Industry background of advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage

What is advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage?

Advanced Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (AACAES) is a technology for storing energy in thermomechanical form. This technology involves several equipment such as compressors, turbines, heat storage capacities, air coolers, caverns, etc.

What is adiabatic air energy storage (CAES)?

This adiabatic CAES benefits from higher storage efficiencies and, notably, zero CO2 emissions and is being developed within the “AA-CAES” Project (Advanced Adiabatic – Compressed Air Energy Storage), funded by the European Commission under contract ENK6 CT-2002-00611, reference .

How adiabatic energy is stored in a cavern?

In the adiabatic cycle described below the heat energy is extracted and stored separately before the compressed air enters the cavern (Fig. 1). When energy is required by the grid, the compressed air and heat energy are recombined, and expanded through an air turbine.

How do adiabatic CAES plants reduce storage efficiency?

The storage efficiency of the diabatic CAES plants just described is reduced by cooling of the air before it enters the cavern, and by reheating the air prior to burning it with the fuel. In the adiabatic cycle described below the heat energy is extracted and stored separately before the compressed air enters the cavern (Fig. 1).

How does adiabatic CAES work?

Adiabatic CAES, on the other hand, uses a separate thermal energy store during the compression part of the cycle. During the generation part of the cycle the thermal energy store is used to reheat the air, which is then expanded through a sliding pressure air turbine.

Is diabatic compressed air energy storage a promising energy storage solution?

At first sight, this appears surprising, given that technical literature consistently re-fers to its potential as a promising en-ergy storage solution and the fact that two diabatic compressed air energy storage (DCAES) plants exist at utility scale (Huntorf, Germany and Macintosh Alabama, USA), with over 80 years of combined operation.