Designing an Integrated CSP-SOE System for Hydrogen Production

This paper presents the design, and simulation of a novel concentrated solar power (CSP) system integration with solid oxide electrolysis (SOE) to generate superheated steam required for efficient hydrogen production. The system comprises of 10 parabolic dish collectors, SiSiC cavity receivers, and a heat exchanger with two components. An evaporator and a superheater collectively achieve a high thermal efficiency of 73%. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations demonstrated that the SiSiC receiver can maintain an air outlet temperature of 1555K, which is 8% more efficient than a similar design reported in the literature. This would facilitate the generation of superheated steam necessary for the SOE process. A water flow rate of 28.8kg/h directly influences the system's hydrogen production capacity, which reaches 2.56kg/h at optimal conditions. The heat exchanger components were designed using Aspen EDR, while the entire system simulation was conducted using Aspen Plus, demonstrating the system's potential to meet industrial standards for sustainable hydrogen production. This article serves as a good reference in investigating the feasibility of CSP-SOE systems as a promising pathway for large-scale renewable hydrogen production.