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Flow and heat transfer characteristics of air compression in a liquid piston for compressed air energy storage

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  • Gouda, El Mehdi
  • Benaouicha, Mustapha
  • Neu, Thibault
  • Fan, Yilin
  • Luo, Lingai

Abstract

The breakthrough in energy storage technology is the key issue for the renewable energy penetration and compressed air energy storage (CAES) has demonstrated the potential for large-scale energy storage of power plants. Liquid piston (LP) technology has been developed to achieve the Isothermal CAES with improved efficiency, but the description and the physical understanding of the coupled flow and heat transfer dynamic behaviors are lacking. In this study, a 3D CFD model for LP compressor using finite-volume method and VOF method is developed and validated by the existing experimental data-sets. The air compression in the LP column is simulated and air flow and temperature characteristics are obtained and analysed in detail for the first time. Results clearly show the existence of different flow patterns over the compression time. The establishment of axisymmetric flow structure, its evolution and transition to totally chaotic one can be identified. The instabilities due to the high shear stress and frictions at the interface between the central-ascending & peripheral-descending streams may cause this flow structure disruption. The air temperature rise (32.5 K) at the end of compression is 7.7 times smaller than that of adiabatic operation, confirming the interests of LP in realizing Isothermal-CAES systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Gouda, El Mehdi & Benaouicha, Mustapha & Neu, Thibault & Fan, Yilin & Luo, Lingai, 2022. "Flow and heat transfer characteristics of air compression in a liquid piston for compressed air energy storage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PB).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:254:y:2022:i:pb:s0360544222012087
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2022.124305
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