Compressed Air Energy Storage Lubrication Preheating
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Solution Overview
Problem
The compressed air energy storage system has a slow response speed due to the slow warm-up time of the lubrication station, which is not suitable for rapid peak-load regulation in power grids, especially during winter months when the oil temperature is below the required starting temperature.
Innovation Solution
A rapid-response energy storage system is designed with a heating pipe and temperature sensor in each lubrication station, forming oil circulation loops to preheat the lubricating oil using exhaust air from the compressor and expander units, allowing for rapid oil temperature regulation without external thermal energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the oil system is allowed to start when the oil temperature reaches 30 degrees Celsius or higher, then the lubrication is sufficient and operation is safe, but the warm-up time is too long (up to half an hour or more in winter)
Solution Approach 1:
The heating pipe preheats the lubricating oil in the lubrication station before the compressor and expander start operating. This preliminary heating action ensures the oil temperature reaches the required 30 degrees Celsius threshold faster, reducing warm-up time from half an hour or more to a much shorter duration, while still ensuring adequate lubrication when the system starts
Solution Approach 2:
The heating pipe acts as an intermediary device that transfers thermal energy from the exhaust air to the lubricating oil. This intermediary mechanism enables efficient heat transfer to the oil without directly heating the entire system, thereby accelerating the warm-up process while maintaining lubrication reliability
2Speed
If the response time is reduced to several minutes for peak-load regulation, then the system can meet grid dispatching requirements, but the oil temperature cannot be sufficiently warmed up
Solution Approach 1:
The heating pipe performs preliminary heating of the lubricating oil using exhaust air from the compressor and expander units. This preheating action ensures that even when the system needs to respond quickly (within several minutes) to peak-load regulation demands, the oil temperature is already sufficiently elevated to allow immediate safe operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own exhaust air, which contains waste thermal energy, to heat the lubricating oil through the heating pipe. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external heating sources and enables the system to rapidly warm up the oil independently, achieving both fast response speed and adequate oil temperature
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
This solution enables rapid response times at both energy storage and release stages, ensuring the system can meet the demands of peak-load regulation without compromising technical competitiveness or economy, by preheating lubricating oils within the lubrication stations using exhaust air, thus optimizing the response speed of the compressed air energy storage system.
Implementation Method 1
a heating pipe and a temperature sensor are disposed inside each of the compressor unit lubrication station and the expander unit lubrication station; an outlet of the compressor unit communicates with an inlet of the air storage chamber through the heating pipe inside the expander unit lubrication station
Implementation Method 2
the compressor unit lubrication station, the compressor unit oil pump, an oil way inside the compressor unit and a high-temperature side of the compressor unit oil cooler are sequentially connected end to end to form a first oil circulation loop
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to the field of energy storage, and provides a rapid-response energy storage system and a using method thereof. The system comprises an air storage chamber, a compressor unit, an expander unit, a compressor unit lubrication station, an expander unit lubrication station, a compressor unit oil cooler, an expander unit oil cooler, a compressor unit oil pump and an expander unit oil pump; an outlet of the compressor unit communicates with an inlet of the air storage chamber through a heating pipe inside the expander unit lubrication station, and an outlet of the air storage chamber communicates with a heating pipe inside the compressor unit lubrication station sequentially through a regulating valve and the expander unit; the compressor unit lubrication station, the compressor unit oil pump, an oil way inside the compressor unit and the high-temperature side of the compressor unit oil cooler are sequentially connected end to end to form a first oil circulation loop; and the expander unit lubrication station, the expander unit oil pump, an oil way inside the expander unit and the high-temperature side of the expander unit oil cooler are sequentially connected end to end to form a second oil circulation loop. According to the present disclosure, rapid responses can be achieved and the lubricating oil can be heated without the consumption of external thermal energy.