Comprehensive performance assessment of a novel type biogas-fueled hybrid cooling tank: Thermodynamic, sustainability, exergoeconomic, exergoenvironmental analyses and multi objective optimization

Since the cooling process is a low temperature application, it causes very intense energy consumption in the industrial area and, consequently, a significant increase in operating costs. In order to reduce energy consumption costs, cooling applications need to be supported by renewable energy sources. However, it is very important that the renewable energy source chosen can be used unlimitedly throughout all four seasons. Considering that the cooling process takes place in an open environment such as a farm, it can be said that biogas obtained from animal waste is ideal renewable energy source for this process. In this study, the performance of a new type of hybrid cooling tank operating only with biogas energy was investigated using thermodynamic, exergoeconomic, sustainability and environmental impact analysis methods. In experimental studies, milk was cooled within the tank. In addition, multi-objective optimization technique was utilized to evaluate the changes in the parameters affecting the system performance. In this way, the factors affecting the optimum operating parameters of the system were determined and solution suggestions for improvements were presented. From the analyses and optimization, it was detected that the biogas reactor was the component with the lowest exergy efficiency (51.12 %), the lowest sustainability index (1.52 %), the lowest exergoeconomic factor (0.896), the highest exergy loss (0.378 kW), the highest waste exergy ratio (42.02 %) and the highest improvement potential (35.79 %). The findings clearly showed that improvements, especially in the biogas reactor, would have a significant impact on system performance and operating costs.