (for the refueling of the vehicles) in a community by using a solar heliostat system (based on molten salt) in remote areas. Steam Rankine cycle is used to feed the electricity demand while some of the steam is bled out to operate the two-stage ammonia water-based absorption system for the cooling application. The result of the present study shows that with a heliostat area of 6000 m², 372 kW of electricity, 610 kW of cooling capacity, and 7.2 kg/h of hydrogen is generated. Furthermore, exergy analysis results reveal that the maximum exergy destruction takes place in the central receiver (1170 kW) followed by heliostat (980 kW). The performance assessment of the overall presented system is made via exergy and energy efficiencies and estimated as 17.7%, and 38.9% respectively. Effects of some crucial parameters such as direct normal irradiance, evaporator temperature, the bleeding ratio, etc. have been studied on the overall system performance.     

Review of supercritical CO2 power cycles integrated with CSP

Increasing demand of electricity and severer concerns to environment call for green energy sources as well as efficient energy conversion systems. SCO₂ power cycles integrated with concentrating solar power (CSP) are capable of enhancing the competitiveness of thermal solar electricity. This article makes a comprehensive review of supercritical CO₂ power cycles integrated with CSP. A detailed comparison of four typical CSP technologies is conducted, and the cost challenge of currently CSP technologies is pointed out. The thermophysical properties of sCO₂ and the corresponding two real gas effects are analyzed elaborately to express the features of sCO₂ power cycles. An extensive review of sCO₂ layouts relevant for CSP including 12 single layouts and 1 combined layout is implemented logically. Strengths and weaknesses of sCO₂ power cycles over traditional steam-Rankine cycle generally adopted in current CSP plants are concluded, followed by metal material degration summary in CSP relevant temperature sCO₂ environment, which shows that the nickel-based alloy is a proper structural material candidate for sCO₂-CSP integration. Thermodynamic analyses of sCO₂ power cycles when integrated with CSP are divided into three level of which design-point analysis and off-design modeling are conducted and compared, more researches into the off-design point analysis, dynamic modeling, especially the transient behavior are suggested. Economic analysis of the integrated system is concluded and presents a considerable levelized cost of electricity reduction of 15.6% to 67.7% compared to that of state of art CSP. Taking the thermodynamic and economic analysis into consideration, target designs of sCO₂ power cycles for CSP are summarized in three aspects. Finally, current theoretical and experimental researches of sCO₂ power cycles integrated with CSP for market penetration are introduced. The strengths, weaknesses, and potential solutions to the gaps of three potential pathways (molten salt pathway, particle pathway, and gas phase pathway) to realize the integration of sCO₂ power cycles in the next CSP generation plants up to 700°C are reviewed. In general, the integration of sCO₂ power cycles with CSP technologies exhibits promising expectations for facilitating the competitiveness of thermal solar electricity.     

Investigation of effect of variation of cycle parameters on thermodynamic performance of gas-steam combined cycle

The paper deals with second law thermodynamic analysis of a basic gas turbine based gas-steam combined cycle. The article investigates the effect of variation of cycle parameters on rational efficiency and component-wise non-dimensionalised exergy destruction of the plant. Component-wise inefficiencies of the combined cycle have been quantified with the objective to pin-point the major sources of exergy destruction. The parameter that affects cycle performance most is the TIT (turbine inlet temperature). TIT should be kept on the higher side, because at lower values, the exergy destruction is higher. The summation of total exergy destruction of all components in percentage terms is lower (44.88%) at TIT of 1800 K & r_p,c = 23, as compared to that at TIT = 1700 K. The sum total of rational efficiency of gas turbine and steam turbine is found to be higher (54.91%) at TIT = 1800 K & r_p,c = 23, as compared to that at TIT = 1700 K. Compressor pressure ratio also affects the exergy performance. The sum total of exergy destruction of all components of the combined cycle plant is lower (44.17%) at higher value of compressor pressure ratio (23)& TIT = 1700 K, as compared to that at compressor pressure ratio (16). Also exergy destruction is minimized with the adoption of multi-pressure-reheat steam generator configuration.     

Thermodynamic analysis of a novel fossil-fuel–free energy storage system with a trans-critical carbon dioxide cycle and heat pump

This paper presents and analyzes a novel fossil-fuel–free trans-critical energy storage system that uses CO₂ as the working fluid in a closed loop shuttled between two saline aquifers or caverns at different depths: one a low-pressure reservoir and the other a high-pressure reservoir. Thermal energy storage and a heat pump are adopted to eliminate the need for external natural gas for heating the CO₂ entering the energy recovery turbines. We carefully analyze the energy storage and recovery processes to reveal the actual efficiency of the system. We also highlight thermodynamic and sensitivity analyses of the performance of this fossil-fuel–free trans-critical energy storage system based on a steady-state mathematical method. It is found that the fossil-fuel–free trans-critical CO₂ energy storage system has good comprehensive thermodynamic performance. The exergy efficiency, round-trip efficiency, and energy storage efficiency are 67.89%, 66%, and 58.41%, and the energy generated of per unit storage volume is 2.12 kW·h/m³, and the main contribution to exergy destruction is the turbine reheater, from which we can quantify how performance can be improved. Moreover, with a higher energy storage and recovery pressure and lower pressure in the low-pressure reservoir, this novel system shows promising performance.     

燃气轮机废热利用的新型动力系统热力学分析

基于能量等级回收和梯级利用的原则,构建了一种燃气轮机废热利用的新型动力系统。该系统主要由燃气轮机布雷顿循环(GTC)、再压缩式超临界CO₂布雷顿循环(S-CO₂)、朗肯循环(RC)、有机朗肯循环(ORC)和有机闪蒸循环(OFC)组成。该动力系统不仅克服了单个子循环热量回收范围窄的局限性,而且通过回热的方式实现了能量的梯级利用,进而提高了系统效率。通过Aspen HYSYS软件对构建的动力系统及各子循环分别进行模拟仿真,进一步研究了工况参数对系统的影响。与现有文献中的数据对比表明,该动力系统中各子循环均得到较好的验证。在相同工况条件下,文献中动力系统净功率为48 592.84 kW,热效率和火用效率分别为42.41%和62.02%,而本研究系统净功率为50 040.46 kW,热效率和火用效率分别达到43.673%和73.593%。因此,该新型动力系统具有较好的能源利用效果。     

Component exergy analysis of solar powered transcritical CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> rankine cycle system

In this paper,exergy analysis method is developed to assess a Rankine cycle system,by using supercritical CO2 as working fluid and powered by solar energy.The proposed system consists of evacuated solar collectors,throttling valve,high-temperature heat exchanger,low-temperature heat exchanger,and feed pump.The system is designed for utilize evacuated solar collectors to convert solar energy into mechanical energy and hence electricity.In order to investigate and estimate exergy performance of this system,the energy,entropy,exergy balances are developed for the components.The exergy destructions and exergy efficiency values of the system components are also determined.The results indicate that solar collector and high temperature heat exchanger which have low exergy efficiencies contribute the largest share to system irreversibility and should be the optimization design focus to improve system exergy effectiveness.Further,exergy analysis is a useful tool in this regard as it permits the performance of each process to be assessed and losses to be quantified.Exergy analysis results can be used in design,optimization,and improvement efforts.     

Exergy analysis of industrial pasta drying process

In this study we present an energy and exergy modelling of industrial final macaroni (pasta) drying process for its system analysis, performance evaluation and optimization. Using actual system data, a performance assessment of the industrial macaroni drying process through energy and exergy efficiencies and system exergy destructions is conducted. The heat losses to the surroundings and exergy destructions in the overall system are quantified and illustrated using energy and exergy flow diagrams. The total energy rate input to system is 316.25 kW. The evaporation rate is 72 kg h^?1 (0.02 kg s^?1) and energy consumption rate is found as 4.38 kW for 1 kg water evaporation from product. Humidity product rate is 792 kg h^?1 (0.22 kg s^?1) and energy consumption rate is found about 0.4 kW for 1 kg short cut pasta product. The energy efficiencies of the pasta drying process and the overall system are found to be as 7.55–77.09% and 68.63%. The exergy efficiency of pasta drying process is obtained to be as 72.98–82.15%. For the actual system that is presented the system exergy efficiency vary between 41.90 and 70.94%. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

3‐E analysis of advanced power plants based on high ash coal

The objective of the study is to identify the ‘best’ possible power plant configuration based on 3‐E (namely energy, exergy, and environmental) analysis of coal‐based thermal power plants involving conventional (subcritical (SubC)) and advanced steam parameters (supercritical (SupC) and ultrasupercritical (USC)) in Indian climatic conditions using high ash (HA) coal. The analysis is made for unit configurations of three power plants, specifically, an operating SubC steam power plant, a SupC steam power plant, and the AD700 (advanced 700°C) power plant involving USC steam conditions. In particular, the effect of HA Indian coal and low ash (LA) reference coal on the performance of these power plants is studied. The environmental impact of the power plants is estimated in terms of specific emissions of CO₂, SO_x, NO_x, and particulates. From the study, it is concluded that the maximum possible plant energy efficiency under the Indian climatic conditions using HA Indian coal is about 42.3% with USC steam conditions. The results disclose that the major energy loss is associated with the heat rejection in the cooling water, whereas the maximum exergy destruction takes place in the combustor. Further, the sliding pressure control technique of load following results in higher plant energy and exergy efficiencies compared to throttle control in part‐load operation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new integrated renewable energy system for clean electricity and hydrogen fuel production

In this paper, a new renewable energy-based cogeneration system for hydrogen and electricity production is developed. Three different methods for hydrogen production are integrated with Rankine cycle for electricity production using solar energy as an energy source. In addition, a simple Rankine cycle is utilized for producing electricity. This integrated system consists of solar steam reforming cycle using molten salt as a heat carrier, solar steam reforming cycle using a volumetric receiver reactor, and electrolysis of water combined with the Rankine cycle. These cycles are simulated numerically using the Engineering Equation Solver (EES) based on the thermodynamic analyses. The overall energetic and exergetic efficiencies of the proposed system are determined, and the exergy destruction and entropy generation rates of all subcomponents are evaluated. A comprehensive parametric study for evaluating various critical parameters on the overall performance of the system is performed. The study results show that both energetic and exergetic efficiencies of the system reach 28.9% and 31.1%, respectively. The highest exergy destruction rates are found for the steam reforming furnace and the volumetric receiver reforming reactor (each with about 20%). Furthermore, the highest entropy generation rates are obtained for the steam reforming furnace and the volumetric receiver reforming reactor, with values of 174.1 kW/K and 169.3 kW/K, respectively. Additional parametric studies are undertaken to investigate how operating conditions affect the overall system performance. The results report that 60.25% and 56.14% appear to be the highest exergy and energy efficiencies at the best operating conditions.     

Performance comparison and parametric optimization of subcritical Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and transcritical power cycle system for low-temperature geothermal power generation

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is a promising technology for converting the low-grade energy to electricity. This paper presents an investigation on the parameter optimization and performance comparison of the fluids in subcritical ORC and transcritical power cycle in low-temperature (i.e. 80–100 °C) binary geothermal power system. The optimization procedure was conducted with a simulation program written in Matlab using five indicators: thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, recovery efficiency, heat exchanger area per unit power output (APR) and the levelized energy cost (LEC). With the given heat source and heat sink conditions, performances of the working fluids were evaluated and compared under their optimized internal operation parameters. The optimum cycle design and the corresponding operation parameters were provided simultaneously. The results indicate that the choice of working fluid varies the objective function and the value of the optimized operation parameters are not all the same for different indicators. R123 in subcritical ORC system yields the highest thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency of 11.1% and 54.1%, respectively. Although the thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency of R125 in transcritical cycle is 46.4% and 20% lower than that of R123 in subcritical ORC, it provides 20.7% larger recovery efficiency. And the LEC value is relatively low. Moreover, 22032L petroleum is saved and 74,019 kg CO₂ is reduced per year when the LEC value is used as the objective function. In conclusion, R125 in transcritical power cycle shows excellent economic and environmental performance and can maximize utilization of the geothermal. It is preferable for the low-temperature geothermal ORC system. R41 also exhibits favorable performance except for its flammability.     

Energetic and exergetic performance evaluation of a combined heat and power system with the micro gas turbine (MGTCHP)

This study deals with the energetic and exergetic performance assessment of a combined heat and power system with micro gas turbine (MGTCHP). Quantitative energy and exergy balance for each component and the whole MGTCHP system was considered, while energy and exergy consumption within the system were determined. The performance characteristics of this MGTCHP system were evaluated using energy and exergy analyses methods. The energetic and exergetic efficiencies of the MGTCHP system are calculated as 75.99% with 254.55 kW (as 99.15 kW—electrical and 155.40 kW—hot water_{@363.15 K}) and 35.80% with 123.61 kW (as 99.15 kW—electrical and 24.46 kW—hot water_{@363.15 K}), respectively. The maximum energy loss and exergy consumption occur at 44.03 kW in the stack gas and 129.61 kW in the combustion chamber, respectively. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermodynamic assessment of a lab-scale experimental copper-chlorine cycle for sustainable hydrogen production

An integrated lab-scale copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) thermochemical cycle for hydrogen production at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) is presented and analyzed in this paper. In a practical operation of the Cu-Cl cycle, besides the main steps of hydrolysis, thermolysis, electrolysis and drying, the oxidized anolyte (consumed anolyte at the electrolyzer cell) needs to be recycled to be concentrated sufficiently for the electro-chemical process. Recycling of the oxidized anolyte through the separation processes is achieved by distillation of anolyte, drying unit, separation cell, pressure swing distillation and CuCl₂ concentrator. This study examines the thermodynamic performance of all unit operations in the lab-scale Cu-Cl cycle. A process simulation model with Aspen Plus is used to assess the system by energy and exergy analyses. For the specific system design characteristics, the cycle is capable of producing 100 L/h of hydrogen. From the simulation results, the overall energy and exergy efficiencies of the lab-scale Cu-Cl cycle are determined to be 11.6% and 34.9%, respectively. Furthermore, after the thermolysis and hydrolysis reactors, the quench cell and CuCl₂ concentrator have the highest exergy losses with thermal energy transferred through CuCl solidification and water vaporization phase-change processes at relatively high temperature. Additional results of the processes are presented and discussed.