Energy storage
First Claim
1. Energy storage apparatus comprising:
- a compression chamber configured to receive a gas;
a compression piston configured to compress the gas contained in the compression chamber;
a first thermal store configured to receive and store thermal energy from the gas compressed by the compression piston;
an expansion chamber configured to receive the gas after exposure to the first thermal store;
an expansion piston configured to expand the gas received in the expansion chamber; and
a second thermal store configured to transfer thermal energy to the gas expanded by the expansion piston;
wherein expansion by the expansion piston or compression by the compression piston is substantially isentropic or substantially adiabatic,wherein a flow path of the gas passes through each of the first and second thermal stores for storing thermal energy from the gas and for transfer of thermal energy to the gas, respectively, andwherein the first and second thermal stores are configured to charge in a charging mode of the energy storage apparatus so as to store energy in the energy storage apparatus.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus (10) for storing energy, comprising: compression chamber means (24) for receiving a gas; compression piston means (25) for compressing gas contained in the compression chamber means; first heat storage means (50) for receiving and storing thermal energy from gas compressed by the compression piston means; expansion chamber means (28) for receiving gas after exposure to the first heat storage means; expansion piston means (29) for expanding gas received in the expansion chamber means; and second heat storage means (60) for transferring thermal energy to gas expanded by the expansion piston means. The cycle used by apparatus (10) has two different stages that can be split into separate devices or combined into one device.
131 Citations
20 Claims
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1. Energy storage apparatus comprising:
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a compression chamber configured to receive a gas; a compression piston configured to compress the gas contained in the compression chamber; a first thermal store configured to receive and store thermal energy from the gas compressed by the compression piston; an expansion chamber configured to receive the gas after exposure to the first thermal store; an expansion piston configured to expand the gas received in the expansion chamber; and a second thermal store configured to transfer thermal energy to the gas expanded by the expansion piston; wherein expansion by the expansion piston or compression by the compression piston is substantially isentropic or substantially adiabatic, wherein a flow path of the gas passes through each of the first and second thermal stores for storing thermal energy from the gas and for transfer of thermal energy to the gas, respectively, and wherein the first and second thermal stores are configured to charge in a charging mode of the energy storage apparatus so as to store energy in the energy storage apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of storing energy in an energy storage apparatus, the method comprising:
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receiving a gas in a compression chamber of the energy storage apparatus; substantially isentropically or substantially adiabatically compressing the received gas in the compression chamber; storing thermal energy from the compressed gas in a first thermal store of the energy storage apparatus; receiving the gas in an expansion chamber of the energy storage apparatus after exposure to the first thermal store; substantially isentropically or substantially adiabatically expanding the received gas in the expansion chamber; and transferring thermal energy to the expanded gas in a second thermal store of the energy storage apparatus; wherein a flow path of the gas passes through each of the first and second thermal stores for storing thermal energy from the gas and for transfer of thermal energy to the gas, respectively.
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20. A method of storing energy in an energy storage apparatus, the method comprising:
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charging first and second thermal stores of the energy storage apparatus in a charging mode of the energy storage apparatus to store energy in the energy storage apparatus, wherein charging the first and second thermal stores comprises; receiving a gas in a compression chamber of the energy storage apparatus; substantially isentropically or substantially adiabatically compressing the received gas in the compression chamber; storing thermal energy from the compressed gas in the first thermal store of the energy storage apparatus; receiving the gas in an expansion chamber of the energy storage apparatus after exposure to the first thermal store; substantially isentropically or substantially adiabatically expanding the received gas in the expansion chamber; and transferring thermal energy to the expanded gas in the second thermal store of the energy storage apparatus; wherein a flow path of the gas passes through each of the first and second thermal stores for storing thermal energy from the gas and for transfer of thermal energy to the gas, respectively, and wherein the first and second thermal stores are separate from the compression chamber and the expansion chamber, respectively.
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Specification