Method and apparatus for storage of compressed air energy and the release and conversion of compressed air energy

Abstract

An apparatus for storing and releasing compressed air energy includes at least one hydraulic-to-compressed air converter and at least one hydraulic-to-electric converter, both connected with an accumulator, which has at least one compressed-air storage tank. When hydraulic pressure is passed to the hydraulic-to-compressed air converter, it is converted to high-pressure compressed air, stored in the accumulator and released to generate a hydraulic force to the hydraulic-to-electric converter or the hydraulic-to-compressed air converter to convert hydraulic energy to electric or compressed air energy, respectively. A method for storing and releasing compressed air energy includes receiving hydraulic energy from a wind turbine and converting it to compressed air energy, storing the compressed air energy within an accumulator that has at least one storage tank, and then releasing the compressed air energy to generate a hydraulic force and convert hydraulic energy to electric or compressed air energy.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.