Apparatus for storing and re-utilizing electrical energy produced in an electric power-supply network
AssigneeSulzer Brothers Limited
InventorRene Strub
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The output of at least the lowest-pressure turbo-compressor is connected via the intermediate cooler of the compressor group to the input of the turbo-compressor and a throttling means is placed in the conduit between the compressor output and cooler. The looping of the output to the input is effected to diminish the starting and idling power of the compressor group. Charging of the compressed air storage chamber is prevented by a check valve until the pressure of the pressure chamber is exceeded in the compressor group.
Claims7
An apparatus for storing energy produced in an electric power-supply network and for re-utilizing the stored energy during peak loads of said network, said apparatus comprising
- a compressor group including at least two multistage turbo-compressors connected in series;
- a compressed-air storage chamber for receiving compressed air from said compressor group;
- an electric machine connected to said compressor group and to said network to function as a motor for driving said compressor group to deliver compressed air to said storage chamber;
- a gas turbine selectively coupled to said electric machine and to said storage chamber for driving said electric machine as a generator during a discharge of air from said storage chamber to supply electric energy to said network;
- a cooler connected in series between said two turbo-compressors for cooling a flow of compressed air therebetween;
- a first conduit connected to an output of the lowest-pressure turbo-compressor of said compressor group and to said cooler to deliver compressed air thereto;
- a second conduit connected between said cooler and an input of said lowest-pressure turbo-compressor to deliver the air pumped from said output of said lowest-pressure turbo-compressor to said input thereof;
- and
- a throttling means in said first conduit.
An apparatus for storing energy produced in an electric power-supply network and for re-utilizing the stored energy during peak loads of said network, said apparatus comprising
- a compressor group including at least two multi-stage turbo-compressors connected in series;
- a compressed-air storage chamber for receiving compressed air from said compressor group;
- an electric machine connected to said compressor group and to said network to function as a motor for driving said compressor group to deliver compressed air to said storage chamber;
- a gas turbine selectively coupled to said electric machine and to said storage chamber for driving said electric machine as a generator during a discharge of air from said storage chamber to supply electric energy to said network;
- a cooler connected in series between said two turbo-compressors for cooling a flow of compressed air therebetween;
- and
- means for looping the air compressed in at least the lowest-pressure turbo-compressor of said compressor group from the output thereof to the input thereof through said cooler.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.