Energy storage technology for demanded supply optimisation

A method of operation of a thermal power plant having an air separation module for the separation of an oxygen rich comburant gas supply for oxyfuel firing of fossil fuel an oxygen rich comburant gas storage facility, characterized by the steps of:

• providing a combustion boiler/turbine system of a thermal power plant having a combustion boiler for combustion of a fuel in the presence of an oxygen rich comburant gas;
• determining for the said combustion boiler a nominal steady state comburant gas demand;
• determining for the combustion boiler a design load factor across a pre-determined operating period;
• and/or defining required energy storage capacity required to determine ASU unit and LOX storage size;
• providing in association therewith an air separation module to separate and output an oxygen rich comburant gas from an input air supply, a comburant gas storage module fluidly connected to the output of the air separation module for storage in liquid state of separated oxygen rich gas, and a comburant gas supply module to supply the oxygen rich gas to the combustion boiler selectively from the air separation system and/or the comburant gas storage system;
• wherein the air separation module is operated at an oxygen rich gas separation capacity based on the said comburant gas demand of the combustion boiler/turbine adjusted to take account of the said determined load factor and/or said required energy storage capacity.