Systems and Methods for Combined Thermal and Compressed Gas Energy Conversion Systems

• US 20100205960A1
• Filed: 01/20/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hydrostor Inc.
• Original Assignee: SustainX, Inc. (General Compression, Inc.)
• Inventors: McBride, Troy O., Bollinger, Benjamin R., Cameron, Benjamin, Magari, Patrick, Chen, Weibo, Izenson, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,958,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/641.200
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/16 for storing compressed air
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 4/001 Binary cycle plants where the source fluid from the geothermal collector heats the working fluid via a heat exchanger
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 6/00 Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy solar boilers F24
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 6/071 with energy storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/04 using pressure differences or thermal differences occurring in nature F03G7/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/46 Conversion of thermal power into mechanical power, e.g. Rankine, Stirling or solar thermal engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/16 Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

The invention relates to systems and methods including an energy conversion system for storage and recovery of energy using compressed gas, a source of recovered thermal energy, and a heat-exchange subsystem in fluid communication with the energy conversion system and the source of recovered thermal energy.

Claims

1. A combined thermal and compressed-gas energy conversion system comprising:

a compressed-gas energy conversion system configured for substantially isothermal storage and recovery of energy;

a source of recovered thermal energy; and

a heat-exchange subsystem in fluid communication with the compressed-gas energy conversion system and the source of recovered thermal energy.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat-exchange subsystem utilizes the recovered thermal energy to heat the compressed gas prior to and/or during expansion thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat-exchange subsystem utilizes the recovered thermal energy to cool the compressed gas during and/or after compression thereof.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the source of recovered thermal energy comprises at least one of a fossil fuel power plant, a heat engine power plant, a solar thermal source, a geothermal source, an industrial process with waste heat, a heat pump, a heat source, a heat sink, or a source of environmentally chilled water.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the source of recovered thermal energy comprises a thermal well.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat-exchange subsystem comprises:

a circulation apparatus in fluid communication with the energy conversion system for circulating a fluid through the heat-exchange subsystem; and

a heat exchanger comprising;

a first side in fluid communication with the circulation apparatus and the energy conversion system, the circulation apparatus circulating the fluid from the energy conversion system, through the heat exchanger, and back to the energy conversion system, and

a second side circulating a heat-exchange fluid through the source of recovered thermal energy.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the heat-exchange fluid transfers at least a portion of the recovered thermal energy for use as at least one of process heat, cooling, or building conditioning.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the compressed-gas energy conversion system comprises a cylinder assembly including a staged pneumatic side and a hydraulic side, the sides being separated by a mechanical boundary mechanism that transfers energy therebetween, and the heat exchange subsystem is in fluid communication with the pneumatic side of the cylinder assembly.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the heat-exchange subsystem comprises:

a circulation apparatus in fluid communication with the pneumatic side of the cylinder assembly for circulating a fluid through the heat-exchange subsystem; and

a heat exchanger comprising;

a first side in fluid communication with the circulation apparatus and the pneumatic side of the cylinder assembly, the circulation apparatus circulating the fluid from the pneumatic side of the cylinder assembly, through the heat exchanger, and back to the pneumatic side of the cylinder assembly, and

a second side in fluid communication with the source of recovered thermal energy.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the fluid comprises a gas being compressed or expanded in the pneumatic side of the cylinder assembly.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising a spray mechanism disposed in the pneumatic side of the cylinder assembly, wherein the fluid comprises a heat-exchange fluid introduced into the cylinder assembly through the spray mechanism.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the spray mechanism comprises at least one of a spray head disposed at an end of the cylinder assembly or a spray rod running through at least a portion of the cylinder assembly.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the cylinder assembly comprises at least one of an accumulator or an intensifier.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising, in fluid communication with the cylinder assembly, a second cylinder assembly including a staged pneumatic side and a hydraulic side separated by a boundary mechanism that transfers mechanical energy therebetween.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the cylinder assembly is an accumulator that transfers the mechanical energy at a first pressure ratio and the second cylinder assembly is an intensifier that transfers the mechanical energy at a second pressure ratio greater than the first pressure ratio.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the compressed-gas energy conversion system comprises a pressure vessel for storage of the compressed gas, and the heat-exchange subsystem is in fluid communication with the pressure vessel.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the heat-exchange subsystem comprises:

a circulation apparatus in fluid communication with the pressure vessel for circulating a fluid through the heat-exchange subsystem; and

a heat exchanger comprising;

a first side in fluid communication with the circulation apparatus and the pressure vessel, the circulation apparatus circulating the fluid from the pressure vessel, through the heat exchanger, and back to the pressure vessel, and

a second side in fluid communication with the source of recovered thermal energy.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the fluid comprises a gas being stored in the pressure vessel.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a spray mechanism disposed in the pressure vessel, wherein the fluid comprises a heat-exchange fluid introduced into the pressure vessel through the spray mechanism.

20. A system for substantially isothermal expansion and compression of a gas, the system comprising:

a source of recovered thermal energy;

a cylinder assembly including a staged pneumatic side and a hydraulic side, the sides being separated by a mechanical boundary mechanism that transfers energy therebetween; and

a heat-exchange subsystem in fluid communication with the pneumatic side of the cylinder assembly and the source of recovered thermal energy.

21. A method of energy storage, the method comprising:

at least one of substantially isothermally expanding or compressing a gas in a compressed-gas energy conversion system; and

utilizing thermal energy from a source of recovered thermal energy to at least one of cool the gas during or after compression or heat the gas prior to or during expansion.