Compressed Air Energy Storage for Gas Turbine Efficiency
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbines face efficiency challenges due to the low thermal energy of high-pressure stored air in diabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) systems, which requires costly specialty hardware and dedicated expansion turbines, limiting market penetration and cycle efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses cooled, high-pressure air from a CAES system to enhance gas turbine efficiency by injecting it into the compressor stages or combustion chamber, leveraging existing gas turbine technology to minimize re-engineering and maximize cycle efficiency, and combining with heat exchangers to capture waste heat for further improvements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If cooled high-pressure air is injected into the compressor stages, then mass flow and efficiency improve, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces compressed air energy storage (CAES) system as an intermediary component that stores compressed air and releases it to the compressor stages. This mediator enables mass flow enhancement without requiring complex real-time compression and storage infrastructure, thereby improving productivity while managing system complexity through a dedicated energy storage subsystem.
Solution Approach 2:
The CAES system performs preliminary compression and storage of air before it is needed by the gas turbine compressor. By pre-compressing and storing air at optimal conditions, the system eliminates the need for complex on-demand compression systems during operation, improving mass flow while simplifying the operational complexity through advance preparation.
2Use of energy by moving object
If cooled high-pressure air is injected into the combustion chamber, then thermal efficiency improves, but additional heating equipment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the waste heat from the gas turbine exhaust as a beneficial resource to reheat the compressed air before injection into the combustion chamber. By converting the harmful waste heat into a useful heating source, the system improves thermal efficiency without requiring external fuel sources or complex additional heating equipment, thus converting a disadvantage into an advantage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers thermal energy that would otherwise be discarded in the exhaust stream. By capturing and reusing this waste heat to preheat the compressed air, the system improves overall thermal efficiency while avoiding the need for separate heating systems, effectively recovering and repurposing previously wasted energy resources.
3Loss of energy
If CAES system is integrated with gas turbine, then cycle efficiency improves, but integration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the CAES system with the gas turbine cycle by integrating the compressed air injection points directly into the turbine's existing airflow path. This consolidation combines two separate systems (CAES and gas turbine) into a unified operation, improving cycle efficiency by reducing energy losses while managing integration complexity through direct coupling rather than separate interconnected systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated system serves multiple functions simultaneously: the CAES component provides both energy storage and compressed air supply for the turbine, while the turbine itself generates power and provides waste heat for reheating. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, improving overall cycle efficiency while controlling integration complexity through versatile system design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed system significantly improves gas turbine efficiency and power output, reducing the need for dedicated CAES expansion turbines and lowering costs, while enhancing the integration of renewable energy sources like wind and solar by optimizing thermodynamic performance.
Implementation Method 1
heated using heat exchangers that capture waste heat from the gas turbine to heat the high pressure air charge
Implementation Method 2
This cool, high pressure intake air charge has a supercharging like effect on the operation of the gas turbine
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of increasing efficiency and power output of a gas turbine system using a compressed air storage system including delivering a compressed air charge from the compressed air storage system, the compressed air charge having a pressure greater than ambient pressure and a temperature less than ambient temperature, the compressed air charge being delivered to the gas turbine and the compressed air charge operable to cool at least a portion of the gas turbine.