Municipal solid waste fired combined cycle plant: Techno-economic performance optimization using response surface methodology

This paper aims to design, analyze, and find the optimized performance of a novel municipal solid waste fired combined cycle power plant, to cater the utility electrical needs of an urban municipality. Performance of the plant is evaluated through energy, exergy, economy and environmental analyses. Response surface methodology is used as optimization tool for finding the optimal performance of the plant. Air compressor outlet pressure, air turbine inlet temperature, hot end temperature difference of the dual combustor and heat recovery unit, organic vapor turbine inlet temperature, and organic vapor turbine inlet pressure are considered as input parameters for finding out the optimal values of the response parameters such as exergy efficiency and levelized unit cost of electricity. This particular regression model offers extremely accurate results for the response parameters. The optimal values of exergy efficiency and cost of electricity are found to be about 39% and 0.085 $/kWh (5.3 INR/kWh), respectively at the air compressor outlet pressure of 4 bar, air turbine inlet temperature of 1100 °C, hot end temperature difference of 70 °C, and organic vapor turbine inlet temperature and pressure of 201.8 °C and 5 bar, respectively. At this optimal operating point, the plant can deliver 1810 kW electricity with an environmental damage cost savings of 270 $/year compared to the environmental damage cost associated with the conventional land-filling of municipal solid waste. Composite desirability for this model is found to be 1, indicating the fact that the model predicts the best suitable results for the proposed plant's performance optimization.