Thermo‐Economic Analysis and Optimization of Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (A‐CAES) System Coupled with a Kalina Cycle

Abstract

An adiabatic compressed air energy storage system (A‐CAES) can improve the energy storage potential, compared with conventional CAES systems, by capturing the heat generated during the charge stage. However, a challenge remains in the utilization step of the stored thermal energy due to the energy loss from the thermal energy storage vessel, which has hindered commercialization of A‐CAES. To utilize the thermal energy produced by a compressor during the charge process efficiently, a novel system that couples A‐CAES system with the Kalina cycle (KC) is designed to recover the loss of heat. In the new system, which is characterized by a higher and more stable power output, a Kalina cycle and the expander absorb the heat released from thermal energy storage units to generate electricity. Theoretical thermodynamic analysis shows that the novel combined system can achieve more efficient operation than a single A‐CAES system. By examining the effects of key thermodynamic parameters on the exergy efficiency and overall capital cost, a Pareto frontier obtained shows the tradeoff between exergy efficiency and overall capital cost of the system, where 47.17 % and 1.455 k$ kW−1 are determined as the optimum values for the two objectives from the optimum design solutions.

Isobaric Expansion Engines Powered by Low‐Grade Heat—Working Fluid Performance and Selection Database for Power and Thermomechanical Refrigeration

“…The Kalina cycle, a variation of the classical ORC utilizing water–ammonia mixtures, is a promising alternative for very low temperature sources. [ 42 ] However, studies indicate that the promised benefits of Kalina cycles appear overestimated, while this process is much more complex and maintenance demanding than classical ORC processes. [ 43 ]…”

Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage: An analysis on the effect of thermal energy storage insulation thermal conductivity on round-trip efficiency

“…Assumes ideal TES (100% efficiency) 5 [9][10][11][12][13] Assigns TES a fixed efficiency 12 [14][15][16][17] Efficiency of TES modelled as dependent on multiple parameters including Thermal Conductivity 7 [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Analyses effect of various insulators and fully charged idle time on overall efficiency 0 -…”

Optimization and Analysis of Minimizing Exergy Loss in Ironmaking System

“…Li et al [ 28 ] held that exergy analysis could better reveal the energy efficiency of the system by providing more detailed internal information. At present, the exergy analysis has been widely applied in many sectors such as thermal engineering, [ 25,29–31 ] chemical engineering, [ 32–36 ] environment, [ 37–39 ] economics, [ 40–43 ] and so on.…”