Performance Analysis of a Novel Water/Electricity Cogeneration System Based on Plasma Waste Gasification and a Small Modular Reactor

A hybrid system consisting of plasma gasification, multistage flash (MSF) desalination, and a small modular reactor (SMR) power plant is proposed for power and water cogeneration. In the novel configuration, the syngas from the plasma gasifier is burned to drive the gas turbine to generate electricity. The exhaust from the gas turbine is used to heat the steam of the SMR power plant and the seawater. The new design is thoroughly evaluated from a thermodynamic and economic point of view. In the hybrid system, 36.12 MW of electricity is generated from medical waste, and 23.75 MW of heat that can be utilized by MSF desalination is also generated from medical waste, with waste-to-electricity efficiency and energy efficiency of medical waste being 40.39% and 52.88%, respectively. The exergy efficiency of medical waste is 37.99%. In addition, the new design has a short dynamic payback period of 3.7 years, and the project's net present value can reach 430036.07 k$ over a 20 year lifetime; internal rate of return can reach 54%. Meanwhile, the effects of equivalence ratio and plasma temperature on the performance of the hybrid system are discussed. These results confirm the feasibility of the new design.