US 8,261,552 B2Granted

Advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage system

AssigneeDresser-Rand Company

InventorMichael Nakhamkin

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Abstract

An adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) system includes a low pressure compressor structure (14) to provide compressed air; a first heat exchanger (26) to extract heat from the compressed air exiting the low pressure compressor structure; a thermal storage device (60) to store the extracted heat during off-peak load periods; a motor-driven high pressure compressor (30) to receive compressed air cooled by the first heat exchanger, an aftercooler (34) to extract heat from the further compressed air; an air storage (36) to receive and store the further compressed air cooled by the second heat exchanger; a second heat exchanger (64) to transfer heat stored in the first thermal storage device to compressed air released from the air storage during peak periods; and a turbine structure (40) to expand the heated compressed air released from the air storage to produce power.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) system, comprising:

a low pressure compressor structure constructed and arranged to compress air and to discharge the compressed air at temperature sufficient to provide the only heat needed in the system to produce power;
a first heat exchanger constructed and arranged to extract heat from the compressed air outputted by the low pressure compressor structure;
a thermal storage device constructed and arranged to store the extracted heat during off-peak load periods;
a motor-driven high pressure compressor constructed and arranged to receive compressed air cooled by the first heat exchanger for further compression;
an aftercooler constructed and arranged to extract heat from the further compressed air without any provision to store thermal energy;
an air storage constructed and arranged to receive and store the further compressed air cooled by the aftercooler;
a second heat exchanger constructed and arranged to transfer heat stored in the thermal storage device to preheat the compressed air released from the air storage during peak periods;
and
a turbine structure constructed and arranged to expand the preheated compressed air released from the air storage to produce power,
wherein the preheated compressed air expanded by the turbine structure is heated only by heat from the thermal storage device and without burning fuel.

7 more elements

A method of utilizing and recovering energy and heat obtained during low pressure compression of air in an adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) system, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a low pressure compressor structure and a high pressure compressor structure,
compressing air in the compressor structures during an off-peak load period;
extracting thermal energy from the compressed air discharged from the compressor structures thereby producing cooled compressed air;
storing the extracted thermal energy in a thermal energy storage device, with the stored thermal energy being the only thermal energy needed by the system to produce power;
cooling the compressed air outputted by the high pressure compressor in an aftercooler;
storing the cooled further compressed air in an air storage during the off-peak load period,
releasing compressed air from the air storage during a peak load period;
heating the compressed air released from the air storage using only heat stored by the thermal energy storage device and without burning fuel;
and
expanding the heated compressed air in a turbine structure to produce power.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/818,186Filed 18 Jun 2010 · continuation in part
Priority: 25 Jan 2007
Published: US 2010/0043437 A17 Oct 2010
Granted: 11 Sep 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

F02C 1/04
Gas-turbine plants characterised by the use of hot gases or unheated pressurised gases, as the working fluid: the working fluid being heated…
F01K 3/12
Plants characterised by the use of steam or heat accumulators, or intermediate steam heaters, therein: having two or more accumulators
F01K 13/00
General layout or general methods of operation of complete plants
F02C 6/16
Gas-turbine plants having means for storing energy, e.g. for meeting peak loads: for storing compressed air

Family

Application11/657,661Parent of this division · filed 25 Jan 2007
Application12/076,689Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Mar 2008
Application12/216,911Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 11 Jul 2008
Application12/285,404Parent of this division · filed 3 Oct 2008
Application12/582,720Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 21 Oct 2009
Application12/632,841Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 8 Dec 2009
US 2010/0251712 A1Pre-grant publication · published 7 Oct 2010
US 8,011,189 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 7,614,237 B2Parent of this division
Application12/582,720Parent of this division
Application12/285,404Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 7,406,828 B1Parent of this continuation
Application12/216,911Parent of this continuation
Application12/076,689Parent of this division
US 2008/0178601 A1Published application
US 2008/0178602 A1Published application
US 2008/0272598 A1Published application
US 2009/0100835 A1Published application
US 2010/0043437 A1Published application
US 2010/0083660 A1Published application
US 8,261,552 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.