Compressed air energy system
OwnerPaul H. F. Merswolkeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and associated systems for storing compressed air and extracting energy from the compressed air are disclosed. An exemplary method comprises: compressing air; storing the compressed air in a first storage tank at a first pressure; transferring the compressed air from the first storage tank to a second storage tank; storing the compressed air in the second storage tank at a second pressure lower than the first pressure; discharging the compressed air from the second storage tank; and extracting energy from the compressed air discharged from the second storage tank. The method may also comprise adding heat to the compressed air between the first storage tank and the second storage tank.
Claims33
A compressed air energy system for storing compressed air and extracting energy from the compressed air, the system comprising:
- an air compressor;
- a first storage tank connected to the air compressor for receiving compressed air from the air compressor and storing the compressed air at a first pressure;
- a second storage tank connected to the first storage tank for receiving compressed air from the first storage tank and storing the compressed air at a second pressure;
- a first pressure regulator operatively disposed between the first storage tank and the second storage tank, the first pressure regulator being configured to control a flow of compressed air from the first storage tank to the second storage tank to maintain the second pressure in the second storage tank lower than the first pressure in the first storage tank;
- an energy extraction apparatus connected to the second storage tank and configured to extract energy from the compressed air discharged from the second storage tank;
- and
- one or more heaters configured to add heat to the compressed air at one or more locations downstream of the first storage tank, wherein:
- a first of the heaters is configured to add heat to the compressed air at a first of the one or more locations, the first location being upstream of the first pressure regulator;
- and
- the first heater is configured to facilitate heat transfer from ambient air to the compressed air.
A compressed air energy system for storing compressed air and extracting energy from the compressed air, the system comprising:
- an air compressor;
- a first storage tank connected to the air compressor for receiving compressed air from the air compressor and storing the compressed air at a first pressure;
- a second storage tank connected to the first storage tank for receiving compressed air from the first storage tank and storing the compressed air at a second pressure;
- a first pressure regulator operatively disposed between the first storage tank and the second storage tank, the first pressure regulator being configured to control a flow of compressed air from the first storage tank to the second storage tank to maintain the second pressure in the second storage tank lower than the first pressure in the first storage tank;
- an energy extraction apparatus connected to the second storage tank and configured to extract energy from the compressed air discharged from the second storage tank;
- and
- a heater configured to add heat to the compressed air at a location downstream of the first storage tank, wherein:
- the location is between the first pressure regulator and the second storage tank;
- and
- the heater is configured to facilitate heat transfer from air discharged by the energy extraction apparatus to the compressed air.
A compressed air energy system for storing compressed air and extracting energy from the compressed air, the system comprising:
- an air compressor;
- a first storage tank connected to the air compressor for receiving compressed air from the air compressor and storing the compressed air at a first pressure;
- a second storage tank connected to the first storage tank for receiving compressed air from the first storage tank and storing the compressed air at a second pressure;
- a first pressure regulator operatively disposed between the first storage tank and the second storage tank, the first pressure regulator being configured to control a flow of compressed air from the first storage tank to the second storage tank to maintain the second pressure in the second storage tank lower than the first pressure in the first storage tank;
- an energy extraction apparatus connected to the second storage tank and configured to extract energy from the compressed air discharged from the second storage tank;
- and
- a climate-controlled enclosure, the compressor comprising an air inlet configured to receive air from inside the climate-controlled enclosure.
A compressed air energy system for storing compressed air and extracting energy from the compressed air, the system comprising:
- an air compressor;
- a first storage tank connected to the air compressor for receiving compressed air from the air compressor and storing the compressed air at a first pressure;
- a second storage tank connected to the first storage tank for receiving compressed air from the first storage tank and storing the compressed air at a second pressure;
- a first pressure regulator operatively disposed between the first storage tank and the second storage tank, the first pressure regulator being configured to control a flow of compressed air from the first storage tank to the second storage tank to maintain the second pressure in the second storage tank lower than the first pressure in the first storage tank;
- an energy extraction apparatus connected to the second storage tank and configured to extract energy from the compressed air discharged from the second storage tank;
- a climate-controlled enclosure containing the first storage tank;
- and
- an air conditioning unit associated with the enclosure to actively control a humidity level inside of the enclosure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.