Amirkabir University of Technology Amirkabir Journal of Mechanical Engineering 2008-6032 53 11 2022 01 21 Thermo-Economic Evaluation of a Power and Freshwater Production System Including a Liquid Metal Magnetohydrodynamic Unit Driven By a Concentrated Solar Tower and Biogas Thermo-Economic Evaluation of a Power and Freshwater Production System Including a Liquid Metal Magnetohydrodynamic Unit Driven By a Concentrated Solar Tower and Biogas 5551 5572 4396 10.22060/mej.2021.19495.7039 FA Qasem Abdollah Nezhad Department of Mechanical Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. Samad Jafarmadar Department of Mechanical Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. Shahram Khalilarya Department of Mechanical Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. 0000-0002-6434-852X Journal Article 2021 01 13 The use of liquid metal magnetic hydrodynamic energy units, despite reducing maintenance costs and improving reliability, requires a high-temperature source, which must be supplied by fossil fuels. The present study aims to cover this shortage by proposing a new design for liquid metal magnetic hydrodynamic power and desalination cogeneration plant by applying concentrating solar power. The results show that 73.2 kW and 21.06 m3/day power and fresh water can be produced by the proposed cogeneration plant, respectively. The energy utilization factor and total exergy efficiency are 97.45 and 26.34%. The results also indicate that the receiver accounts for the highest exergy destruction, followed by the heliostat with 270.4 kW and 240.9 kW, respectively. Increasing the efficiency of the humidifier/dehumidifier or reducing the mass flow rate of the second magnetic hydrodynamic loop improves the energetic and exergetic performances of the system. Besides, the receiver and solar tower have the highest cost of investment and maintenance, and the total unit cost of the system is 103.4 $/GJ. The use of liquid metal magnetic hydrodynamic energy units, despite reducing maintenance costs and improving reliability, requires a high-temperature source, which must be supplied by fossil fuels. The present study aims to cover this shortage by proposing a new design for liquid metal magnetic hydrodynamic power and desalination cogeneration plant by applying concentrating solar power. The results show that 73.2 kW and 21.06 m3/day power and fresh water can be produced by the proposed cogeneration plant, respectively. The energy utilization factor and total exergy efficiency are 97.45 and 26.34%. The results also indicate that the receiver accounts for the highest exergy destruction, followed by the heliostat with 270.4 kW and 240.9 kW, respectively. Increasing the efficiency of the humidifier/dehumidifier or reducing the mass flow rate of the second magnetic hydrodynamic loop improves the energetic and exergetic performances of the system. Besides, the receiver and solar tower have the highest cost of investment and maintenance, and the total unit cost of the system is 103.4 $/GJ. https://mej.aut.ac.ir/article_4396_b4aa00bc1c59b9d1cdd07479070e355e.pdf