•Proposal of an integrated plant with CO2, power, and NGL production.•Performing energy, exergy, economic, and environmental analyses.•Obtaining the energy and exergy efficiencies of 51.29% and ...80.54%, respectively.•Reporting the largest exergy destruction of 392150.6 kW for the APC cycle.•Generating 460600 kW of power with a production cost of 8.36 $/MWh in the plant.
This paper presents an integrated process with three products, namely carbon dioxide, power, and natural gas liquid, from the pollutant shale gas. The proposed system utilizes all shale gas for product generation, contributing to the zero CO2 footprint. The hydrocarbon recovery is performed through cold energy integration. An Aspen HYSYS code simulates the system to assess the 4E analysis. Results showed that the proposed structure's first and second laws efficiencies are 51.29% and 80.54%, respectively. This process includes natural gas liquids recovery unit, Allam power cycle, steam power cycle, NH3 power cycle, and ammonia-water power cycle. Exergy analysis illustrated that the largest exergy destruction, valued at 392.15 MW (a 52.81% contribution), happens in the absorption power cycle. Among all equipment, the combustion chamber has the highest exergy destruction. The environmental analysis revealed that the proposed process has zero carbon emission and 4866 tons of CO2 is produced. In the natural gas liquid recovery unit, due to the employing separation with a turboexpander, good refrigeration is provided for the shale gas, which results in the maximum hydrocarbon recovery of 4163 barrels/day. Moreover, besides providing all the power requirements of pumps and compressors, the proposed process generates 460.60 MW of power with a production cost of 8.36 $/MWh.
We analyze double effect absorption refrigeration systems exergoeconomically. We study the effect of operating conditions on thermoeconomic parameters of the systems. We calculate the heat transfer ...coefficients in different components of the systems. In the systems the evaporator and the absorber are the most expensive components.
Exergoeconomic analyses are reported for three classes of double effect LiBr/water absorption refrigeration systems in order to investigate the influence of various operating parameters on investment costs of the overall systems and product cost flow rates. In addition, the contributions of component costs to the overall costs are obtained for each system and the results of the exergoeconomic analyses of the systems are described. The results reveal the advantages and disadvantages of different configurations of double effect LiBr/water absorption refrigeration systems from an exergoeconomic point of view and are expected to be useful in the selection, design and modification of the structure and operating parameters of such systems.
The sharing economy has developed rapidly in recent years using both business‐to‐customer (B2C) and customer‐to‐customer (C2C) models. This has exerted a profound impact on incumbent firms that ...follow a traditional sales model. Although the effects of B2C or C2C sharing in certain scenarios have been studied by prior literature, the effect of external B2C sharing has not been considered. Furthermore, the possible distinction between the two sharing effects as well as incumbent firms’ decisions on the sales and sharing models under the internal and external environments have not been addressed. This study compares the effects of B2C and C2C sharing in an internal sharing scenario where an incumbent firm can extend into the sharing business. Due to the difference in sharing agents, we also consider an external sharing scenario where an independent entrant firm can provide B2C or C2C sharing and strategically set price. From the perspectives of product cost and sharing transaction cost, we present several new managerial insights to expand on existing literature. First, under the internal sharing scenario, interestingly, the incumbent firm benefits from extending into the B2C or C2C sharing business only when the product cost is above a threshold, and it prefers to extend into the C2C sharing business unless the per‐period transaction cost of C2C sharing is much higher than that of B2C sharing. In addition, it is shown that the incumbent firm may need to produce more products for sales, or maintain lower sharing supply when it extends into the B2C sharing business than those when it extends C2C sharing, which is somewhat counter‐intuitive. Under the external sharing scenario, we observe that the B2C sharing business benefits the incumbent firm merely when the product cost is high, similar to the impact of C2C sharing. Meanwhile, if the per‐period transaction cost of C2C sharing is much higher than that of B2C sharing, then the positive impact of external B2C sharing on the incumbent firm’s profitability should be stronger than that of external C2C sharing. Moreover, external B2C sharing actually increases the sales demand of the incumbent firm under the conditions of low product cost and high sharing transaction cost, while external C2C sharing might increase it as well in the condition of high product cost. Both external B2C and C2C sharing may lead to a higher rental price than internal sharing in the presence of high product cost. Furthermore, even though the product cost is low, there should be higher customer surplus and total social welfare in the external B2C or C2C sharing scenarios. For constructing a comprehensive framework of sharing scenarios, we also extend our model to a setting where the incumbent firm could extend both B2C and C2C sharing in the internal and external environments. It is shown that the incumbent firm always extends into the sharing business to compete against the entrant firm in the external sharing scenario.
•Four biogas-fed solid oxide fuel cell power plants are proposed.•Performance of systems is compared with each other economically.•Efficiency of biogas fed fuel cell with anode–cathode recycling is ...the highest.•For current density of 6000A/m2 the optimum anode recycle ratio is around 0.25.•Unit product cost of biogas fed fuel cell with anode–cathode recycling is 19.07$/GJ.
Four different configurations of natural gas and biogas fed solid oxide fuel cell are proposed and analyzed thermoeconomically, focusing on the influence of anode and/or cathode gas recycling. It is observed that the net output power is maximized at an optimum current density the value of which is lowered as the methane concentration in the biogas is decreased. Results indicate that when the current density is low, there is an optimum anode recycling ratio at which the thermal efficiency is maximized. In addition, an increase in the anode recycling ratio increases the unit product cost of the system while an increase in the cathode recycling ratio has a revers effect. For the same working conditions, the solid oxide fuel cell with anode and cathode recycling is superior to the other configurations and its thermal efficiency is calculated as 46.09% being 6.81% higher than that of the simple solid oxide fuel cell fed by natural gas. The unit product cost of the solid oxide fuel cell-anode and cathode recycling system is calculated as 19.07$/GJ which is about 35% lower than the corresponding value for the simple natural gas fed solid oxide fuel cell system.
This work presents technoeconomic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of a novel biorefinery producing succinic acid (SA) from sugarcane bagasse. The process consists of acid pretreatment, ...fermentation, followed by downstream separation and purification. Experimental data for pretreatment and fermentation are adapted for a plant processing 4 t/h of dry bagasse, producing 405 kg/h of succinic acid with the same quantity of acetic acid as a side product. Downstream separation is simulated in ASPEN PLUS. The facility is assumed to be annexed to and heat-integrated with an existing sugar mill in India. LCA is performed considering cradle-to-gate scope with 1 kg of SA as the functional unit. The TEA results show that although the process is currently not economically feasible, expected improvements in fermentation yields will make it cost-competitive. For the expected yield, the product cost of SA is INR 121/kg ($1.61/kg), and the selling price of succinic acid should be INR 178/kg ($2.37/kg) for a payback period of 4 years. Pretreatment and fermentation are the biggest contributors to the product cost. The life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are 1.39 kg of CO2 equiv/kg succinic acid with electricity as the major contributor. Process improvement opportunities are identified to reduce the costs, as well as life cycle impacts.
Formation of product cost at agricultural enterprises is one of the main questions in the process of their economic activity. As an economic category, product cost is the total amount of expenses of ...an enterprise on production and sales of their products. The agricultural product cost comprises payroll expenses and benefits-related deductions; material costs including seeds and planting materials, fodders, mineral fertilizers, fuel and lubricants, electricity cost, fuel and energy, spare parts, repair costs and construction materials for repairs, payment for services and works provided by external parties and other material costs; depreciation and other expenses including renting fees for land parcels (shares), property shares and other expenditures. All specified expenses form the resources of enterprises expressed in value terms. Based on statistical data, manufacturing product cost (works, services) of agricultural products at agricultural enterprises in Ukraine is analyzed. This analysis allowed identifying trends in the change of total expenses indicator and in the context of expenditure items. It is established that in 2017, if compared with 2013, the amount of expenses at agricultural enterprises in Ukraine increased by 6.5 times. In particular, material costs account for the biggest share in the expenditure pattern; in 2017 they amounted to 59.8%. It is emphasized that while calculating the product cost of manufactured and sold products, it is important to specify the composition of expenditures, to identify expenditures in accordance with the type of activity in order to define financial results of economic activity, which is the aim of all business entities. Furthermore, finished product cost (works, services) and the composition of expenditures that it includes are specified in the Accounting Regulations 9. In paragraph 10 of the Accounting Regulations 9 it is stated that production cost is defined according to the norms of the Accounting Regulations 16. The formation of product cost at agricultural enterprises requires the search for the reserves to reduce production cost, which consists in using energy- and resource-saving technologies, using advanced equipment, IT-technologies, etc.
Employing the systems which make use of waste heat for upgrading its temperature is of great importance for their energy saving potential. In this research, the thermoeconomic analysis of a novel ...ejector boosted hybrid heat pump (EBHP) is evaluated and compared with three other types of heat pumps namely the absorption, compression, and absorption/compression heat pumps. The analysis uses the exergy costing method that combines the exergy concept with the economic analysis to evaluate the unit cost of final product at the wide operating range. The results reveal that the advantages of the proposed heat pump from the thermoeconomic view point are clear in higher upgraded temperatures. A detailed analysis of the different thermoeconomic variables is also conducted and the contributions of each component in the overall cost of the heat pumps are evaluated. In addition, effects of various decision variables on the economic performance of the systems are studied. The investigations demonstrate that the concentration of ammonia in hybrid heat pumps and the pinch point temperature difference in all of the studied heat pumps affect the final unit product cost of the systems considerably.
•An ejector boosted hybrid heat pump is compared with three other types of heat pumps.•Thermoeconomic variables are used to analyze the economic performance of each component.•For low temperature lifts, the absorption heat pump has lower unit product cost.•As the temperature of upgraded heat increases, the EBHP shows better performance.•The effect of operating parameters on the product cost of the systems is investigated.
This research presents the proposal of a double ejector-two flash tank absorption refrigeration cycle, in which vapor and liquid ejectors are implemented simultaneously before the condensers and ...absorbers components. For the vapor ejector simulation, the shock circle approach is used. The internal environment of the vapor ejector, including the chocking phenomenon and the irreversible shock process, is also thoroughly examined. It is proposed that ejectors and flash tanks can improve the system performance. It is possible to improve the ejector entrainment ratio by incorporating a flash tank between the evaporator and condenser, which would also increase the evaporator cooling effect. Moreover, a second flash tank is installed between the generator and the absorber, which allows the generator to operate at a lower temperature and thus reduces the generator heat load. Consequently, the system's COP (coefficient of performance) increases. Furthermore, the unit cost of the final product in a wide range of operational conditions is calculated. The findings revealed up to 56.8% increase in the COP. The improvement of the maximum exergetic efficiency in the new cycle compared to the basic cycle also reaches 22.5%. Moreover, the thermoeconomic investigation show up to 34.6%. reduction in product cost.
This paper presents a case study on the applicability of machine learning and big data technology for product cost estimation, using data on the material cost of passenger cars. The study provides ...contributions to six research aspects. First, we show which machine learning algorithms are appropriate when dealing with product cost estimation for highly complex products with more than 2000 parts and hundreds of cost drivers. Second, our case study provides a novel approach to increasing the predictive accuracy of cost estimates for subsequent product generations. Third, we show that the accuracy is up to 3.5 times higher when using big data compared to an intermediate size of data. Fourth, machine learning can outperform cost estimates from cost experts during the early stage of new product development, even when dealing with highly complex products. Then, we evaluate the use cases, issues, and benefits of machine learning and big data from the perspective of cost experts. Specifically, the case study shows that machine learning can reliably select the most important cost drivers (fifth aspect) and calculate the average cost of cost drivers over thousands of product configurations (sixth aspect). However, cost experts must be knowledgeable about the product and remain careful when interpreting machine learning outcomes, as they can yield misleading outcomes in some exceptional cases. In conclusion, machine learning and big data empirically proved to be able to generate additional value in many aspects for managing costs during the early phase of new product development.
•Machine-learning-based product cost predictions can be more accurate than cost experts, even for highly complex products.•We propose a novel method to improve cost estimates for multi-generational cost estimation.•Machine learning techniques can reliably capture the most important cost drivers and cost estimation relationships.
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► Combined ejector double effect absorption systems are analyzed exergoeconomically. ► Effects of operating conditions on thermoeconomic parameters of the systems are studied. ► Heat ...transfer coefficients in components of the systems are calculated. ► Evaporator, absorber and solution heat exchangers are the most expensive components. ► In similar conditions the combined cycle is more economical than the series flow one.
At a particular temperature range, heat sources are not hot enough to drive lithium bromide double effect absorption refrigeration systems efficiently and are too hot to be used for the single effect systems because of the risk of crystallization. A combined ejector-double effect absorption cycle is a good choice to make effective use of heat sources at this temperature range for refrigeration purposes. In this study, detailed exergoeconomic analyses are performed for series flow double effect and combined ejector double effect systems in order to investigate and compare the influence of various operating parameters on investment costs of the overall systems and product cost flow rates. In addition, the proportion of component costs in the overall systems costs and exergoeconomic results are obtained. The results show that the combined cycle operates more economically compared to the double effect system.
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