Deepwater high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of underwater energy storage, and discloses a deepwater high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit which comprises a hose, a connecting flange, a sealing assembly, an inflation / deflation control module and a counterweight assembly, the air energy storage unit is connected with a compressed air energy storage station, and the two ends of the hose are connected with supports. The side face of the support is connected with the hose through the connecting flange and the sealing assembly, the bottom of the support and the balance weight assembly are fixed through bolts, the hose is a composite material high-pressure-resistant collapsible hose, and the hose is integrally formed by multiple layers of composite materials, has the large-diameter high-pressure-resistant characteristic and also has the characteristic that the hose uniformly collapses in the radial direction under the effect of deep water pressure. Through the superimposed effect of the composite high-pressure-resistant hose and the water depth pressure, underwater energy storage of ultra-deep water pressure with higher energy density is achieved, compared with a conventional device, the energy density is increased by 2-3 times, and under the same energy storage capacity, the volume of the hose can be reduced by 50% or above.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of underwater energy storage technology, specifically to a deep-water high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit, suitable for large-scale energy storage and release in deep-water environments. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of new energy sources such as ocean energy and offshore wind power, underwater energy storage technology has become a key support for solving energy intermittency and improving energy utilization efficiency. At present, the core components of underwater compressed air energy storage devices are mostly conventional flexible bladders, which rely entirely on hydrostatic pressure to store the potential energy of compressed air. They cannot withstand additional pressure, resulting in their energy density being only proportional to the installation water depth.

[0003] The existing technology has the following drawbacks: First, the conventional flexible capsule has limited pressure-bearing capacity, resulting in low energy density of the energy storage device, which is difficult to meet the needs of large-scale energy storage; Second, in order to increase the stored energy, the energy storage device needs to be equipped with a larger volume capsule and a heavier counterweight, which not only increases the manufacturing cost, but also increases the difficulty and operational risks of underwater installation; Third, the internal pressure of the capsule is limited by its own pressure-bearing capacity, and it is impossible to further increase the energy storage pressure based on the water depth pressure, thus limiting the improvement of energy storage efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, developing a deep-water high-pressure energy storage device that can overcome existing pressure limitations, increase energy density, and reduce costs is of great practical significance. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention aims to overcome the technical defects of existing underwater flexible energy storage devices and provide a deep-water high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit. By optimizing the hose structure and materials, the pressure-bearing capacity of the hose itself is significantly improved, and the superposition effect of water depth pressure is utilized to achieve high-pressure energy storage under ultra-deep water pressure. At the same time, the device volume and counterweight mass are reduced, thereby reducing the equipment structure manufacturing cost and installation difficulty.

[0006] The present invention provides the following technical solution: a deep-water high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit, including a hose, a connecting flange, a sealing component, an inflation / deflation control module, and a counterweight component. The air energy storage unit is connected to a compressed air energy storage station. The hose is connected to brackets at both ends. The sides of the brackets are connected to the hose through the connecting flanges and the sealing component. The bottom of the brackets is fixed to the counterweight component by bolts. The hose is a high-pressure resistant and collapsible composite material hose. The hose is integrally molded from multiple layers of composite material, which has the characteristics of large diameter and high pressure resistance, and also has the characteristics of uniform radial collapse under deep-water pressure.

[0007] Preferably, the internal pressure bearing capacity of the hose is the sum of its own designed rated pressure bearing capacity and the water depth pressure, wherein the water depth pressure is calculated according to the formula P=ρgh (ρ is the density of seawater, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the deployment water depth).

[0008] Preferably, the sealing component is a clamp-type combination structure, which is convenient and flexible to install. At the same time, the ring structure evenly wraps the fixed part, and the pressure distribution is uniform during tightening, which can effectively prevent local damage, enhance the pipeline's resistance to vibration and displacement, adapt to the deep-water operation requirements of the energy storage unit, and have connection reliability and stability.

[0009] Preferably, the middle tube bundle of the hose is wrapped with a reinforcing strip and then connected and fixed to the embedded part of the counterweight component. The reinforcement strip can improve the overall stability of the hose, and the gas storage pressure inside the hose is significantly higher than the water depth pressure. This makes the gas storage unit have a higher energy density than other conventional devices when equipped with the same weight of counterweight module.

[0010] Preferably, the counterweight assembly is designed according to the water depth of the hose deployment and its own buoyancy, and the counterweight assembly adopts a steel-concrete structure with pre-embedded steel structural components inside, which can reduce the weight of the counterweight and reduce manufacturing costs, thus significantly reducing energy consumption and operational difficulty during transportation and installation. At the same time, the counterweight assembly is fixedly connected to the brackets in the middle and at both ends of the hose through flanges to ensure the stability of the overall structure of the air energy storage unit.

[0011] Preferably, the control module and the inflation / deflation control module include a high-pressure solenoid valve, a flow regulating valve and a check valve, which can realize the rapid inflation and stable release of high-pressure gas; the pressure monitoring module has a built-in high-precision pressure sensor to monitor the internal pressure of the hose and the external water depth pressure in real time, and transmits the data to the shore-based or underwater control terminal to realize closed-loop pressure control.

[0012] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. This invention achieves higher energy density underwater energy storage under ultra-deep water pressure by superimposing the composite material high-pressure resistant hose with water depth pressure. Compared with conventional devices, the energy density is increased by 2-3 times, and the hose volume can be reduced by more than 50% for the same energy storage capacity.

[0013] 2. By utilizing the collapsible characteristics of the flexible hose and the pressure superposition mechanism, this invention reduces the volume of the device by 40%-60% compared to conventional flexible energy storage devices for the same energy storage requirements. At the same time, the counterweight mass is significantly reduced, manufacturing costs are reduced by 30%-50%, and energy consumption and operational difficulty during transportation and installation are significantly reduced.

[0014] 3. This invention uses composite material hoses, which have the characteristics of high pressure resistance, corrosion resistance, and fatigue resistance, and have a service life of more than 20 years, which can guarantee the service life of the energy storage unit and is suitable for supporting energy storage systems for new energy sources such as offshore wind power and tidal energy. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the filling and emptying structure of the gas storage unit of the present invention; Figure 3 This is an enlarged view of the pipe connections on both ends of the present invention; Figure 4 This is an enlarged schematic diagram of the inclination measurement of the two support end faces of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a front view of the flexible hose end flange in this invention; Figure 6 This is a half-sectional view of the flexible hose end flange in this invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the flexible hose end flange in this invention.

[0016] In the diagram: 1. Compressed gas energy storage station; 2. Support frame; 3. Hoses; 4. Reinforcing belt; 5. Counterweight assembly; 6. Connecting flange. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0018] Please see Figure 1 A deep-sea high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit includes a hose 3, a connecting flange 6, a sealing assembly, an inflation / deflation control module, and a counterweight assembly 5. This air energy storage unit is connected to a compressed air energy storage station 1. Supports 2 are connected to both ends of the hose 3, and the structure of the supports 2 is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the side of the bracket 2 is connected to the hose 3 via the connecting flange 6 and the sealing assembly. The sealing assembly is a clamp-type combination structure, which is convenient and flexible to install. At the same time, the ring structure evenly wraps the fixed part, and the pressure distribution is uniform when tightening, which can effectively prevent local damage and enhance the pipeline's resistance to vibration and displacement. It can adapt to the deep-water operation requirements of the energy storage unit, has reliable and stable connection, and ensures the airtightness between the inside of the hose 3 and the external deep water. The bottom of the bracket 2 is fixedly connected to the counterweight assembly 5 by several bolts, which allows the energy storage unit to be assembled during use, facilitating its transportation and storage.

[0019] Please see Figure 2-3Several hoses 3 are provided, and all hoses 3 are internally connected. The hoses 3 are composite material high-pressure resistant and collapsible hoses, and are integrally molded from multi-layer composite materials. The material of the hoses 3 is fiber-reinforced TPU coated composite material hose, in which high-strength aramid fiber is used, which enables the hoses 3 to collapse uniformly in the radial direction under deep water pressure and has large-diameter high-pressure resistance. By optimizing the structure and materials of the hoses 3, the pressure bearing capacity of the hoses 3 can be improved. The internal pressure bearing capacity of the hoses 3 is the superposition value of its own designed rated pressure bearing capacity and water depth pressure, which can achieve higher energy density underwater energy storage. Compared with conventional devices, its energy density is increased by 2-3 times, and the hose volume can be reduced by more than 50% for the same energy storage capacity, thereby greatly improving the performance of the energy storage unit when in use. For example, at a water depth of 200 meters, its internal pressure bearing capacity can reach 5 MPa, where the water depth pressure is calculated by the formula P=ρgh, where ρ is the density of seawater (g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the deployment water depth).

[0020] Please see Figure 1 The middle section of the hose 3 is wrapped with a reinforcing band 4 and then connected and fixed to the embedded parts of the counterweight assembly 5. The reinforcement band 4 improves the overall stability of the hose 3. The internal air pressure of the hose 3 is significantly higher than the water pressure, which makes the energy storage unit have a higher energy density than other conventional devices when equipped with the same weight of counterweight module. The counterweight assembly 5 is designed according to the water depth of the hose 3 and its own buoyancy. The counterweight assembly 5 adopts a steel-concrete structure with embedded steel structural components, which can reduce the weight of the counterweight and reduce manufacturing costs. This significantly reduces energy consumption and operational difficulty during transportation and installation. At the same time, the counterweight assembly 5 is fixedly connected to the brackets 2 in the middle and at both ends of the hose 3 through flanges to ensure the overall structural stability of the air energy storage unit.

[0021] Please see Figure 5-7 The two ends of the hose 3 are connected to the two end supports 2 through the connecting flanges 6 and the sealing assembly, which can ensure the airtightness of the hose 3 to the outside world when it is working.

[0022] Please see Figure 1 The control module and the inflation / deflation control module include a high-pressure solenoid valve, a flow regulating valve, and a check valve, which can realize the rapid inflation and stable release of high-pressure gas; the pressure monitoring module has a built-in high-precision pressure sensor to monitor the internal pressure of the hose and the external water depth pressure in real time, and transmits the data to the shore-based or underwater control terminal to realize closed-loop pressure control.

[0023] The working principle of the method of using this invention is as follows: Deployment phase: Assemble hose 3 with sealing components, control module and counterweight components 5 as a whole, transport it to the target water area by engineering vessel, lower it to the preset water depth and fix it, and the counterweight components ensure that the hose maintains a vertical or horizontal stable posture. Inflation and energy storage stage: High-pressure air is injected into the hose 3 through the air compressor of the inflation control module. During the inflation process, the hose 3 gradually expands under the action of gas pressure. At the same time, the external water pressure is transmitted to the inside through the outer wall of the hose 3, forming a pressure superposition. The maximum pressure of the stored compressed air is the superposition of the hydrostatic pressure and the rated operating pressure of the pipeline. Constant volume gas release and energy release stage: When energy needs to be released, the high-pressure gas first outputs compressed air through the pressure of hose 3. During this period, the volume of compressed air in hose 3 remains basically unchanged, and the output pressure decreases as the compressed air is discharged until the pressure of the compressed air inside hose 3 is equal to the hydrostatic pressure of the current water depth. The discharged compressed air converts the potential energy of the compressed air into electrical energy through a heat exchanger and a turbine generator and is connected to the power grid. Constant pressure venting and energy release stage: During the energy release process, after the constant volume venting and energy release stage ends, the energy storage device enters the constant pressure venting and energy release stage. In this stage, the volume of compressed air stored in the pipeline decreases as the compressed air is discharged, but the pressure of the output compressed air is always the static water pressure at the current water depth. When the pipeline collapses until it is flat, all the potential energy of the compressed air is discharged.

[0024] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0025] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A deep-sea high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit, comprising a hose (3), a connecting flange (6), a sealing assembly, an inflation / deflation control module, and a counterweight assembly (5), wherein the air energy storage unit is connected to a compressed air energy storage station (1), characterized in that: The hose (3) is connected to brackets (2) at both ends. The side of the bracket (2) is connected to the hose (3) through connecting flanges (6) and sealing components. The bottom of the bracket (2) is fixed to the counterweight component (5) by bolts. The hose (3) is a composite material high pressure resistant and collapsible hose. The hose (3) is integrally molded with multi-layer composite material, which has the characteristics of large diameter high pressure resistance and also has the characteristics of uniformly collapsing radially under deep water pressure.

2. The deep-sea high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The internal pressure bearing capacity of the hose (3) is the sum of its own designed rated pressure bearing capacity and the water depth pressure.

3. The deep-sea high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sealing assembly is a clamp combination type.

4. The deep-sea high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material of the hose (3) is a fiber-reinforced TPU coated composite material hose, wherein the fiber is high-strength aramid fiber, the tube bundle in the middle of the hose (3) is wrapped with a reinforcing band (4) and then connected and fixed to the embedded part of the counterweight component (5), and the internal gas storage pressure of the hose (3) is higher than the water depth pressure.

5. The deep-sea high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit according to claim 4, characterized in that: The counterweight assembly (5) is designed according to the water depth and buoyancy of the hose (3), and the counterweight assembly (5) adopts a steel-concrete structure with steel structural components embedded inside, and is fixedly connected to the brackets (2) in the middle and both ends of the hose (3) through flanges.

6. The deep-sea high-pressure compressed air energy storage unit according to claim 5, characterized in that: The control module and the inflation / deflation control module include a high-pressure solenoid valve, a flow regulating valve, and a check valve, which can realize the rapid inflation and stable release of high-pressure gas; the pressure monitoring module has a built-in high-precision pressure sensor to monitor the internal pressure of the hose and the external water depth pressure in real time, and transmits the data to the shore-based or underwater control terminal to realize closed-loop pressure control.

Images