Capabilities and Experience

• Technologies Patented and Commercialized by ESPC
  • Compressed Air Energy Storage
    • CAES
    • SCAES
  • CAES Utilizing Air Injection
  • CHAT (Cascaded Humidified Advanced Turbine)
    • Large
    • Small
    • Coal-Fired
  • Hybrid Concept for DG
• Air Injection for Power Augmentation of CT/CC Plants
• CAES Utilizing Air Injection
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Compressed Air Energy Storage Utilizing Air Injection Technology

ESPC developed a novel CAES plant concept based on application of Dry Air Injection (DAI) technology that reduced by more than 50% specific CAES plant costs ($/kW). This concept (see List of Publications 3, 5, 9, 22) is based on the injection of the stored air into existing combustion turbines all within their capacity limitations constrained by the CT operation at the low ambient temperatures. Thus the GE 7FA combustion turbine allows for additional 40MW of the CAES plant capacity generated by the stored air.

The technology:

·        Reduces the CAES plant specific costs to approximately $200-250/kW (vs. $600-650/kW for the conventional concept) due to the elimination of costs and development issues/expenses associated with highly customized turbomachinery trains for the CAES plant application.

·        Can meet a variety of the CAES plant capacities requirements by combining the incremental CAES plant capacities of various combustion turbines.

·        Allows for the utilization of sub-surface storage systems (with a typically small storage capacity) that is sized for the incremental capacity of a combustion turbine and could be installed in its vicinity.

·        Significantly reduces the project schedule avoiding the turbomachinery manufacturing time, and the time for tuning up and field adjustments.

·        Provides the lowest emissions by capitalizing on the state-of the art gas turbine combustors.

·        Significantly reduces risk factors by using standard combustion turbines for the power generation.

This concept, due to its lowest cost, is the best alternative for improvement of economics of wind power plants and other renewable energy sources by storing the renewable energy (whenever it is produced) and by releasing it in a controlled fashion as needed during peak hours.

The novel CAES concept is very effective in increasing efficiency (reducing fuel consumption) of existing combustion turbines which currently is particularly important in the times of high fuel costs. The incremental CAES power is produced with the heat rate of approximately 4000 Btu/kWh that is significantly lower than the heat rate of contemporary combustion turbines (of approximately 9500-10500 Btu/kWh) thus reducing the average fuel consumption per kWh produced.