ADIABATIC COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM WITH MULTI-STAGE THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE
First Claim
1. An adiabatic compressed air energy storage (ACAES) system operable in a compression mode to compress air and in an expansion mode to expand air, the ACAES system comprising:
- a compressor system configured to compress air supplied thereto, the compressor system comprising;
a plurality of compressors; and
a compressor conduit fluidly connecting the plurality of compressors together and having an air inlet and an air outlet;
an air storage unit connected to the air outlet of the compressor conduit and configured to store compressed air received from the compressor system;
a turbine system configured to expand compressed air supplied thereto from the air storage unit, the turbine system comprising;
a plurality of turbines; and
a turbine conduit fluidly connecting the plurality of turbines together and having an air inlet and an air outlet; and
a plurality of thermal energy storage (TES) units configured to remove thermal energy from compressed air passing through the compressor conduit and return thermal energy to air passing through the turbine conduit, each of the plurality of TES units being positioned on the compressor conduit along a length thereof between the air inlet and the air outlet of the compressor conduit and on the turbine conduit along a length thereof between the air inlet and the air outlet of the turbine conduit;
wherein the compressor conduit and the turbine conduit are arranged such that at least a portion of the plurality of TES units operate at a first pressure state during the compression mode of operation and at a second pressure state different from the first pressure state during the expansion mode of operation.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An ACAES system operable in a compression mode and an expansion mode of operation is disclosed and includes a compressor system configured to compress air supplied thereto and a turbine system configured to expand compressed air supplied thereto, with the compressor system including a compressor conduit and the turbine system including a turbine conduit. The ACAES system also includes a plurality of thermal energy storage (TES) units positioned on the compressor and turbine conduits and configured to remove thermal energy from compressed air passing through the compressor conduit and return thermal energy to air passing through the turbine conduit. The compressor conduit and the turbine conduit are arranged such that at least a portion of the plurality of TES units operate at a first pressure state during the compression mode of operation and at a second pressure state different from the first pressure state during the expansion mode of operation.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An adiabatic compressed air energy storage (ACAES) system operable in a compression mode to compress air and in an expansion mode to expand air, the ACAES system comprising:
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a compressor system configured to compress air supplied thereto, the compressor system comprising; a plurality of compressors; and a compressor conduit fluidly connecting the plurality of compressors together and having an air inlet and an air outlet; an air storage unit connected to the air outlet of the compressor conduit and configured to store compressed air received from the compressor system; a turbine system configured to expand compressed air supplied thereto from the air storage unit, the turbine system comprising; a plurality of turbines; and a turbine conduit fluidly connecting the plurality of turbines together and having an air inlet and an air outlet; and a plurality of thermal energy storage (TES) units configured to remove thermal energy from compressed air passing through the compressor conduit and return thermal energy to air passing through the turbine conduit, each of the plurality of TES units being positioned on the compressor conduit along a length thereof between the air inlet and the air outlet of the compressor conduit and on the turbine conduit along a length thereof between the air inlet and the air outlet of the turbine conduit; wherein the compressor conduit and the turbine conduit are arranged such that at least a portion of the plurality of TES units operate at a first pressure state during the compression mode of operation and at a second pressure state different from the first pressure state during the expansion mode of operation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for adiabatic compressed air energy storage (ACAES) comprising:
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supplying air to a compressor system, the compressor system including a plurality of compressor units fluidly connected by a compressor conduit; compressing the air in the compressor system during a compression stage; storing the compressed air in a compressed air storage unit; supplying the compressed air from the compressed air storage unit to a turbine system, the turbine system including a plurality of turbine units fluidly connected by a turbine conduit; expanding the air in the turbine system during an expansion stage; and during each of the compression stage and the expansion stage, passing the air through a plurality of thermal energy storage (TES) units connected to each of the compressor conduit and the turbine conduit, the plurality of TES units spaced intermittently among the plurality of compressor units and the plurality of turbine units, to cool and heat the air as it passes through the respective compressor conduit and the turbine conduit; wherein the air is routed through the plurality of TES units such that at least a portion of the plurality of TES units operate at a first pressure state during the compression stage and at a second pressure state different from the first pressure state during the expansion stage. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. An adiabatic compressed air energy storage (ACAES) system comprising:
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a compressor system configured to compress air supplied thereto, the compressor system comprising; a plurality of compressors; and a compression path connecting the plurality of compressors and having an air inlet and an air outlet; an air storage unit connected to the air outlet of the compression path and configured to store compressed air received from the compressor system; a turbine system configured to expand compressed air supplied thereto from the air storage unit, the turbine system comprising; a plurality of turbines; and an expansion path connecting the plurality of turbines and having an air inlet and an air outlet; and a multi-stage thermal energy storage (TES) system configured to cool air passing through the compression path during a charging stage and heat air passing through the expansion path during a discharging stage, the multi-stage TES system comprising a plurality of TES units each configured to operate in a different pressure state; wherein the compression path and the expansion path are routed such that at least a portion of the plurality of TES units operate at a first pressure state during the charging stage and at a second pressure state different from the first pressure state during the discharging stage. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification