Thermoeconomic Analysis and Optimization of Claude Hydrogen Liquefaction Cycle Integrated With Helium‐Based Joule‐Brayton Precooling Cycle in Novel Geothermal Multigeneration System

This study explores a multigeneration system leveraging renewable geothermal energy, featuring components such as a hydrogen liquefaction subsystem, a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, a cascade organic Rankine cycle, and a geothermal unit. It rigorously evaluates the system's thermodynamic and economic performance, focusing on how key variables affect efficiency. The research introduces a novel heat integration procedure to minimize irreversibility in producing coolant and liquefied hydrogen. The analysis compares various hydrogen generation methods based on production rates, economic viability, and energy efficiency, identifying optimal operating conditions through a two‐objective genetic optimization algorithm. The system achieves an energy efficiency of 20% and an exergy efficiency of 54%, with an output power of 7103 kW and hydrogen production of 4.375 kg/h. Financial assessments reveal a total system cost of $52.24/h, a levelized cost of hydrogen production at $16.54/kg, and a levelized cost of electricity generation at 10.03 cents/kWh.