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Fluid-flow control in energy storage and recovery systems

  • US 8,578,708 B2
  • Filed: 11/30/2011
  • Issued: 11/12/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An energy storage and recovery system comprising:

  • a cylinder assembly (i) for, therewithin, at least one of the compression of gas to store energy or the expansion of gas to recover energy and (ii) having an interior compartment and an end cap disposed at an end of the cylinder assembly;

    integrated within the end cap, (i) a first valve for admitting fluid into the interior compartment of the cylinder assembly prior to expansion and exhausting fluid from the interior compartment of the cylinder assembly after compression, and (ii) a second valve for exhausting fluid from the interior compartment of the cylinder assembly after expansion and admitting fluid into the interior compartment of the cylinder assembly prior to compression, each of the first and second valves comprising a gated port and an outside port, the first and second valves controlling fluid communication with the interior compartment via respective separate fluid paths;

    a first actuation mechanism for actuating the first valve;

    a second actuation mechanism for actuating the second valve; and

    a control system for controlling the first and second actuation mechanisms based on at least one of a pressure inside the interior compartment of the cylinder assembly, a position of the gated port of the first valve, or a position of the gated port of the second valve, the control system reducing a pressure differential through at least one of the first or second valves during fluid flow therethrough, thereby increasing efficiency of the energy storage and recovery,wherein;

    the second actuation mechanism is configured for (i) applying a first actuation force against a first pressure differential between a pressure in the interior compartment and a pressure within the second valve between the gated port and the outside port and (ii) applying a second actuation force greater than the first actuation force against a second pressure differential, greater than the first pressure differential, between the pressure in the interior compartment and the pressure within the second valve between the gated port and the outside port,the cylinder assembly is configured to operate at the first pressure differential during the at least one of compression or expansion of gas,the second actuation mechanism is configured to apply the second actuation force only when the first actuation force is insufficient to open the second valve, andthe second actuation mechanism comprises a hydraulic mechanism selectively connectable to (i) a first source of fluid at a pressure sufficient to provide an actuation force greater than the first actuation force and less than the second actuation force and (ii) a second source of fluid at a pressure greater than the pressure of the first source of fluid and sufficient to provide an actuation force greater than the second actuation force.

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