Thermodynamic cycle system with thermal plant integration
AssigneeMalta Inc.
InventorsBenjamin R. Bollinger, Bao H. Truong
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides pumped heat energy storage systems that can be used to store and/or extract electrical energy. A pumped heat energy storage system of the present disclosure can store energy by operating as a heat pump, whereby net work input can be used to transfer heat from the cold side to the hot side. A working fluid of the system is capable of efficient heat exchange with heat storage fluids on a hot side of the system and on a cold side of the system. Such pumped energy storage systems can be beneficially integrated with thermal plants to provided heat transfer to and/or from the thermal plants.
Claims14
A method comprising:
- operating a thermodynamic cycle system in an energy storage mode to convert electrical energy into stored thermal energy in a hot first thermal storage medium, wherein operating the thermodynamic cycle system in the energy storage mode comprises:
- circulating a working fluid through at least, a compressor and a first heat exchanger, and transferring heat from the working fluid to the first thermal storage medium at the first heat exchanger, resulting in the hot first thermal storage medium;
- flowing at least a portion of the hot first thermal storage medium from the thermodynamic cycle system to a thermal power plant;
- receiving at the thermodynamic cycle system a warm first thermal storage medium from the thermal power plant, wherein the hot first thermal storage medium has discharged heat to the thermal power plant resulting in the warm first thermal storage medium, and
- operating the thermodynamic cycle system in a power generation mode wherein at least a portion of the stored thermal energy is converted into electrical energy.
A method comprising:
- at a thermal power plant, receiving a hot first thermal storage medium from a thermodynamic cycle system;
- discharging heat from the received hot first thermal storage medium at the thermal plant;
- and
- flowing a warm first thermal storage medium from the thermal power plant to the thermodynamic cycle system,
- wherein the hot first thermal storage medium received heat at the thermodynamic cycle system in a first heat exchanger from a working fluid that circulated through at least, a compressor and the first heat exchanger, in an energy storage mode of the thermodynamic cycle system, and the working fluid is circulated through at least the first heat exchanger in a power generation mode of the thermodynamic cycle system wherein at least a portion of the stored thermal energy is converted into electrical energy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.